CLOUD COMPUTING

Telecommuting Efforts Increasingly Aided by the Cloud

Alison Diana | Date: 01-03-12 | Comments

Organizations are increasingly able to offer the benefits of telecommuting to workers, due in large part to their increasing adoption of cloud solutions that support secure remote access to corporate networks and data.

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Telecommuting Efforts Increasingly Aided by the Cloud
Telework initiatives are taking a firmer foothold as proponents leverage organizations' increasing adoption of cloud solutions as the technological backbone of new or expanded telecommuting programs.

From anecdotal data that suggests workers are more loyal, satisfied and motivated to crunched numbers that demonstrate hard-dollar cost savings, telecommuting is frequently viewed as a boon to both employees and employers. Organizations are increasingly able to offer this capability to workers, due in large part to their increasing adoption of cloud solutions that support secure remote access to corporate networks and data.

Where teleworking was once limited to certain jobs, it has become the norm for a growing number of organizations. The federal government's Telework Enhancement Act will enable up to 1.2 million federal employees to work remotely. The act is expected to reduce employees' commuting costs by $160 billion and lower air pollutants by 120 million tons if workers telecommute one day per week for a year, the Telework Exchange estimates. Today, more than one-fifth of federal workers telecommute, at least part-time, the Office of Personnel Management says, and that number is expected to grow.

There are a plethora of other benefits, too. When it surveyed more than 24,000 IBM employees in 75 countries, Brigham Young University found employees who telecommuted at least part-time said they could maintain work/life balance while working up to 57 hours per week. By comparison, those working in a traditional office environment could maintain that balance at 38 hours, the study found. American Express reports similar findings. The financial company's teleworkers produced 43 percent more business than their in-office counterparts, the firm reported.

Companies save big dollars on construction, leases and property taxes, too, since they may no longer need to build or rent larger offices or parking lots when they expand. They can attract employees from a larger geography and retain top workers who�for whatever reason�cannot travel to the office each day. And, in the case of disaster, employees may be able to keep the business running smoothly, even if the office itself is off-limits.

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