To get the most out of this arrangement the link needs
to be fast and ‘always on.’ There are three cost effective ways of achieving
this in the UK, all of which use modern broadband (meaning high speed
internet) technology.
ADSL
The first and simplest option is the home-worker to purchase
an ADSL service from BT or an Internet Service Provider (ISP) The ADSL
service is delivered to the house over an existing phone line where
the signal is then split into voice for the phone and data for the computer.
With an ADSL service the customer pays a fixed monthly fee for an ‘always
on’ i.e. 24 hours a day internet feed.
Cable
The second and still fairly simple option is to connect
the home-worker to the internet using a cable modem. Since the large
scale installation of cable TV it has been possible to get a fast connection
to the internet down the same cable that delivers the TV signal. Cable
TV companies tend to offer a combined package of TV, high speed Internet
and telephone line to consumers. The cable carries Internet data at
speeds similar to an ADSL connection which makes it perfect for home-working.
Wireless Broadband
The third option for connecting the home-worker to the
office is over a wireless broadband link. This option is more suited
to rural areas where the cable based ADSL service is not available.
There a number of companies offering this service across the country
and although slightly more expensive it is proving very effective and
popular. The provider places wireless access points in the local area
and then a small antenna is placed on the outside wall of the house
and aligned to the nearest access point. The radio signal then carries
the internet service to and from the home-worker’s PC.
Office Internet Connection
For home-working to be viable the company office must
be connected to the internet via an 'always on' high bandwidth connection.
A leased line is preferred but a business grade ADSL link is also possible.
If a leased line connection is in use it is most likely that you will
be using a firewall to protect your data and this equipment can often
be configured to handle in-coming secure connections.
Virtual Private Networks
The term for describing the secure channel set up between
the home user and the office network is called a Virtual Private Network
or VPN. The effect of creating a VPN is to scramble the information
passing between the office and the home-user over VPN and then de-scramble
it at the point of use. This process is called encryption and it keeps
your corporate data safe from hackers and others. VPN's can be created
by hardware, software or a combination of both depending on the level
of security and convenience that is required.
Contacting us
To discuss the possibilities of implementing home-working
for your company or for more information please call Novastream on 01223
207 008 or email us at service@novastream.co.uk