Telework can be the ultimate work-life benefit if the right technology is in place
Finding the perfect balance between working for a living and just living for work is tough. For employees, it means finding a balance between work and family life. For businesses, it means supporting that balance to maintain and retain valuable talent.
In 2000, a survey of AT&T’s teleworkers found that just over two-thirds of those who reported receiving a competing offer said giving up the telework environment was a factor in the decision to turn down the offer.
AT&T also found two-thirds of its managers reported teleworking as an advantage in keeping and attracting good employees and 83 per cent of teleworkers said they found personal and family lives more satisfying after beginning a telework arrangement.
It seems everyone knows someone who has turned down a job, or jumped at one, based solely on the availability of a teleworking environment. While few are so preoccupied with the issue, it’s undeniable that teleworking is on the rise, and it can pose a significant technical challenge.
According to the research firm Gartner Group, there will be about 137 million teleworkers worldwide by 2003. This represents a growing number of businesses attracted by the potential human resource benefits, productivity improvements and cost savings attributed to teleworking.
But do businesses have the technology infrastructure to support it? Many businesses will require new technology and increased support to handle telecommuters.
Technology challenges
Successful teleworking requires an environment that mirrors the traditional office. From a psychological perspective, this means maintaining the same routines on days working from the home office as those in the regular one. If an employee typically wakes up at 6 a.m. and drives 40 minutes to the office, the same routine (minus the commute) should be maintained. If an employee doesn’t generally wear pajamas to the office, it’s probably psychologically more productive not to wear them in the home office.
From a technology perspective, this element of mirroring the traditional office becomes tremendously important. If an employee has a network connection at the office that provides access to shared resources, he needs to have this same access at home.
Even the most ordinary technology should be mirrored at home. For example, since most employees have phones in their offices, a separate business phone line is also a necessity to promote efficient teleworking.
The point of a teleworking environment is to be as efficient — if not more efficient — than in the office and that’s not possible without the same technological capabilities.
Technology solutions
It’s important to connect home offices with access that isn’t noticeably different than the workplace. This generally requires a high-speed Internet connection. But since the Internet is notoriously insecure it also demands remote access technology and a degree of security.
•The virtual private network: One option is a virtual private network (VPN), a secure, encrypted connection between the remote location and the workplace using the Internet. VPNs use either client software on the employee’s home office computer or a small VPN device at the employee’s home. At the workplace end, some VPN software and hardware are required.
Traditionally, the software that sits on the employee’s home or laptop computer is provided exclusively by a VPN vendor, and the software only worked with the manufacturer’s own VPN servers. But times are changing. Some VPN servers now use a standardized client found in current versions of the Microsoft operating system, making it easier to standardize the user’s systems. It’s only a matter of time before all VPN manufacturers follow suit.
The primary function of a VPN connection is remote access to the company’s computer network and shared files, but the security provided by the VPN is equally important. It should be set up to function only when certain security levels are met. This is important because computer related crime is a serious issue. According to the Computer Security Institute, the average computer-related crime costs an organization about $500,000 while an average bank robbery results in only about $2,500 in losses.
The question is how to secure the network and maintain that security on remote devices.
•Remote system security: The level of security deployed on a remote computer should be based on the sensitivity and value of the data. If the data is very valuable or confidential, one needs to recognize that it’s now sensitive data in a high-risk, uncontrolled environment. The nature of remote access means the connection is less secure than in a controlled office environment. If a CEO or CFO is traveling around and working remotely, more than just a simple password will be required.
Encryption is the first step. Sensitive data stored on a laptop needs to be in a secure format. As well, when creating the VPN connection to company resources, it’s imperative employees run some kind of firewall technology on their systems.
Beyond data security, there are ways to secure the remote computer from theft. Some laptops are programmed to “phone home” with an Internet address that helps pinpoint where the computer is currently located within a certain geographic range.
Other technologies are available to physically secure the remote computer, including biometrics scans of thumbprints, faces and even retinas. Once the stuff of spy movies, this technology is becoming increasingly affordable for corporations.
Still, all the security technology in the world means very little if it’s used ineffectively. Policies need to be in place for most security technologies to work. These might be as simple as advising employees to change passwords. Standard security procedures need to be followed both inside and outside the office. That means no little yellow sticky-notes with passwords attached to computer monitors.
Beyond teleworking: The mobile workforce
Telecommuting is only one part of having an agile workplace. There are countless ways worker mobility increases efficiency, countless reasons to be away from the central office and countless technologies that enable that flexibility.
Most telecommuting situations can be summed up in one of two ways. Sometimes an employee needs to work in an open, untrusted environment, like a hotel room, customer site or cafe. In security terms, that’s called “in the wild.” Such an environment needs the same cautions as connecting from home, and the same processes including setting up a VPN and having a firewall. The only real difference between this and teleworking from home is the need to have a local Internet service provider with which to connect.
The other situation is at a trusted environment, like a branch office. Using a wireless network in this case can increase efficiency by allowing an employee to “plug in” to the network from anywhere around the office — without a plug. In addition to improving the ease of connection, wireless networks eliminate the expense of having spare desk space and network jacks in a crowded office.
The true benefits of teleworking come from the ability to get the job done anywhere at anytime. Time spent commuting, wasting time in inefficient communications to the office or trying to find a workstation at a branch office can be better used.
Best of all, the value of teleworking technology goes well beyond the dramatic productivity gains from mobility and remote access. Having the option to work from home increases people’s enjoyment of their jobs.
Teleworking can empower employees to be more productive, but also can give them more fulfilling home lives — to achieve what British historian Arnold Toynbee called the “supreme accomplishment:” blurring the line between work and play.
