The impact of virtual offices on the Information Technology industry

The idea that an office is a specific place where our professional lives happen is becoming less universal, and less important. These days' people can be productive anywhere, thanks to smarter, more numerous mobile devices, faster network access, and a growing number of online collaboration tools. Increased pressure on the economy and business has CEOs and MDs scrambling to find innovative ways to reduce costs. One way in which to do this is by selectively introducing virtual offices as an option for employees.

The major benefit of the Information Technology revolution is the way it opens up technology-orientated solutions to problems. As more computers are connected to the information highway and software applications provide better products, the more the corporate world will have the ability to operate from anywhere. Therefore, it's no surprise that the establishment of virtual offices is a rising organizational trend.

It does however challenge the status quo in this country as is evident when you compare us to the global telework scenario, South African businesses are far behind their counterparts overseas.

Even so, the reality is that the use of remote collaboration tools by more and more employees will mean that companies need less office space and use fewer company resources; resulting in significant cost savings for organizations, as well as savings in travel costs and time for employees. However, it brings along a completely new set of challenges in IT management.

As networks become more complex, and more employees are working remotely, businesses are increasingly exposed to virus attacks, regardless of company size. Once again it puts a greater demand for skilled specialists in IT positions to ensure that transitions to virtual offices are viable and well managed.

Virtual offices are becoming more popular mainly because of the shift towards output-based performance assessment. The traditional perception of work as a place to go is fast being replaced by the idea that employees are responsible for achieving specific objectives in the most efficient manner.

So do you think we have the right skills in the Information Technology industry to make the concept of the virtual office set-up a viable option for companies looking to cut costs in a tough economy?

Is your company thinking of establishing virtual offices? Do you have the right IT staff to ensure you navigate the next challenges in the IT industry? Communicate Recruitment is a specialist IT recruitment agency that can help you find staffing to ensure you are able to fully embrace the future of IT.

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