Optimizing Your Business’s Broadband for Telecommuting

In today’s business world, giving employees the ability to telecommute can have many different benefits. It can allow companies to give workers more freedom while still boosting their productivity, lowering their overhead costs and reducing their carbon footprint. Telecommuting capability may seem like a no-brainer for modern businesses, yet there are still some that do not have the resources to allow telecommuting to work. After all, simply ensuring that your business has a high-speed broadband network is not sufficient. With today’s technology and a little know-how, however, it is easier than ever before to optimize your business and its broadband connection to allow workers to telecommute, either occasionally or every day.

Practical Steps to Prepare an Office for Telecommuting
There are several points that a company should consider in advance as it prepares to allow workers to telecommute. For example, it is important for the business to consider which types of systems it will implement, and what policies it will put in place. Are workers going to need to sign into a server, or will they be responsible for their own time schedules? There are software packages that can make both of these options more convenient. It is important that the company have the infrastructure to support whichever system is chosen.

Security is another concern with modern businesses, and being able to find solutions to this problem when telecommuting is sometimes difficult. Fortunately, secure log on and identification solutions are available to address these concerns. Allowing individuals from outside the network to access it is a major security concern, but not one that cannot be addressed.

It is important that employees have the tools necessary to telecommute to work, but it is equally important that a business has the infrastructure in place to allow telecommuting. This can mean installing servers, routers and other network equipment to facilitate the virtual work environment. Installing specialized software to allow employees to log into a virtual office may also be necessary in some cases.

Software Support for Teleworking
Enterprise software packages can be used to communicate across networks. There can be many benefits to using this type of software, both in and out of the office. It can extend communication across company departments, as well as facilitate collaborations and partnerships.

Some software firms even offer specialized solutions that are meant for teleworking. For example, Microsoft has a line of enterprise products that are dedicated to the needs of teleworkers. Businesses can find solutions to assist with both communications and security solutions that are directed to address the unique needs of a business optimizing for telecommuting.

What Types of Businesses Benefit from Telecommuting
It is obvious that not every business can implement teleworking programs in their businesses, but there are industries that can particularly benefit from these policies. For example, business in the information technology and administrative fields tend to be especially easy to optimize for telecommuting.

Although there are certainly some businesses that cannot use teleworking, many businesses do not need their employees to physically come into work on a daily basis. Implementing a teleworking program can pay off dramatically for businesses, employees and the environment.

Michael Mann discusses the ways that business broadband can be optimised and secured to take account of a trend towards employee telecommuting.