There are a number of ways that the internet and advancements in internet technology has helped businesses. These include ways that make it easier for businesses whose employees are not always in the office or are in multiple offices. Some of these are outlined below.

VPN

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, and allows people all over the world to work on the same network if necessary, thus helping businesses who operate globally. With VPN people working at different sites can log onto the same network. So, if a company has an office in London, New York and Beijing, they can all be connected and employees can all work off the same network. This means that businesses can have a much more joined up approach all being able to access the same files and information where necessary.

Laptops

There has been a massive increase in the popularity of laptops in recent years. In business this simply means that employees can have their own laptops that they can take with them wherever they are. With a desktop computer it can only be used when in the office, something that is not a problem with a laptop. So, if someone is on the train for example, they will be able to work. This means that having to travel between meetings doesn’t mean lost work time. For businesses where it is necessary, employees can work in more than one office at different times. This is again something that is particularly useful for international companies. Those who work across different countries can work on plains and from their hotel room – in fact, pretty much anywhere in the world using the same laptop. This means a lot less wasted time. It can also be used in meetings and means people can work from home where necessary.

Hot Desking

If people are in and out of the office it is not always necessary to have a specific desk for each employee. If each member of staff has a laptop it means there can be several desks which they can use when necessary. So one day a desk can be used by one employee and another day it can be used by another. So when such an employee is in the office they will just work at one of the free available desks. This saves space and therefore office rent and other savings. It is, though, only workable if there is never a time when everyone is in the office at the same time.

Sharing Computers

There is also the option of employees sharing computers. A VPN server will allow each employee to have a specific login and password, which they can use to log into any available computer. This means that each employee does not need an allocated desk and computer. In some cases it is not ideal that all employees can access everyone else’s files and the same information as each other. However, this does not have to be the case. Networks can be set up so each user can also access what is relevant to them. This will not work, though, if the number of staff in the office on a particular day outweighs the number of computers.

Andrew Marshall (c)