CIOs have a real opportunity to be proactive by developing a "work at home" guide for employees that includes all of the necessary instructions for configuring common DSL and cable gateways for use with the corporate network. The same guide should detail how to enable WEP security on home wireless networks and require that it be enabled for any wireless hub used to connect to the corporate network. Most users will appreciate the seriousness of this requirement when confronted with the fact that their own Quicken files are at risk as well. Providing IT guidance for systems outside of the office is also a great way for the entire technical team to get recognition from the rest of the company. Design multitier applications
Of course, helping users connect to the corporate network but providing access only to e-mail doesn't make wireless networks very compelling. Tech leaders also should design systems so that they can be remotely extended. For new applications, consider the remote user's needs by designing applications that will work in a multitier environment where the presentation tier may be installed on a system with a 256K to 1.5M connection. This strategy is much less constraining than the 28K limitation with which we've lived in the past, but it still requires some forethought. This additional bandwidth makes it more palatable to deliver and execute Windows-based client applications or Web applications with more complex Java or ActiveX controls. And now that .Net allows you to automatically distribute Windows applications through the browser, you can easily deploy and update applications on employee machines. Many existing applications will work fine in this environment. For example, if you allow home users to access their home directory on a server, they can then load and edit an Excel worksheet or a Word document. This benefit also helps employees understand the value of storing important documents on the server rather than local hard disks -- making backups easier. If you want secure access to any application, consider using a product like Citrix Metaframe or Windows Terminal Services. Once users have downloaded the appropriate client, they can run any corporate application remotely, with only the screens and keystrokes passing over the line. With a DSL-speed connection, these systems are very responsive. And you have the added benefit of security. Since no data ever gets placed on the user's local hard drive, and the screen buffers passed over the line are unintelligible GDI commands to a hacker, your corporate data remains securely stored and managed by servers in the data center. As the economy continues to tighten, companies need to continue getting more productivity from employees. Allowing them to work from home in the evening or weekends, and from the road when they travel, is another way to increase workforce efficiency. The equipment cost to make this a reality has never been lower. Now is a good time to enable remote corporate access but to do so in an orderly, controlled, supported fashion.
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