According to a report from the Federation of Small Businesses, the snowstorms that hit large parts of the UK this week will cost British business £1.2bn – with an estimated one in five workers cut off from their place of work. However, Robert May, Managing Director of Surrey-based IT consultants ramsac, believes that absence from the workplace should not necessarily mean losses for UK business and may, in some cases, even be beneficial.
In the majority of organisations there will be a number of employees with the permission and ability to access the IT network whilst away from the office, typically sales people or senior management. However, it is far less common to make this available to all employees. Yet in certain circumstances, such as the bad weather that recently affected much of the UK, making the files and applications on the IT network accessible to the majority can help safeguard the organisation from a significant loss of productivity (a concern for all in these challenging times).
Providing home-based or on-the-road employees with remote access to vital IT services when they need them can be achieved in a number of ways and for relatively low cost. This can range from simply providing web-based access to their email account, through to the providing the same level of highly secure access to their files and applications, as they would expect sat at their desk in the office.
Organisations that make remote access available, either as standard practice or in extreme circumstances, such as the sudden spell of bad weather, will find numerous benefits. Employees need not face treacherous conditions travelling to work and the inevitable delays to public transport making them late to arrive and early to leave. In addition, those with school age children can remain at home to care for them should schools close. It also gives employees the flexibility to work, rather than being forced to take an unscheduled day off. They simply use their PC or laptop to login at the start of the working day and log-off at the close of business.
Remote access to key data when the office is not available for any period of time for whatever reason, should be a key consideration of every business’ continuity plan. It was surprising to see how many business were caught out by the recent bad weather, but those with a properly considered plan for how to carry on business regardless of the circumstances, were not only able to ensure that they remained efficient and didn’t lose out on sales due to closure, but they also stood out from their competitors and in many cases were able to attract new business as a result.