With meteorologists predicting a particularly severe hurricane season this year, companies should make sure they have business continuity plans in place to help them stay operational should they be affected, says Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. Operations don’t have to grind to a halt just because the office shuts down; savvy workers and employers can stay productive by conducting business from their nearest Internet connection using online access and collaboration tools.
With products like GoToMeeting and GoToMyPC, and a laptop or home computer, workers can hold meetings online and access their office desktop, including programs, files, and email. Citrix Online's solutions enable people to work with anyone from anywhere—be it an airport, coffee shop, or home—remotely accessing office computers, attending online meetings, hosting Webinars, getting remote support or even attending online training sessions. As more people adopt virtual workstyles – or workshift – leveraging easy to use, affordable tools ensure business can continue as usual.
“During Hurricane Ike, our Houston office was shut down for pre- and post-storm evacuation and we didn’t skip a beat,” explained Avo Mavilian, director of sales and marketing for Houston-based Birdview Technologies, a provider of online marketing services to real estate professionals nationwide. “All of our sales and support staff are equipped with GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar accounts so we can continue operations and provide service from any location outside our physical office. With staff in Houston, Florida, Chicago, Virginia and New York, the Citrix Online products have enabled us to put effective business continuity plans in place. We also rely on the products for our daily work with clients, providing efficient one-on-one sales demos and hosting educational Webinars.”
“To be most effective during a business disruption, online collaboration tools should be simple to use and easy to deploy across a whole organization at a moment’s notice,” said Bernardo de Albergaria, vice president, general manager of global marketing and eCommerce of Citrix Online. “We doubled usage of our products when the volcanic ash interrupted business travel globally in April this year, as companies realized they could still get work done without having to travel. In fact, many found that, beyond staying operational, they were actually more productive when using collaboration tools to workshift instead of travel.”
The impact on business from inclement weather can be far-reaching and damaging. A study commissioned by Citrix Online in February across an audience of 500 calculated that the winter's severe storms would result in a loss of nearly 50 million total man hours of productivity in the states affected, based on 52% of survey respondents having lost six or more hours of work due to the storms. The study also found that, while half the respondents had been forced to cancel or delay a meeting in the last year due to inclement weather, 47 percent had no technology tools, flex time, telework provisions or alternate assignments to assist when commuting was a problem.
For more information and a free 30-day trial for GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC or other Citrix Online products, go to: www.citrixonline.com, click on the product sites and choose the free trial option.