The practice of telecommuting or using non-traditional “space” (such as a hotspot) to get one’s work done – instead of toiling away in an office cubicle – is getting increasingly common.
Two key factors are driving this phenomenon, according to Carmi Levy, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group Ltd. in London, Ont. “First, the availability of ubiquitous high-speed connectivity, both wired and wireless, enables employees to work just as effectively outside of the office, as within.”
Traditionally, bandwidth was expensive, hard to find and configure, says Levy, which meant people couldn’t connect their laptops just anywhere. “Now, a high-speed network is often just a coffee shop away.”
The second driver, apart from abundant high-speed connectivity, is the broad range of increasingly capable mobile devices, he says – noting that mobility is not just confined to the laptop anymore.
“While most people wouldn’t set out slinging a laptop over their shoulder, now they think nothing of having a Wi-Fi-enabled smart phone in their pocket that they can quickly use, drop the phone back in their pocket and continue on.”
In keeping with this trend of ubiquitous high-speed connectivity, Cogeco Cable, a telecommunications company headquartered in Montr