Remote Access

I love remote access. It lets anyone from a company connect from anywhere with an internet connection and access company resources. It enables a workforce to tend to business matters without coming into the office. In my opinion and experience, this is one of the greatest things from IT that makes people's lives better. The manager is happy because his work is getting done, the worker is happy since they can finish projects without a care to the time of day, where they physically are at that moment or the weather outside. I live just outside Philadelphia, where the snow can be deep sometimes, especially last winter. Remote access enabled me to keep working, right after I shoveled out.
There are some distinct security benefits and drawbacks to a workforce that uses remote access, and if it is properly implemented could create a happier, and more productive workforce.
Some of the drawbacks include greater difficulty managing patches and updates, and the opening of a portal through the firewalls into the heart of the organization. And although it is completely necessary to let systems administrators connect remotely for maintenance and administration, this is where the greatest security hole is, when someone with intrinsic back door access connects to critical machines.
For benefits, the workforce is enabled to work with more flexibility for time to time, and will often spend more hours working than if they were in the office every day. The company can maintain a smaller office with a mobile workforce, and doesn't need to have dedicated workspace for every worker. From a security standpoint, remote access gives great resiliency in the event of a disaster, since many processes are location neutral and the workforce just needs a connection to perform their duties.
I think about the benefits from my own experience working on the road, and I'm a huge fan of properly implemented remote access.
1. Management must support the reality of workers connecting from on the road. Sometimes the amount of backlog on paperwork (virtual, of course) or other work gets so great that I would sequester myself in my office at home to catch up. If a worker can do that from home or on the road, not only will their happiness and morale improve, but so will their mobile workforce's productivity if management supports this kind of activity, and ultimately this leads to greater profits.
2. The workspace must be viable. The home worker needs to have their configuration verified by the IT department to ensure some level of security. The workspace must also be free from distractions. I have been working at home for so long now that my children leave me alone, but it took time and effort to get that aspect of remote access from home solid.
3. The security process must be included from start to finish. User verification, secure connection protocols, patch management, virus protection updates and notifications, and access control all have to be implemented and managed for successful remote access to be truly effective. What's the point of having people connect from hotels in several different cities if one of them brings havoc to your core systems.
4. Regular review must take place of the time that users spend working from home and their effectiveness. Logs of connection times can serve as great records to verify production. Most workers will not take advantage, and the ones who will are often kept in line by a procedure that keeps them on the right path.
5. Training on time management and discipline should be given on a regular basis. Most of your workers will do just fine from home, and this kind of regular support is often welcomed. I personally am a fan of tricks and tips to help me manage my time since I apply them across the board.
If properly deployed, remote access can offer some serious improvements to the lifestyles of the workers as well as great benefits to the company.