As the East coast experience a cold snap not seen in over 100 years, businesses are reeling from lost work days. Many businesses have already recognized the benefits of telecommuting and its effects on the bottom line. Remote web access also offers a more efficient route whereby companies can stay in contact with employees with just the click of a mouse.

The Route to Efficiency

One of the main issues with telecommuting, or as commonly called, working from home, is discipline. Admittedly, it is a difficult thing to adjust from an office situation to suddenly performing the same tasks at home. When working from home there are endless distractions to consider, not to mention the laxity that may develop from a lack of supervision.

So with work from home opportunities there are two main hurdles to overcome. These are monitoring employee productivity, and maintaining smooth workflow. Even with the best solutions there may be initial hiccups, but remote access connection have revolutionized telecommuting like never before.

Some remote web desktop connection companies offer appliances that allow employee desktops to be easily monitored. Other remote web desktop facilities allow employees to easily stay in touch with the office, no matter where they are. Training sessions, support sessions, instructional videos - all these are available to snowed in workers as long as an Internet connection is available.

Remote Access for Telecommuting Needs

Any company serious about keeping things running smoothly, whether or not workers can physically come in should look at web conferencing as a solution. According to articles published online, many workers have become new converts to the telecommuting concept. In areas that were virtually locked down by snowstorms the benefits of working remotely was revealed.

Many locked-in workers used online chat to stay in touch with the office. How adequate this is depends on the company’s needs. The unpredictability of the weather would suggest scalability and flexibility are important considerations. While instant messenger applications are helpful, a growing company may need more features than these applications can provide. Some of these helpful attributes are:

• Whiteboard and annotation

• File transfer

• Remote access and support

• Video and audio streaming

• Interactive collaboration sessions

Businesses that are feeling the pinch thanks to workers trapped at home due to snow are no doubt exploring future options. Even under somewhat normal conditions, VNC remote desktop has proven to be a big money saver. Combining this with the ability to maintain productivity even under extreme conditions makes it even more attractive.

Almost any business that relies on employees using computers can get the best that remote server connection has to offer. Employees can work remotely yet still stay in constant touch with the office. Some employees fall into the essential services category, or their jobs preclude them from working at home. Until technology catches up even further, these categories of workers will still have to find ways to beat the weather.