It's a Snow Day! Remote Working Enabled by Cloud Technology

It’s been 2.5 years now since I moved back to Brighton in the UK after living in the French Alps, so I’ve certainly missed the snow. Indeed, I was hugely excited this week to be able to go to my garage and dig out the snow shovels to use for the first time in nearly 3 years (as well as the sledges for my 4 year old)!

My four seasons living in the Alps taught me the importance of winter tyres, after all, if you can’t get up to the ski resort when it snows – what is the point of living in the Alps? During my four years living in France, I would say I ‘lived the cloud dream.’ I had a satellite internet service, which occasionally needed dusting down when it snowed, but it enabled me to access my Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM as well as use my internet Voipfone telephone service.

Back in Brighton my snow shovel, winter tyres and all-wheel drive got me safely to work, despite the three inches of snow. I received, as expected, a few texts from colleagues struggling to make it in as well as emails from clients also battling to get their team to the office. However, in this day of cloud computing, people really can work anywhere. Should the team require, they can receive their calls using a smartphone app on their at no extra cost to them or use their company Voipfone service.

Luckily, there was no fear that our Cloud9 support team would be forced to shut down because calls and cases can be routed to remote workers as if they are in the office. Office 365 as well as CRM solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 enable virtual teams across multiple geographies to collaborate and continue to work together, irrespective of their ability to get to the office.

Often the irony is that that the speed of internet access can be better at home than in the office, although in our Brighton base, we enjoy the super-fast services of Metranet which is a dedicated Satellite connection.

In this age of technology, maximising productivity is easier than it has ever been before. This can be seen in the exciting development in automated intelligence (AI). For instance, in Dynamics 365 and Portals, automated programming allows clients to self-serve within an instant. That being said, relationship management is a core asset for most businesses, so the ability to enable home working for that human touch is a critical capability when facing extreme weather conditions.

So I wish a safe journey home for those that made it to the office today. And for those that stayed at home – I hope you managed to find some time to enjoy the snow with your kids.

If you have any snow stories about working from home, get in touch at [email protected] or send us a picture so we can share the power of cloud technology on social media @Cloud9Insight.

Carlene Jackson, CEO Cloud9 Insight

Committed to business growth, passionate about supporting SMEs and driven by success. Cloud9 Insight is a Gold certified Microsoft Cloud Partner, specialising in the implementation, support and training of cloud technologies such as Office 365 and Dynamics 365: the ultimate CRM.