One of the biggest business disruptions is unplanned employee absence.

During winter there is always a high probability of bad weather and there are plenty of colds and illnesses going round, resulting in many businesses advising employees to stay at home rather than share their germs with the rest of the workforce.

Over the last week we’ve faced a 'Red Snow Alert' and the winter shows no sign of easing into spring yet! This could result in numerous disruptions such as the bridges closing, public transportation cancellations and many other obstacles to overcome to keep your business operational.

With some of our staff based outside of Edinburgh city centre, we had to work around the fact that there can be difficulties getting into the office and we are all prepared for anything the weather and illness throws at us this year…

Are you?

Being an IT Company, we have remote technology at our disposal and we’re able to open for business as usual. Just like us, you might have experienced similar problems this week.

This article will show you how you can keep your business going by making your technology work for you.

What is remote technology?

Remote technology like Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and/or Virtual Private Networks (VPN) enables you to connect securely to your corporate network from a remote location, like your home. Using a these solutions, you can securely access your data, files, emails and any other information you require to carry out your job. The best part is that, in many cases, you can connect using your computer, laptop, tablet or even your smartphone, from the comfort of your own home.

Key benefits of using remote technology

Avoid traffic problems – Poor weather like snow and high winds can often cause accidents and lead to traffic congestion or road closures. The time employees spend trying to get to work can actually end up eating into their working day and affecting productivity. Rather than wasting time by requiring employees to work from the office, by simply installing remote technology like RDS, you can allow employees to use their time wisely and work from home.

Fewer sick days – How many times have you decided not to go into the office because you’ve got a cold? Whilst you probably wouldn’t feel well enough to travel in to work, it’s likely that you would be able to carry out some aspects of your job if you could look after yourself at home. By implementing appropriate remote technology in the workplace and letting employees work from home, you can reduce the number of sick days your staff take and prevent the spreading of germs around the office!

Flexibility - If any of your employees are parents, they’ve probably had to take leave at one time or another to look after their children when school is closed or when they’re too poorly to go to school, nursery or look after themselves. Whilst this would usually mean that they wouldn’t be able to get any work done during their absence from the office, if you were to install secure remote access technology, they would be able to conduct some of their work from home, whilst keeping an eye on their loved one.

This could not only benefit your business in terms of productivity but could also raise the staff morale, as they'll appreciate the flexibility you are offering them.

Conclusion

As you can see, remote access technology offers some great benefits and we’ve certainly found it useful in these situations.

If you have or foresee your business facing similar problems again and want to improve business continuity in the future, then get in touch on 0131 603 7910.

Our team will be more than happy to talk you through your various options and help you decide on the right secure remote access technology to suit your business or organisation.