Fortunately, today’s technological advances make it easy to remain as connected as possible even when you’re not physically in the office. Consider these tips to make working remotely feel less remote.

1. Tech Tips for
Small Business
How to work remotely without feeling remote
Whether you or your employees work remotely full time or just need to work
from home occasionally, the benefits are apparent: no tiresome commuting, few
distractions, and the comfort and flexibility of working wherever you choose. But
there’s a downside to working remotely too. It’s hard to feel fully connected when
you’re working in isolation.
Fortunately, today’s technological advances make it easy to remain as connected as
possible even when you’re not physically in the office. Consider these tips to make
working remotely feel less remote:
Get connected and stay connected
When you’re not in the office, your Internet connection is your lifeline to staying connected.
That means you need reliable, fast connectivity, wherever you may be. For the ultimate in
portability, laptop users can connect to the internet at speeds as fast as 21 Mbps1 by simply
plugging in a USB Internet stick. A USB stick gives you high speed connectivity in airports, hotels, in
your living room or at the cottage, without the need to search for Wi-Fi hotspots. Ask your service
provider about mobile internet plans that provide generous amounts of data, flexible rates that
adjust along with your usage, or plans that let you share data between your USB stick and your
smartphone to avoid wastage.
A Wi-Fi hub, which allows up to 10 devices to connect over a high speed connection, is an ideal
solution for a group working together from a remote location. For regular home office workers,
ask your service provider about business-class wired internet services that may be available at your
home address location.
Real time conversations keep you in the loop
When it comes to business, many people rely on email as their primary means of communication.
But conversing in real time can be far more efficient and better at promoting connectedness.
Look for instant messaging applications that allow you to save, bookmark and search previous
conversations for retrieval later. Taking this one step further, video chatting is even more like a
face-to-face meeting. Nearly every instant messaging application now offers video chat capability,
turning any two computers with web cams into a video conferencing system.

2. Taking it further: online collaboration
With fast, reliable internet access in place, the remote worker can take advantage of a variety of tools
designed to encourage collaboration and interaction. To work effectively with groups of colleagues or
clients in remote locations, ask your service provider about audio and web conferencing options. With a
simple audio conference, any number of people in different locations can dial into a conference call.
Web conferencing takes collaboration even further, enabling participants to share presentations,
applications and web sites, annotate presentations on the go, and record conferences for later use.
Feel like you’re in the office when you’re not, with remote access
Another important consideration when working remotely is gaining access to your office computer.
Whether your business runs on a local area network (LAN) or you simply need to access files on a
computer at the office, remote access software enables you to log in from remote locations. Look
for a tool that allows you to securely access your files and transfer documents to your laptop, run
applications on your office computer, or even print from a remote location.
The ultimate connectivity, no matter where you are
Of course, no tool is as useful for staying connected on the go as the smartphone. With today’s
technology, your device goes far beyond phone and email communications. With a good data plan, you
can cost-effectively access the Internet and access to a host of applications that can facilitate working
remotely and keep you engaged with your colleagues, clients and suppliers, either for free or for a
minimal investment. Visit Blackberry® App World, Apps for iPhone on iTunes, or other device and carrier
app stores, and consider applications such as these to help you stay connected:
U
se your smartphone like a mini-computer with applications that let you view, edit and zip
files, including Microsoft Office documents and Adobe PDFs.
For BlackBerry®: File Manager Pro, RepliGo Reader, eOffice Mobile Office Suite.
For iPhone: Documents to Go Premium, Quickoffice Mobile Suite.
T
urn any location into a virtual office with smartphone applications that let you send fax
documents or print files including emails, photos, and documents right from your device, or
even give you remote access to your computer.
For BlackBerry®: Mobile Phax, Remote Print, VNC Plus, RDM Plus.
For iPhone: Print Magic, Mobile Phax, MobileToolz, Remote Desktop, LogMeIn Ignition,
Real VNC, Wyse PocketCloud.
M
ore complex applications let you use your smartphone to facilitate online collaboration on
the go. Store files in a secure online location, and then access them and share them directly
from your smartphone.
For BlackBerry®: Nice Office LITE, Soonr, Computing.
For iPhone: Quickoffice Connect, Dropbox.
About Rogers
Rogers Communications connects small businesses to customers, suppliers, partners and employees
with fast and reliable wireless, telephone, Internet and TV services. Over 1.5 million business
customers rely on Rogers for proven tools and the know how to help keep them connected.
Our affordable services run on our proven networks, backed by 24/7 technical support.
Looking for more helpful how-to tips for your small business?
Visit the Business Resources Centre on www.rogers.com/business.
1 Refers to peak download speed. Actual speed may vary based on handset, topography and environmental conditions, network congestion and other factors. References to third-party applications and websites are made for your information only. Rogers does
not endorse nor recommend all of the applications and/or websites listed above and makes no warranties express or implied relating to same. Rogers assumes no responsibility regarding the performance or use of such applications and/or websites and customers
are advised to use at their own risk. Please contact the vendor of each application directly for additional information. Rogers Mobius design are trademarks of or used under license from or with permission of Rogers Communications Inc. or an affiliate. Apple.
the Apple logo and iPhoneare trademarks of Apple Inc. BlackBerry,® RIM,® Research In Motion, and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world.
Used under license from Research In Motion Limited. ©2010 Rogers Wireless. 04/10