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IP-based Collaboration Ensures Business Continuity During Crisis
BY CATHY PLANCHARD
Vice President, Corporate and Marketing Communications
VIACK Corporation
During times of crisis - a natural disaster, terrorist act or even a transportation strike - having employees working from home or other off-site locations can be a tremendous benefit. If they have Internet connectivity, a computer and power, these “teleworkers” ensure some level of business continuity, at least with each other and hopefully with clients or constituents who will still be depending on them. Add the right communications technology, with information sharing capabilities and encryption strong enough to handle privileged communications, and it might almost be “business as usual.” Just think of how much money and time could be saved - and headaches prevented - if employees were prepared to work if they couldn’t get to the office!
If you don’t already have an official telework program in place, however, it’s going to require some intense groundwork now, especially from the IT staff, to make it run smoothly before the next big business interruption occurs. While sales staff and others have long stayed connected to the office and to clients from the road, other traditionally office-bound staff - including those responsible for paying the bills - should practice teleworking whenever possible. Having an official program with the right technology and a responsible leader ready to both prepare and react immediately to any disaster will make the transition much easier.
Setting Up the Telework Program
Identify a telework coordinator and/or committee: One responsible employee - a C-level executive, a HR manager or even the IT manager - should be put in charge of managing teleworker schedules, arranging proper equipment for each teleworker, tracking program progress and promoting the benefits of telework among employees. They could also establish a telework planning committee to help establish program goals, objectives, written policies and procedures and develop an implementation plan and schedule with milestones. The telework committee should be responsible for determining the three most important elements of your company’s program: policy, training and evaluation.
Integrate a telework policy into business continuity plan: Good communication is the essential element of a successful telework program and all employees should know the program’s guidelines and expectations, including the need to check in with colleagues, managing partners and/or the telework coordinator at the “virtual meeting place” as soon as possible during an emergency or disaster. The telework policy might include:
- General policy statement with program definitions
- Program goals and objectives (and priorities for emergency communications)
- Explanation of the process for program participation
- Review of program benefits
- Identification of positions or aspects of positions appropriate or not appropriate for a telework arrangement
- Review of time, pay and attendance issues
- Sample agreement to be completed by the employee and supervisor
- Checklist of technology and equipment needs
Train Employees and Managers: Since telework typically involves a cultural change within the organization, each employee and manager should receive training on the telework policy, procedures and techniques for managing remote workers. Discuss work schedules, communication methods, required technology, success strategies and proper organization to ensure all employees are fully aware of what is expected of them when working remotely. Include handouts for future reference.
Choosing the Right Telework Tools: Before launching a telework program, the IT staff should determine a teleworker’s technology needs in order to be just as sufficient working remotely as they would be in the main office. At a minimum, the teleworkers (and all others critical to the business continuity of the organization) will need a computer, Internet connectivity, e-mail program, telephone and fax machine. To be even more successful, during an emergency or not, they’ll also need IP-based collaboration software.
By equipping each teleworker and non-teleworker with high-speed Internet, a Web camera, headset and collaboration software, managers can get in touch with teleworkers at nearly any time—and in return, teleworkers can contact managers, colleagues, partners and clients alike. A collaboration program should include such features as real-time video, telephone-quality audio, presence detection systems, instant messaging and secure file sharing/storing to allow better interaction between the main office and teleworkers or among teleworkers themselves. This allows teleworkers to:
- Instantaneously check-in with the main office and clients
- Replicate in-person meetings
- See and hear each other, their managers, other staff and clients, as long as the clients are also set up on the collaboration software
- See who is available online for a meeting or quick discussion via instant messaging with the presence detection and status indicators. This will help alleviate the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ concern with managing a remote workforce, as the manager will quickly be able to determine which of their workers are online, offline, in meetings, away from their computer, or do not wish to be disturbed.
- Store confidential data in file cabinets for sharing, rather than the teleworker’s computer or the main office
- View, discuss and edit documents simultaneously
What do you do if only a few (or none) of your prepared teleworkers have Internet connectivity or even electricity at all? During Hurricane Katrina, text messaging from cell phones became one of the only ways to communicate near the disaster zone. Ensure that all key personnel know how to text message on their cell phones. In the worst-case scenario, it might be the only way to communicate.
Selecting a Collaboration Tool
The most interactive and secure method for communications with teleworkers, especially during times of emergency, is a collaboration software program that is designed specifically for your industry and organization structure. Ask vendors the following questions to help select an IP-based collaboration tool that best meets your teleworking and business continuity needs:
1. Does the collaboration solution offer everything a teleworker needs to work effectively from home during emergencies as well as everyday situations, such as real-time document editing, audio, video, instant messaging, etc.?
2. Are all the necessary services integrated into one package or would we need to consider other alternatives (and expenses) such as conference calls for the audio?
3. Will the solution maintain total privacy and confidentiality of video, audio and data?
4. Does the system use a high level of encryption methods, such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)?
5. How does the provider protect the data and where is it stored? (Off site is better for immediate business continuity in case the office is destroyed)
6. Does the system operate through firewalls? This is critical when it is important to communicate with external audiences.
7. Is security included in the overall price of the solution, or is it an add-on cost?
8. Is education and training about how and when to use the service readily available and/or customized for the teleworker?
9. What type of support will be available to the teleworker, especially during time of emergency? Is the support included, or must you pay for telephone calls to client services?
10. What are the contractual arrangements? Does the provider offer one price for multiple participants, sometimes called “seats?” (To minimize technology expenses, look for a collaboration program that allows the purchase of “seats,” which means your firm can purchase licenses for a group of participants rather than having to pay for each minute you are online using the program for a meeting.)
You can save a lot of headache and costs during a disaster by helping to implement a successful telework program with the best communication technology before the disaster strikes. The more you can help prepare up front with tools and training, the better off your organization will be.
Cathy Planchard, director of marketing communications, oversees outbound marketing and communications vehicles for VIACK Corporation, a provider of secure collaboration and communications software to both private and public organizations. Prior to joining VIACK, Cathy was the marketing manager for Motorola Computer Group, where she directed the marketing communications efforts for their telecom offerings. During that time, she oversaw the group's most successful product launch to date, receiving three industry recognition awards and significant national and international press coverage. Prior to that position, she held a variety of marketing roles in high-tech start-up organizations, including WAVO and StarCite. Before transitioning to the high-tech arena, she held senior level communications and brand management positions for the parent companies of Hilton Gaming Corporation, Doubletree Hotels and Promus Hotel Corporation. She holds an MBA from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, as well as a B.S. in marketing and a B.A in communications.
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