Swine flu pandemic creates channel opportunities

Customers should be taking steps now to flu-proof their communications, says Piers Daniell

The swine flu pandemic means UK businesses may be in for a tough time. Many organisations are making plans for home working, while others may be hoping it won't affect them.

Remote working technologies could mitigate against lost productivity due to staff absence. Yet to what extent businesses will be affected is very much up to them.

Most companies are used to accommodating home workers to some extent, by adapting their networks and systems accordingly.

This is not the same as enabling your system to support the entire workforce. Larger businesses with a stronger IT infrastructure may be more likely to thrive, since they can already support many home workers. Smaller organisations that cannot invest in VPNs may struggle.

Organisations should ensure that remote working and collaboration tools can scale to counter higher rates of absenteeism.

The network is the foundation for a business’s home working strategy. For remote working, VPNs are typically deployed over home-focused broadband.

That does not guarantee availability or that it will work with internal office applications. Also, since the IT department will have a limited number of company laptops, if the entire workforce is off sick, some must use their own computers. This poses a security risk.

Another option could be to implement a private WAN, allowing remote workers to be integrated into the internal cloud or network.

For smaller organisations, cloud computing could accommodate their needs at affordable prices and lower capital outlay.

Pushing key services into a hosted environment can boost security and provide connectivity for many home workers.

What about switching to internet-based software such as Microsoft Outlook’s web client and Google Apps? This will allow a seamless transition from office to home working, but will need to be adopted now and staff trained well in advance.

The company must present itself consistently to its own customers, whether its staff are working in the office or at home. Customers must get the same level of service to avoid any perception that the company is disorganised, unprofessional or even in trouble.

Voice over IP on a strong network can offer guaranteed call quality. Use a datacentre if the customer is facing a system upgrade. To reduce system costs, the customer should lease equipment where possible rather than buy it outright.

With swine flu predicted to cost the UK economy billions, resellers should urgently consider what help they can give customers in adapting their infrastructure to accommodate home workers.

Piers Daniell is managing director at Fluidata