Instant Messaging – Essential business tool or time waster?

I have long felt that Instant Messaging (IM) is an often overlooked tool for remote collaboration and keeping virtual teams connected.  What was once a tool used by kids to chat with their friends now offers useful business features such as file transfer, video conferencing, multi-person chats, and document sharing.

For many knowledge workers IM has become a mission critical business tool, like the phone or email, for keeping in touch with team members and coworkers. However for many it is yet another digital source of interruptions that eats away at productivity when working in your virtual office.

Although it is often speculated that IM leads to increased interruptions and decreased productivity – A recent study by researchers at Ohio State University and University of California, Irvine found that workers who used instant messaging on the job reported less interruption than colleagues who did not. Read more

Tools for running a business online

A few days ago I came across a recently published list of 270+ tools and apps for running a business online. Whether you are a small business owner, entrepreneur, or solopreneur you are bound to find something useful in this list.  It is broken down into categories covering topics such as accounting & billing, calendars & scheduling, collaboration, contact management, online meetings, project management, and virtual offices among many others.

Although no list like this can be exhaustive (we currently use some tools not on this list) – there were plenty here I have never come across before. If you’re looking to be more mobile and increase your ability to work where and when you want I encourage you to give this list a gander and consider which ones might be able to improve your business and workflow.

Tools like these were previously only available to organizations with large budgets. Thanks to them becoming more affordable small businesses can now truly work from anywhere.

For Sun Microsystems, Open Work is Working

I came across this video the other day while I was looking for some statistics on the benefits and cost savings of virtual teams. It’s about Sun Microsystems 10-year old Open Work program. Started in 1998, this work from anywhere initiative has made them more flexible, increased productivity, and saved money.

In this video you’ll hear from Dave Douglas, vice president of eco-responsibility and Sun’s “Chief Green Evangelist”, and find out how the project operates and why it’s been a success.

You also get an interesting peak into what one of their “drop-in” locations is like and how employees use a special Java ID card to log onto any system to access their work and be productive. Read more

Outsourcing IT systems and using software as a service (SaaS)

I was being interviewed by a reporter the other day for an article she was writing targeted at IT managers about best practices for managing and supporting teleworkers and remote offices. During our discussion she asked me if I had any advice for dealing with common stumbling blocks.  One of the points I suggested was – don’t think you have to setup all the technology in-house – consider using a variety of subscription services available for remote or mobile workers and virtual teams.

There was a time when implementing virtual teams or a telework program was a daunting task for any organization involving a lot of initial expenses and IT expertise.  One of the strategic advantages available to companies today are the wide variety of subscription services they can use to provide collaboration tools and flexibility to themselves and their employees quickly and without the initial expense of purchasing and setting up servers and sophisticated security systems. Read more

The growth of telework and virtual teams in midmarket companies

This past week I was interviewed for an article in eWeek entitled Telework Migrates to the Midmarket. The reporter was asking me why I thought midmarket companies (which she defined as companies with 50 – 1000 employees) were starting to embrace more telework and virtual teamwork. While it has been my observation that companies of all sizes, not just midmarket companies, are embracing the concept of having their employees work from outside the office – the question made me think – why the increase specifically in companies of this size? I think there are 2 main reasons for this . . .

My initial, more obvious thought, is that it is largely due to the increase in easy-to-use, affordable technology that companies of any size can implement without the need of a large IT staff – such as web based collaboration tools, remote access to computers, and web meeting services. These subscription services allow companies access to all the tools they need to work from anywhere without the IT headaches for implementation. Even solo professionals can take advantage of these tools. Read more

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