Advances in Internet technology have made it possible to build a truly virtual business, using a dispersed workforce to cut costs and improve access to the most skilled employees available. But how do you actually go about doing it for your business?
Use VoIP telephony
The humble telephone remains one of your most important communications channels for sharing information between colleagues, or speaking to customers. A hosted VoIP system uses your broadband internet connection to route calls – which means that you can hook into it from anywhere using a dedicated VoIP handset, or even an app on your smartphone.
Best of all, your customers never know that your team is not all based in the same building. At their desk, or even on a customer site, VoIP allows you to route calls exactly as you would with an internal switchboard – including standard extension numbers.
Deploy Cloud-based productivity apps
Software like Microsoft Office is crucial to your day to day productivity, and Cloud based versions can be accessed from anywhere, on any device. Office 365, including the Outlook email service, can help your team share documents, and simplify collaboration. Everything they need is never more than a few clicks away.
Obviously your team can connect to these apps from their laptop or desktop at home – but they also have the option of using tablets, and even smartphones, for maximum flexibility and connectivity.
Virtualise everything
Moving all of your systems to the Cloud offers exactly the same benefits as Office 365; no matter where in the world your team are based, they can connect directly to the data and applications they need. Typically, server virtualisation involves abstracting software from the physical hardware to improve resilience and to protect against component failure and outages.
Taking server virtualisation to its logical conclusion however, you can move all of the key services into the Cloud using Microsoft Azure. In this way everything is always available and you never have to find a dedicated location for a physical company server. For the virtual business, this even does away with the need for a ‘head office’ where IT systems would traditionally be located.
A virtual business offers greater flexibility and minimal operating costs, helping you compete more effectively on the world stage. For more help and advice about using technology to build your virtual business, give the Complete I.T. team a call today.