Teleworkers are fragile beings, which makes it essential that you
provide an infrastructure that supports them.Roisin Woolnough
reports
A whopping 1.2 million of the UK workforce - some 5% of the
labour market - are teleworkers, according to the Institute for
Employment Studies. With that figure expected to double by 2003, it
is no surprise that IT directors are anxious to ensure they have
the infrastructure to make remote working a success.
SECURITY: Security is, of course, their prime concern.
Apart from impressing upon individuals the importance of
safeguarding equipment from theft, it is essential that the IT
infrastructure is sufficiently tight to keep unwanted users out.
Passwords and user IDs, both to log on and use e-mail, are standard
practice nowadays, but many companies think they afford little real
protection and have additional security measures in place. Some use
dial-back one-time-only passwords. Under this system, a smartcard
issues a network password that matches another that is
simultaneously created by the network. The card is protected by its
own password.
Signatures are also gaining in usage. The veracity of the
signature given is assessed not only in terms of accuracy, but also
on whether the strokes are formed in the same way as usual and at a
speed consistent with previous logins.
Another method proving increasingly popular is the use of
biometric passwords: identifying users by their thumbprint, for
example. This way employers are reassured that users are who they
say they are. "In the past, it was pretty James Bond to have
biometrics, but it's becoming much more useable and widespread now
as identification is paramount," says Ben Schofield, head of
e-business strategy for Catalyst Solutions. One drawback to
biometric testing is that there is little margin for error. For
example, users need to make sure their hands are clean and free
from cuts or blemishes or access might be denied.
Dave Cordy is a workstyle consultant at BT. The company actively
encourages homeworking and has 40,000 people working remotely,
4,000 of which are formally home-based. Cordy advises BT and other
organisations on how to make mobile working a success. He says it
is vital that remote workers back up any important data on a
regular basis as a damage limitation exercise in the event of theft
or loss.
While Cordy thinks the individual has to shoulder some of the
responsibility of keeping such data safe, he also believes it is
incumbent on the IT department to make sure all employees
appreciate the importance of backing-up data and are given the
tools with which to do it, with a minimum of effort.
"Companies need to have a code of practice or charter that
explains to people what is expected of them," says Cordy. "That's
fundamental good practice. And when people are working nomadically,
you need technology to back up the data and the discipline to make
sure that it's done. I have a reminder set up to my diary that
prompts me to back up all my data."
Viruses are another headache for IT staff and users. A lot of
viruses are caught during home surfing, particularly as individuals
are likely to be using their machines for personal use as well as
business purposes, so they need to have the very latest in
anti-virus software and firewall protection. Furthermore, users can
be taught which e-mails are potentially dangerous. With Microsoft
Outlook, for example, people can see the format of the document and
check out the general content of an e-mail before they open it.
Training and support: What about training and supporting
your mobile workforce? Good communication between the IT department
and individuals is essential if remote working is to be a success.
Cordy thinks a lot of problems can be avoided if users properly
understand how to operate their devices. "Many people that work in
organisations aren't IT-literate so it's no good giving someone
e-mail, for example, if you don't train them to use it effectively.
People need education and guidance, so that they know they don't
have to send their 7Mbytes Powerpoint presentation via e-mail." A
common complaint from IT support staff is that users contact them
with minor problems that they could easily solve themselves.
Carolyn Patterson, Internet tools marketing manager at Oracle
UK, thinks companies could do more to educate users on how to use
their devices. She thinks IT directors should consider having an
online reference point that can be accessed when problems occur.
"We are making more and more information available so there is a
degree of self-service. People can look up known problems and find
hints and tips on the Internet rather than having to ring up
support. Also, if you're working out of hours, very often IT
support will not be in the office."
Meanwhile, says Cordy, support staff will need an increasingly
diverse set of skills, both technical and inter-personal. "Their
roles will change as they support people remotely. They need skills
that don't involve face-to-face contact because they might be
talking through problems over the phone."
Problem solving over the telephone is different to sitting down
in front of a machine and working out what the problem is through
trial and error. That said, a lot of companies are opting for
remote diagnostic facilities. These often cut costs and time spent
solving a problem. The advantages of using these technologies to
serve a mobile workforce are obvious.
Geoff Brown, managing director at Brown's Operating System
Services, says standardisation of technical equipment makes it
easier for IT departments to identify problems and carry out
maintenance, thus lessening the demands on the support desk. "The
main answer to the IT support issue that organisations use is
standardisation for a particular work group. If everyone is allowed
to do their own thing it becomes difficult." Standardisation also
tends to reduce overall costs.
However, Patterson says the first consideration has to be the
user's needs. "The danger of standardisation is that it doesn't
always fit everyone's needs. Some people want PDAs, others want PCs
- they need the device that best fits the job. It's important for
the individual to choose what's best for them to access. How can
you have infrastructure of the technology so that everything is
standardised? You can standardise on how you get access to people
from the application point of view. Integration is key to getting
around standardisation problems."
Culture: Finally, don't forget the culture change remote
workers experience. Employees who are new to teleworking tend to go
through a transition period while they get used to this way of
life. One of the things that they fear most is isolation, losing
touch with their colleagues and not being up-to-date on any changes
in their company. This is why many companies set up dedicated
community spots on their intranet. Most importantly of all, some
even have an informal gossip room so that remote workers know what
everyone is up to.
Nortel Networks case study