For those people whose office is a ‘patch’ and are on the road all day, setting up their laptop and accessing emails from a coffee shop is an all too familiar occurrence.

It is not just these ‘road warriors’ who are transforming the face of remote working. For many large companies, employee location is not a consideration any more ­ they find the right person for the job and it does not matter if that person works from home or the office.

Technology enables traditionally office-based staff to work remotely, which can be useful when it is difficult for them to get to work ­ is not always a matter of choice.

Companies are recognising that employee productivity should come first, so by enabling members of the team to work from home, managers can help keep staff motivated. After all, employees are fruitless if they are shivering on a platform waiting for a delayed train.

Technology that allows people to connect direct to their office PC has given them greater control of how they work and, more importantly, where they work from. Even so, remote working cannot be taken lightly because of potential security implications.

PDAs and laptops may look like innocent, efficiency-enhancing gadgets, but as soon as workers leave the office with devices that contain confidential information, the company becomes vulnerable.

However, technology enables remote workers to access corporate applications and data without the need to store any information on mobile devices. In fact, such technology can enhance security measures that are already in place.

This technology also allows IT helpdesks to access and work on machines wherever they are, in real-time, enhancing the level
of support they give to remote workers.

By giving such workers and IT administrators a more secure
system, companies can rest assured that their confidential data is safe and they are not vulnerable to expensive breaches, whether staff are regularly on the road, or kept at home by leaves on the line.

Anton Levchuk is marketing director of Famatech