Don’t let your business fall victim to the downpour
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the Southwest, with a month’s worth of rain set to fall in just 48 hours; flooding is likely along with winds of up to 60mph expected.
A Met Office spokesperson said “The public should be prepared for disruption due to flooding.” Flooding and high winds can cause travel chaos along with some roads being inaccessible making public transport useless.
Small businesses should take precautions in order to deal with these conditions. Derek Maddox, Managing Director from Stonehouse-based telecoms company Eurolink Connect Ltd said “in the event of severe weather conditions there are a number of solutions available to businesses to ensure that their staff can continue to work productively and effectively from the comfort and safety of their own home, whilst significantly reducing the risk to business operations”.
Eurolink Connect Ltd recommends the following advice to keep your business running during adverse weather conditions:
- IP Telephony – the ability for your staff to effectively communicate using this business telephone system even if away from the office; makes not being in the office less relevant than ever to the business. IP Telephony enables users to work from home or another office with all the functionality of being at their desk. Staff can use their personal mobiles, home land-line phones; smart-phones and tablet PCs. IP Telephony services also offer enhanced service continuity through the ability to divert numbers rapidly in the event of a major incident.
- Unified Communications – services including instant messaging, presence, collaboration and video, provide staff with richer communications that can aid productivity all year round. Those that work remotely really benefit from UC, with the ability to work more effectively with colleagues across the organisation, regardless of their location.
- Remote Desktop Virtualisation – this fast growing technology provides users secure access to their desktop with an internet connection, complete access to e-mail, and server files, from any location in the world. Users can login to any PC, laptop or tablet via the web and see exactly what they would if sat in the office. All data is held centrally in the provider’s Cloud, avoiding the security risks associated with staff using their own devices.
- Smart Phones – a good smart phone connected to your email system means at least your staff can answer emails
To further reduce risk to your business, these services should be delivered from a Cloud provider that has invested in a robust and high availability infrastructure. Cloud removes the dependency on any single site within your organisation, meaning in the event of a major incident like a power cut or even a flood or fire, your staff can continue to work to full effect from other sites or at home.