23rd August 2012, Bracknell – New research shows that despite the forecasts of doom, London businesses coped well during the Olympics but there are lessons to be learned for the Paralympics. The research from technology consultancy Portal shows that many firms (48 per cent) allowed people to work from home for some or all of the 16 days and that despite this, nearly two-thirds (59 per cent) saw their business continuing with little or no drop in productivity.

“At a time when the UK economy is struggling to shake off the recession, the Olympics could have been disastrous for businesses in the capital,” said Shamus Kelly, managing director of Portal. “However, companies have heeded LOCOG’s advice and provided ways for employees to work remotely which has meant there has been very little impact on most businesses.”

The key reason businesses were able to cope with the strains placed on the capital was planning. 60 per cent of firms revealed they had spent time planning, with nearly a quarter (22.4%) spending more than six months putting in place the plans needed to ensure it was ‘business as usual’.

For 62 per cent of firms, those plans involved upgrading technology to allow people to work while 41 per cent invested in new technology allowing people to access email, video conferencing and critical business systems such as finance and HR software.

Despite the positive picture overall, a significant minority (30 per cent) failed to plan at all and of those, over a third experienced a significant fall in productivity. With the Paralympics just 6 days away, firms need to ensure they have plans in place to cope.

One of the most effective ways to cope with major events such as the Paralympics is for people to work away from their central London offices, avoiding long delays on public transport and the road network. Here are Portal’s seven tips for successful remote working:

1. Instant messaging – encourage employees to use instant messaging services rather than relying on email. It’s faster and often more convenient and places less strain on company servers;

2. Software – it’s worth considering using collaboration tools or enterprise portals for sharing documents. It saves time and bandwidth sending around files on email;

3. Collaboration tools – internal blogs and social media tools can be used to keep team members working apart from each other updated;

4. Communication – do let your customers and suppliers know how to contact staff while they’re working remotely. It’ll save a lot of time and hassle for everyone;

5. Support – remote working isn’t always easy so do have people available to provide support to those having difficulty with their technology;

6. Security – make sure that your security is up-to-scratch. With people potentially using their personal PCs to access the network, it’s possible all sorts of viruses could find their way into your servers; and

7. Telecom infrastructure – ensure you have sufficient bandwidth to allow people to access the network remotely.

“Technology is critical to enabling staff to work remotely,” said Kelly. “It doesn’t require a huge investment and following a few simple rules will not only help people to work productively, it’ll keep you data safe and sound too.”

Portal helps some of the world’s best known brands transform the service they provide to their customers. With over 50 technically certified consultants and partnerships with major technology companies such as IBM and Amazon Webservices, it builds solutions that help its clients to deliver improved customer acquisition, customer retention, increased customer satisfaction and long-term customer loyalty. Portal’s experience spans all industry sectors but it has particular expertise in Public Sector, Banking and Financial Services, and Manufacturing/Industrial/Transport sectors. In 2011, Portal was awarded the national CRN Channel Award for Mid-Market Reseller of the Year. Portal is privately owned and based in Bracknell, Berkshire. For additional information visit www.chooseportal.com