As I am sitting here, researching the topic of document management and how it impacts remote working conditions, I can hear the sounds of the students in my son’s art class as they shout for joy while discovering a new color combination or ask for the red paint from a neighboring classmate. The lobby of the art school is equipped with everything that I need to complete my work today: cushy leather chairs, Wi-Fi, and a nearby plug just in case my laptop battery suddenly dies, as it has a tendency to do.
Thanks to Wi-Fi and programs that manage documents for my company, I can take my son to his weekly art class. I am part of a growing population of working professionals who work remotely.
Our weekly meetings are held at the local bakery where croissants and hot beverages flow freely. We share ideas easily the rest of the week through safe, secure, and extremely functional document management software. I can collaborate on projects with my teammates, each of us seeing the changes made to particular files or documents, and send security-sensitive documents with the highest technological security.
For these reasons and more, the outlook for many physical offices is bleak. In fact, the office is on the way out.
Who Telecommutes?
You may think that people who work from home typically fall within the categories of Generation Y 20-somethings or stay-at-home-moms. While these categories have their fair share of telecommuters, according to the numbers from the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, the “typical telecommuter” is an average age of 49 years old, a college graduate, and earns about $58,000 a year.
Outside of the demographics portion of telecommuting, there are certain skills and characteristics companies look for when hiring remote workers. Some of the qualities include the following:
- Strong communication skills
- Value connection and shared ideas
- Committed to driving innovation and results
- Time management superhero
- Can work alone without adverse effects
Many companies, like the financial and tax-preparation software giant Intuit, offer specialists who are dedicated to the remote workforce of their company. These specialists coordinate the global and virtual offerings of the company. This coordination fosters a desirable flexible work culture, creating a partnership between remote workers and the parent company as expectations are defined and realized by both company and employee.
Telecommuting Technology
One of the biggest reasons telecommuting is beginning to outpace on-site office work is the growing technology available to workers and companies alike. A virtual culture hinges on ever-evolving technological platforms and the effective use of that technology.
In fact, one of the biggest “make it or break it” factors in successful telecommuting is the implementation of strict security programs and standards for the home office. Documents sent back and forth via the internet have to have a strict security program to ensure the highest standards of confidentiality and security are met.
SecureDrawer
One of the reasons more people are able to telecommute and offices are on the out is the high-security software like eFileCabinet’s SecureDrawer.
SecureDrawer is easy to use—as easy as sending an email, but infinitely more secure. It gives you a protected way to share documents with both clients and coworkers. With just a few clicks, you can instantly share documents and collect digital signatures, all within a secure, encrypted portal.
And speaking of security and encryption, SecureDrawer employs SSL/TLS encryption on all the data that is transmitted between your computer and data servers. The sent data is encrypted with a 256-bit AES standard on the data servers. Additionally, data is transferred using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
Document Management Software
Technology like SecureDrawer also integrates seamlessly with document management software (DMS) to ensure that you are able to access the documents and files you need when you want to access them to complete your assigned work tasks.
The comforting piece of the pie for administrators and managers is the fact that DMS automatically creates an audit trail, so all completed work is recorded and all people who change, contribute to, or share files or documents can easily be seen and tracked.
Your Office Is Expanding
As you can see, thanks to DMS and secure technology, the standard brick-and-mortar office is on the way out and your office is expanding to wherever you want to be: whether it’s the children’s art studio up the street, your home office, or a tropical paradise.
Give eFileCabinet 15 minutes today to see how we can help you expand your office.