32 . Glasgow Business January/February 2013
VIEWPOINT
THE FUTURE IS MOBILE...
Although remote working is nothing new, the growth of instant messaging and video conferencing is supporting a move away from the office. According to research from Virgin Media Business, more than half of chief information officers (65 per cent) believe the once-vital telephone will disappear from the office within five years, while by the end of 2012, 70 per cent of the UK is expected to have a smart device reliant on mobile connectivity.
With mobile connections to the internet
getting better, employees no longer have to work from a conventional office or travel to meetings. Instead, instant connections on smartphones and laptops allow people to pitch up an office in any location, remaining engaged and connected. This demand for data on the go needs the
right infrastructure in place to support it and we’ve already seen this high on the government’s agenda. It has announced plans to make superfast broadband available to 90 per cent of the UK by 2015 and has guaranteed £40bn worth of funding for select cities across the UK.
The opportunities this level of connectivity
offers are endless; we’ve already seen teleconferencing, remote working and instant file sharing from any location and this is just the beginning. Research from Virgin Media Business suggests that in 2025, technology is going to be at the heart of our living and working lives as we move towards ubiquitous connectivity.
Businesses need to prepare for what’s
to come as we see this shift to remote working becoming more common. To support this, the Government and suppliers must work together to ensure local businesses are able to make the most of the infrastructure available to them, so they’re sure to stay ahead of the game.
Tony Grace, Chief Operating Officer, Virgin Media Business
Edit Microsoft Office documents on the go with QuickOffice (above left) and manage voicemails with HulloMail
which of your contacts have leſt messages, set custom greetings for specific numbers, or even have messages transcribed and sent to you by email. Turboscan lets you use your phone’s
camera as a multi-page document scanner – and it’s not as fiddly as it sounds! Finally, the BBC’s iPlayer app now allows
downloads, allowing you to grab your favourite shows while at home and enjoy them while travelling.
MOBILE INTERNET
You’ll want to make sure your office has a webmail account before heading out and about. Tis will allow you to easily access your work emails via a web browser. You may want to consider ramping up your
mobile internet capability too. If your device doesn’t have 3G, 4G or other high-speed mobile internet technology built in, it is oſten possible to buy a small ‘dongle’ or portable wireless hotspot to give you access on the move. If you really wanted the
latest tech, you could go Mi-Fi. Mi-Fi devices are like data-only 3G mobile phones (so they have their own SIM), which create a Wi-Fi network for your laptop, iPad, or any other Wi-Fi-enabled devices you’re carrying around. Tey are easier and more versatile than a USB dongle. If working abroad
though, watch out for ‘data roaming’ fees. Even leſt to themselves, smartphones can rack up a heſty bill with automatic background email and location checks. Browse the web or download video,
and costs can run quickly out of control. Ask your mobile operator about a special roaming package, or advice on how to disable cellular data roaming for your device.
SKYPE
Skype is an ideal way to keep in touch with the office. Voice and video calls are free between devices with the Skype soſtware installed, while calls to ordinary mobiles and landlines only incur a small charge. Remember though, that Skype requires a
data connection, so may again incur hidden costs depending on your tariff.
COLLABORATE IN THE CLOUD
Collaboration with your colleagues back home need not be confined to phone calls, as a host of free or cheap ‘cloud’ project management services now make sharing and group working simple. Services including
Basecamp, ApolloHQ and Trello can prove invaluable, as they provide both parties an online place to store documents, update schedules and set agendas. And for when that file
is just too large to send via email, it’s worthwhile downloading file-sharing
soſtware such as Dropbox, Google Drive or Microsoſt SkyDrive, which give
limited space for free but can be upgraded for a fee.
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