The virtual office is defined as the technologies, processes, and services that allow personnel to work effectively, either individually or with others, regardless of physical location. As the cost of virtual office technologies comes down and the benefits of working in this environment increase, more and more businesses will provide this opportunity to their personnel.
There are a number of benefits for companies that are considering allowing employees to work virtually:
1.productivity increases when individuals work uninterrupted and focused, which is often difficult to do in a traditional office environment;
2.individuals who work remotely tend to become more computer literate, because they resolve issues on their own; and
There are a number of benefits for companies that are considering allowing employees to work virtually:
1.productivity increases when individuals work uninterrupted and focused, which is often difficult to do in a traditional office environment;
2.individuals who work remotely tend to become more computer literate, because they resolve issues on their own; and
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Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
What is a Virtual Office?
3.working virtually promotes flextime that allows employees to work when they are personally most productive. Allowing a tax person to go home and work after his or her children go to bed, or having an auditor complete a project and respond to e-mail in the morning prior to coming into the office (while avoiding rush hour traffic), benefits the company and employee.
To ensure success of a virtual office program, companies must promote the right environment. The first step is selecting individuals that require minimal supervision, have disciplined work habits and good technical skills. Next, those individuals must have a favorable work environment that minimizes domestic impact usually a separate room configured with the right equipment to be productive (computer, printer, phone, and Internet access). Companies also must develop policies and guidelines to address issues of security, data backup, accessing technical support, required insurance, and any local zoning restrictions that may limit success of the program.
One of the primary technological reasons the virtual office is more viable than ever is the advent of almost ubiquitous bandwidth replacing dial-up connections. Broadband or high-speed Internet access, such as cable or DSL, is available in virtually every community today, and costs are lower than ever. This additional bandwidth provides effective performance for running Windows applications remotely and allows for secured (encrypted) sessions. Note that while some applications may work over a dial-up connection, the majority of accounting and business applications require significantly more speed. Companies relying solely on dial-up connections should limit applications to those requiring minimal overhead. In these cases, the virtual employee becomes frustrated and the use of the environment diminishes.
Access technologies are also another primary reason that the virtual office is thriving. Tools, including Citrix, Microsoft Windows Terminal Server, virtual private networks and remote control applications, are commonplace, allowing companies cost-effective options tailored to their specific needs. For an individual user connecting to his or her office computer, remote control applications managed by the company, such as PCAnywhere or Laplink, are effective if adequate bandwidth is available.
To ensure success of a virtual office program, companies must promote the right environment. The first step is selecting individuals that require minimal supervision, have disciplined work habits and good technical skills. Next, those individuals must have a favorable work environment that minimizes domestic impact usually a separate room configured with the right equipment to be productive (computer, printer, phone, and Internet access). Companies also must develop policies and guidelines to address issues of security, data backup, accessing technical support, required insurance, and any local zoning restrictions that may limit success of the program.
One of the primary technological reasons the virtual office is more viable than ever is the advent of almost ubiquitous bandwidth replacing dial-up connections. Broadband or high-speed Internet access, such as cable or DSL, is available in virtually every community today, and costs are lower than ever. This additional bandwidth provides effective performance for running Windows applications remotely and allows for secured (encrypted) sessions. Note that while some applications may work over a dial-up connection, the majority of accounting and business applications require significantly more speed. Companies relying solely on dial-up connections should limit applications to those requiring minimal overhead. In these cases, the virtual employee becomes frustrated and the use of the environment diminishes.
Access technologies are also another primary reason that the virtual office is thriving. Tools, including Citrix, Microsoft Windows Terminal Server, virtual private networks and remote control applications, are commonplace, allowing companies cost-effective options tailored to their specific needs. For an individual user connecting to his or her office computer, remote control applications managed by the company, such as PCAnywhere or Laplink, are effective if adequate bandwidth is available.
