Expect 1.5 million New Telecommuters in ‘06
Knowledge workers and technology companies are still miles ahead when it comes to telecommuting. A recent international study estimates more than 80 million home-based workers telecommute. The astronomical growth of telecommuting in the post-911 era has slowed, but is expected to continue to grow (3.7% here in the USA and 5.5% worldwide) over the next three years.
While the percentage may not be impressive, it does mean the addition of 4.5 million telecommuters between now and 2009! That’s a lot of home offices, internet hook-ups AND teleconference customers!
With the increase of retiring and pre-retirement Baby Boomers and the number of older workers who prefer to work part-time from home, the number of actual telecommuters vs. telecommuter “full-time equivalents” may double or triple the actual number of people, connections and market growth. The benefit of maintaining the knowledge of these valuable employees is immeasurable.
Host your daily and weekly meetings on Forum’s teleconference servers and you can save thousands a year on mileage and drive time. Increase productivity by adding Forum’s new web conference collaboration options (WebMeet and Sympozium). Call us for a free demonstration, 972-680-0700.
Business Continuity Planning
There are many things that any business can learn from other’s mistakes. Specifically, there are many things that can be learned from delays and other criticisms that became national headlines when the federal emergency management processes went under a microscope in the wake of Katrina.
National Finance Center was flooded, and it’s still closed as of Mid-February. Restoring and/or replacing their hardware and network is estimated to take at least six months. Meanwhile, the NFC is sharing crowded space with a vendor backup site in Pennsylvania and has resources scattered all over the rest of the country.
Virtual private networks, teleworkers, and T1 lines linked together with the equivalent of intranet duct tape can easily erode the cohesiveness of a well-rehearsed disaster plan. The lesson: it pays to THINK BIG! Two major weather events, one-after-the-other demonstrated that a shared-service model for continuity of operations services can be inadequate for a total disaster. The functions of the NFC proved too big and too broad to share. You can look at in two different ways: find a bigger backup site…or plan your continuity programs in “cells” that can be relocated across the country without destroying the cohesiveness. The cell theory gives your continuity management team the tools it needs to implement a geographically diverse response team without the element of confusion.
As we all know, it is tough enough to concentrate on being efficient when workers are worried about the safety of their families and having a home to go back to.
If your Business Continuity Plan needs a review, contact Forum Communications (972-680-0700) about our full menu of emergency conferencing products, including on-campus crash systems, web/voice servers and emergency notification products.
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