Archie Bell: Time for a close look at benefits of remote working

How many businesses will survive the stresses imposed by the recent bad weather? Many of us now work in an "information economy" - if access to that information is denied or restricted it is going to affect your organisation's efficiency.

Working from home is now pretty common and remote working is nothing new. However, recent technology advances mean that total freedom from the office can now be achieved. The ability to work from anywhere is now a reality but how many companies have invested in the infrastructure necessary to implement it?

With the proper technology in place it should be as easy to access files, documents, and corporate information from home, as well as collaborate with colleagues, as if you were sitting in the office.

As the current situation has shown, there will be times when it is impossible to travel to the office. Moreover, do you really want to waste hours struggling to get into the office when you could be spending your time more productively?

It is relatively easy to arrange remote working for e-mail. It is a little more difficult to access files, documents and spreadsheets remotely. Delivering remote access for business information systems has traditionally been more complex and expensive.

What has changed this is the advent of "cloud computing". It is now possible to build a cost-effective remote access IT infrastructure which is efficient, robust and secure.

The main benefit is that company data and applications do not reside on the computers within the organisation. Instead, applications and information are hosted in a secure, managed, professional-level data centre. This means that there is universal access to information and applications to any authorised user from any location where there is access to the web.

Cloud computing services can be purchased on a subscription per-user per-month basis so are ideal for start-ups or seasonal businesses needing flexibility. The responsibility for managing, securing, updating and upgrading an application transfers from the user back to the software vendor, reducing your administration burden.

However, it may not be appropriate for every type of organisation. A mid-size company, for example, may already need an in-house IT infrastructure for systems which cannot be placed in the cloud. Larger companies may decide to make savings by moving an entire service to the cloud, for example by moving e-mail and intranet services but retaining accounting systems on-premises.

A cloud computing solution cannot be implemented overnight. It needs carefully planning and preparation. Staff should be able to try out remote working at their leisure before they need to use it under pressure.Companies should also be sensitive to how employees will be expected to work from home by setting out clear performance objectives.

Employees may already feel work/life boundaries are being impinged upon with the predominance of Blackberries and iPhones, so it is important that rules and limits of remote working are pitched and communicated correctly. If employees are given the right tools and motivation, remote working can pay dividends.

One of the organisations we work with - a substantial property investment company with a head office in Edinburgh and offices throughout Europe - took the plunge last January and put most of its IT infrastructure on the cloud. Employees can now securely tap into a central repository of corporate information regardless of location as well as access e-mails, calendars and so forth. Using webcams, the system also facilitates the establishment of virtual conferences, which has cut travelling time.

Now is the time to start thinking about how robust your company's business continuity plans are. If the weather forecasters are to be believed, this is not the last severe winter to hit Scotland. It would be nice to know that your business could carry on regardless.

• Archie Bell is managing director of Edinburgh-based Waverley Lane, an IT consultancy which specialises in innovative technology solutions for business.