IT
In this regular column Charles Zealey, of ITSolve, covers all aspects of business and personal computing. If you have a question about IT matters, e-mail it to Charles at: itmatters@itsolve.co.uk
January’s spell of snow and ice has brought the issue of working from home back into focus.Obviously for some people working from home is not a possibility, but for those that are able to, there are real advantages in productivity if employers provide for home working.
When the bad weather struck many people were simply unable to get to the office, and many others faced severe delays.
Staff understandably felt to need to leave early in order to beat both the traffic and the weather. Add to this the very real risk of injury and the costs to business, as has been well documented, is immense.
For those of us whose work primarily consists of computer and telephone-based work there is very little need to travel in this day and age.
Access to files may be a little slower than in the office, but basic tasks can be performed from a distance with a little forethought. Some more specialised applications may be a little harder to access but it can usually be arranged.
With a modern telephone system it is possible to answer the phone at home just as if you were in the office.
Indeed, it is possible to be almost anywhere in the world and have your calls handled through your office switchboard without the caller being aware of your location.
There are obviously security issues that need to be addressed, but it is probably no bad thing to review your IT security in any case.
It is prudent to ensure that you have only granted access rights to those who need them. A properly thought-out IT security strategy is a real asset to any business.
So I would urge you to get prepared. We don’t know when the next spell of winter weather, or floods, or traffic chaos will strike. Nevertheless you can set up your systems now with the objective of being fully productive when working from home. You will find that you and your staff are both happier and more productive as a result.
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