Kelly Kanellakis is director of technology at Enterasys Networks in Toronto. He can be reached at [email protected].
In 2000, a survey of AT&T’s teleworkers found that just over two-thirds of those who reported receiving a competing offer said giving up the telework environment was a factor in the decision to turn down the offer.
AT&T also found two-thirds of its managers reported teleworking as an advantage in keeping and attracting good employees and 83 per cent of teleworkers said they found personal and family lives more satisfying after beginning a telework arrangement.
It seems everyone knows someone who has turned down a job, or jumped at one, based solely on the availability of a teleworking environment. While few are so preoccupied with the issue, it’s undeniable that teleworking is on the rise, and it can pose a significant technical challenge.
According to the research firm Gartner Group, there will be about 137 million teleworkers worldwide by 2003. This represents a growing number of businesses attracted by the potential human resource benefits, productivity improvements and cost savings attributed to teleworking.
But do businesses have the technology infrastructure to support it? Many businesses will require new technology and increased support to handle telecommuters.
Technology challenges
Successful teleworking requires an environment that mirrors the traditional office. From a psychological perspective, this means maintaining the same routines on days working from the home office as those in the regular one. If an employee typically wakes up at 6 a.m. and drives 40 minutes to the office, the same routine (minus the commute) should be maintained. If an employee doesn’t generally wear pajamas to the office, it’s probably psychologically more productive not to wear them in the home office.
From a technology perspective, this element of mirroring the traditional office becomes tremendously important. If an employee has a network connection at the office that provides access to shared resources, he needs to have this same access at home.
Even the most ordinary technology should be mirrored at home. For example, since most employees have phones in their offices, a separate business phone line is also a necessity to promote efficient teleworking.
The point of a teleworking environment is to be as efficient — if not more efficient — than in the office and that’s not possible without the same technological capabilities.
Technology solutions
It’s important to connect home offices with access that isn’t noticeably different than the workplace. This generally requires a high-speed Internet connection. But since the Internet is notoriously insecure it also demands remote access technology and a degree of security.
•The virtual private network: One option is a virtual private network (VPN), a secure, encrypted connection between the remote location and the workplace using the Internet. VPNs use either client software on the employee’s home office computer or a small VPN device at the employee’s home. At the workplace end, some VPN software and hardware are required.
Traditionally, the software that sits on the employee’s home or laptop computer is provided exclusively by a VPN vendor, and the software only worked with the manufacturer’s own VPN servers. But times are changing. Some VPN servers now use a standardized client found in current versions of the Microsoft operating system, making it easier to standardize the user’s systems. It’s only a matter of time before all VPN manufacturers follow suit.
The primary function of a VPN connection is remote access to the company’s computer network and shared files, but the security provided by the VPN is equally important. It should be set up to function only when certain security levels are met. This is important because computer related crime is a serious issue. According to the Computer Security Institute, the average computer-related crime costs an organization about $500,000 while an average bank robbery results in only about $2,500 in losses.
The question is how to secure the network and maintain that security on remote devices.
•Remote system security: The level of security deployed on a remote computer should be based on the sensitivity and value of the data. If the data is very valuable or confidential, one needs to recognize that it’s now sensitive data in a high-risk, uncontrolled environment. The nature of remote access means the connection is less secure than in a controlled office environment. If a CEO or CFO is traveling around and working remotely, more than just a simple password will be required.
Encryption is the first step. Sensitive data stored on a laptop needs to be in a secure format. As well, when creating the VPN connection to company resources, it’s imperative employees run some kind of firewall technology on their systems.
Beyond data security, there are ways to secure the remote computer from theft. Some laptops are programmed to “phone home” with an Internet address that helps pinpoint where the computer is currently located within a certain geographic range.
Other technologies are available to physically secure the remote computer, including biometrics scans of thumbprints, faces and even retinas. Once the stuff of spy movies, this technology is becoming increasingly affordable for corporations.
Still, all the security technology in the world means very little if it’s used ineffectively. Policies need to be in place for most security technologies to work. These might be as simple as advising employees to change passwords. Standard security procedures need to be followed both inside and outside the office. That means no little yellow sticky-notes with passwords attached to computer monitors.
Beyond teleworking: The mobile workforce
Telecommuting is only one part of having an agile workplace. There are countless ways worker mobility increases efficiency, countless reasons to be away from the central office and countless technologies that enable that flexibility.
Most telecommuting situations can be summed up in one of two ways. Sometimes an employee needs to work in an open, untrusted environment, like a hotel room, customer site or cafe. In security terms, that’s called “in the wild.” Such an environment needs the same cautions as connecting from home, and the same processes including setting up a VPN and having a firewall. The only real difference between this and teleworking from home is the need to have a local Internet service provider with which to connect.
The other situation is at a trusted environment, like a branch office. Using a wireless network in this case can increase efficiency by allowing an employee to “plug in” to the network from anywhere around the office — without a plug. In addition to improving the ease of connection, wireless networks eliminate the expense of having spare desk space and network jacks in a crowded office.
The true benefits of teleworking come from the ability to get the job done anywhere at anytime. Time spent commuting, wasting time in inefficient communications to the office or trying to find a workstation at a branch office can be better used.
Best of all, the value of teleworking technology goes well beyond the dramatic productivity gains from mobility and remote access. Having the option to work from home increases people’s enjoyment of their jobs.
Teleworking can empower employees to be more productive, but also can give them more fulfilling home lives — to achieve what British historian Arnold Toynbee called the “supreme accomplishment:” blurring the line between work and play.
Kelly Kanellakis is director of technology at Enterasys Networks in Toronto. He can be reached at [email protected].
