We’re not quite at the era of beaming in and out of the office every day (not enough dilithium crystals for that), but our technology has advanced enough to start changing the way we go to work. The mobile workforce of the future will work in a virtual computing environment from wherever makes the most sense for their needs, at home, in a shared office, or even in a park or coffee shop.
Now, when we say a virtual environment, we don’t mean putting on a special helmet and interacting with peers in a Tron-like space. We’re talking about cloud technologies that allow remote access to a desktop or server environment based entirely online. Rather than using an onsite server that hosts Office applications and other tools, a business will have all their necessary IT tools hosted in the cloud for them, and employees will simply log in using whatever device works best for them.
The more technology that is hosted in the cloud, the less a physical office is needed:
The cloud is the perfect tool for encouraging remote collaboration, and many businesses are already starting to shift their work dynamic to take advantage of this. There are a lot of benefits that come from decentralizing your workforce:
Now of course, this kind of environment won’t work for every business completely. A retail business, for instance, may still need a physical storefront with cashiers, even if they have a substantial web presence. But even this kind of business can allow remote work for certain tasks, especially financials. Any business can leverage this kind of dynamic to improve some aspect of their working environment.
So what are the drawbacks, and how do you mitigate them? Like any working relationship, a remote workforce is not perfect. You lose a lot of oversight that you would have with a centralized work environment like an office, and it can be difficult to keep productivity high and tasks on track if you’re not physically in the same room as your employees. Here are some strategies to consider in order to control your new dynamic:
Ultimately, we are not yet at a place where total remote work is practical or even possible for every business, but as cloud and mobile technology continues to advance, more options will become available to change the traditional work dynamic that has been the norm for so many years. Will your business be ready to evolve? One Source Imaging Solutions can help you find out. Call us at (800) 875- to discuss how your business can be ready to embrace the Future of Technology. 8843