Prodec Networks conducted research among IT decision makers working at companies of all sizes. The research revealed all businesses, regardless of size, have at least 10% of their staff working remotely. Businesses with between 50-100 employees revealed the largest proportion of remote workers, with over 60% of this segment having three quarters of their workforce working remotely.
However, despite this growing trend towards remote workers, the technologies which can help remote workers stay connected to the rest of the business, plus provide the technology for IT to manage their IT and devices from a central location, are not being utilised.
Virtual desktop infrastructure is only used by 34% of businesses Voice mobility and hosted telephony are used by under 30% of businesses Nearly half are not using hosted email Less than 60% of businesses are using virtualisation Under half of businesses are using video conferencing The research also found that despite businesses planning for business continuity, companies are not making sufficient plans to ensure they are truly protected. Nearly 90% of the businesses surveyed plan for physical threats to their business premises such as fire, theft and natural disaster, however over 50% of these companies are not utilising offsite backup meaning they remain vulnerable to data loss in the event disaster strikes.
Russell Barley, Managing Director commented; “We were surprised that our research uncovered such a lag time between emerging trends and the technology needed to support it efficiently and effectively. For example by utilising technology, businesses can really harness the true benefits of a remote workforce, without which they will struggle to keep all employees being as productive as they could be.” He continued. “The technology doesn’t have to cost much and companies can quite quickly see a return from any investments made.”