There came a point during the recent cold spells when even the most adventurous driver would have gleefully strangled anyone heard singing “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”. Yes, it’s all very pretty when first sighted through a bedroom window but, as with alcohol and chocolate, too much of it can be bad for your health. The chaos that accompanied the heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures represented an opportunity – as well as a hindrance – for technology companies. After all, with scores of people marooned at home, what better time to demonstrate the benefits of remote working? Surely, this is what remote access, unified communications and desktop virtualisation were made for? By a happy coincidence, the candidates for the Day in a Life feature in this issue of Irish Computer had been tasked to keep a journal of their work-a-day activities on 1 December, one of the worst days in memory for snow and ice, not to mention the cold. Notably, in most cases they all struggled valiantly through ice and snow to work and tried to keep to their previously scheduled meetings. True, in some cases they ended up meeting somewhere different to their originally assigned venues – and they certainly weren’t wearing customary business attire – but their over-riding drive was ‘business as usual’ as far as possible.
Some of the journeys through blizzard conditions to get to meetings had an almost epic quality to them. But I don’t believe I can be alone in wondering why, if technology is so great and most of the people involved on both sides of the meetings were involved in IT, they didn’t just stay at home and do it over the phone or set up a web conference or video conference instead? After all, such a sensible course of action would have provided wonderful advertising for technology – and we can imagine the impressive case studies that could emerge from such a scenario. That these brave – or foolhardy – folk seemingly forgot about the technology available and carried on regardless is perhaps indicative of the strength of our underlying need for human contact to form the foundation of so much of what we do in business. Either that or, for all their talk of remote access and working from home, too many firms still expect staff to get into the office – come rain, snow, or ice-age.
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