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With the advent of VoIP and IP telephony, the
home office has become a cost-saving endeavor for both the employee and
employer. Many businesses have instituted flexible work hours and have
determined that some employee’s responsibilities can be fulfilled from home.
The employee benefits from a more flexible schedule, less time wasted on
commute, and accommodating lifestyle. The employer benefits through
decreased workstation costs, greater productivity time, and less brick and
mortar overhead. |
| Remote use of centralized
computer applications like accounting systems and order entry systems is
common place. Most large corporations and even medium sized businesses allow
some sort of secure remote access to their data networks. This is usually
performed via a VPN software client or VPN hardware.
More recently, voice applications have
migrated to the remote realm. Major manufacturers like Avaya, Cisco, and
Nortel offer IP PBX systems that support remote voice applications. In
particular, IP soft phones and IP desk phones combined with a VPN connection
over the internet allow employees to connect to the company phone system
from home.
Employees can remotely perform data entry,
order fulfillment, or any server oriented computer task. They can also
answer, transfer, and make phone calls and access company voice mail. |
