So how flexible is your approach to business?

Oct 16 2007 By The Journal

AS THE benefits of remote working become increasingly apparent, Newcastle IT specialist Croft Technology is helping businesses in the region adopt a more flexible approach.

The number of remote workers is steadily increasing, with more than 2.5 million people now working away from the office.

In a recent study 41% of employees said having the flexibility to work from home, or on the move, would increase productivity and 28% would end up working longer hours.

Croft Technology specialises in remote working and “unified communications”, a secure, virtual working environment which allows employees remote access to a range of services from integrated telephony and email to network and print services.

Recently these services have evolved to offer presence awareness and additional real time services, including instant messaging, status indicators, IP telephony (calls using an internet connection), video voice calling and web conferencing.

Using this range of options enables staff to see the status of other employees and allows them to see and speak to colleagues, wherever they may be.

Benefits of remote working include lower overheads, better customer satisfaction, staff retention, more productivity, an easing in congestion and a reduction in carbon emissions as there is less need to commute.

It also offers businesses a greater choice in the market place and the option of flexible hours to accommodate the needs of different staff.

Providing flexible working hours will allow businesses to cover new laws for working families and it will benefit companies looking for staff to job share.

There are also a number of financial provisions whereby employers can receive tax relief for remote workers for computing, telecommunication links and business travel costs.

Technology director at Croft Peter Macdonald said: “Flexible, remote working can have a massive impact on your business and it is quickly becoming a key element within a successful business strategy. North-East organisations need to consider the implications of remote working as an evolving working practice.

“At Croft we work in partnership with a number of leading international communications specialists, including Microsoft and Mitel, to offer the best flexible business solutions.

“We also ensure that the systems are deployed for maximum business benefit. The solutions vary according to business needs, but can include programmes such as Mitel Business Gateway, Microsoft Live Communications Server, Communicator and SharePoint.” However, businesses need to ensure that remote working is managed correctly to avoid the loss of face-to-face collaboration between colleagues, unreliable network access to important information and any feeling of isolation for the employee.

Remote working has now eliminated the traditional fears and misconceptions that home working technologies are slow and unreliable.

Historically, the challenge has been to extend the services of the corporate world into the small office and home working environment with the same reliability and performance as the corporate network.

The good news for businesses in the North-East and nationally is that Croft has the skills and partner support from Microsoft and Mitel to implement fast, reliable and cost effective systems which achieve integrated and collaborative business communications.

In addition, high-speed broadband now accounts for 70% of all household connections and with advances in technology, connectivity to the office is more effective than ever.

Mr Macdonald said: “It is vital that businesses evolve to offer the significant and growing percentage of remote workers in the UK effective network access and collaboration tools.

“Remote workers are now viewed as a fully functional member of staff, who with the correct technology can contribute fully to any business. The ability to work effectively and efficiently away from the office is now seen as a major advantage within the business sector and almost certainly gives businesses a competitive edge.

“As more and more people work remotely, be it from home, another office or even another city or country, it is important that communication links continue to grow.

“The introduction of remote working via unified services will have a great impact on businesses throughout the North-East, building on the strong tradition of effective communication in the region.”

Croft is committed to excellence, providing an efficient and effective service which meets and exceeds clients’ expectations.

Specialising in IT, communications and telephony, Croft has a wealth of experience in the installation and management of remote working systems. In addition to this, Croft also provides project management, consultancy, support and training for all clients and partners to ensure that the communication tools are used to their full potential.

For further information contact Peter Macdonald on (0191) 268-4602.