Introduction
The need for organizations to provide their employees with a work-life balance is increasing every day. Although most companies would love to provide their staff with the opportunity to work from the comfort of their homes, there are various challenges standing in the way. The ability to access company networks regardless of the geographical location presents different benefits such as increased employee productivity, satisfaction but also presents some cons such as security concerns and increasing costs for the company. Developments such as the Cisco Virtual Office Solution have significantly addressed the concerns for many businesses and still provided the benefits to the employees. The innovation is welcome in particular for small to medium organizations as it helps them lower their costs considerably and yet enjoy the benefits.
Question 1.
Cisco realized cost savings through its deployment processes. The primary way of cost saving was through the Zero-touch deployment processes (CISCO, 2008). The processes reduced costs for automated router configurations by up to 10 percent. The processes also saved costs for automated configuration of internet protocol telephony devices by up to five percent. The deployment of the Cisco Virtual Office saved costs because it was able to reach a huge number of employees and at a reduced cost. The effectiveness of the Zero-touch deployment was also seen in that it solved major challenges encountered during deployment. For example, the Zero-touch allowed Cisco to integrate into a single device different technologies and capabilities and simultaneously maintain low total costs of ownership.
The cost saving by Cisco’s Virtual Office Solution was significant. The deployment is not only globally sustainable but also has a support model that is capable of meeting the needs of teleworkers worldwide. The savings are also significant because, any network service, deployment, and support take up a significant percentage of the total cost of ownership. The Cisco Virtual Office Solution not only lowered the costs for companies but also availed to them a model that provides security that is reliable and is also available. The Zero-touch deployment saved the company’s costs to the point of being recognized in the Cisco’s Internal Outstanding Core Technology Award. The cost saving from the deployment is also significant in that it reduces the costs per year for commercial real estates of US$ 22,000 (CISCO, 2008).
Question 2.
The Cisco Virtual Office Solution increased employee productivity because the solution increased their efficiency. Employees can access the work network from any location meaning that they can work during their most productive hours. The solution also increases productivity because it eliminates commute time (Richard, 2012). The saved time that could have been spent sitting in traffic is made available to the employees who can use it to perfume productive work. Productivity is also increased in that when employees are supported to work at home; there are fewer destructions and interruptions.
The solution also improves satisfaction in that the employees are saved from the tedious commute to the office. The staff is supported to have more control over their time and thereby to achieve optimum use of them same. For example, instead of being limited to the eight to five working hours and employee can comfortably work night ours. Satisfaction is also achieved by reducing or eliminating the cost of transport for the employees (Gajendarn & Harrison 2007).
The solution also improved employee retention in that it creates a conducive environment where valuable employees can flourish. The solution provides employees with the much coveted work-life balance that makes employees feel valued and thereby tend to stay longer in the company. The various benefits provided by the solution such as increased productivity and satisfaction tend to boost the employee's morale thereby increasing their retention. Finally, the solution improves retention by allowing employees who have relocated to continue to work for the company virtually.
Question 3.
Cisco was able to achieve VPN scalability and support thousands of users by providing the wireless and wired access to video, data, and applications as extensible network services. The scalability in the VPN is achieved because all that is required is a Cisco Unified IP Phone 7965G and a Cisco 881 Integrated Services Router or a Cisco 871 (CISCO, 2008). The devices are then connected to the VPN over high-speed broadband. The VPN scalability is also achieved because the routers support split tunneling. Employees can use the secure VPN to connect to the corporate network while other family members simultaneously use the same router to connect to the internet.
Cisco was also able to achieve VPN scalability and support thousands of users by ensuring that the headend supports other VPN technologies. Some of the VPN technologies that are supported include Secure Sockets Layer, Group Encrypted Transport and IPSec VPNs. The architecture allows for ease of management regardless of the number of users. The layer out also supports scalability because there is no limit to the number of VPNs that can access the network.
The VPN solution in the Cisco Virtual Office Solution is also able to support thousands of users and achieve scalability because it is easy for any employee to set up and use. In the previous VPN solution, a technician was required to reconfigure and set up the VPN which limited daily additions to only six and at best eight routers. The demand for thousands of users is met by the current technology which allows global scalability. The Zero-touch deployment automated the router configuration process. The technological advancement eliminated the effort and time needed by technicians. It only takes the users three to four minutes for the router provisioning process solving the VPN scalability issues and consequently supporting thousands of users. The router is also continuously connected to the VPN eliminating the tedious and time-consuming process of VPN session establishment.
Question 4.
The environmental impact of Cisco telecommuting and virtual offices solution is extensive because of the minimized driving for the employees. One of the benefits realized from the solution is a greener environment from miles avoided for employee commuting. The solution provides employees with office resources that allow them to not only reduce but in some instances eliminate the need to travel to the office. For example, according to Cisco, they were able to avoid 77 million miles in 2008. The solution also impacts the environment positively through reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Automobiles emit CO2 due to their combustion engines, through virtual offices, there are less travel and consequently fewer emissions (Lama et al. 2014). Cisco estimated the reduction in CO2 emissions to be at 37.5 thousand tons in 2008.
The positive environmental impact can also be seen in the reduced gasoline consumption by staff. Telecommuting and the virtual office allows employees not to physical appear in the office every day. Eliminating the need to travel to work significantly reduces the gasoline consumed by employees. Reducing gasoline consumption supports a green environment because gasoline is non-renewable. Finally, the solution benefits the environment through gasoline cost savings. Cisco estimates the cost saving to have been US$ 13.5 million in 2008. Money that would have been spent purchasing gas which has a negative impact on the environment is spent doing other things that are not detrimental to the environment. Other environmental benefits of telecommuting include reduced noise and dust pollution. When the number of cars on the roads and cities is reduced, there is less noise and dust to pollute the air.
Conclusion
Cisco’s Virtual Office Solution although not yet perfected can be viewed as a technology that meets a great demand in the workplace. The use of the Zero-touch deployment processes is effective in reducing the company’s costs. The technology can allow many organizations to enjoy the benefits without bearing the network ownership costs. The benefits of telecommuting are significant for any company including increased employee productivity. Improved employee satisfaction and retention of valuable employees are also added advantages of virtual offices. The use of the Zero-touch deployment helped achieve VPN scalability to support many users. The model provides an encrypted, always-on and secure connection for all employees. The setup and configuration of routers are automated increasing the ease of use of the solution. The solution is also environmentally friendly and reduces the company’s negative impact on the environment. It allows employees to avoid commuter miles, reduces CO2 emissions and also reduces gasoline consumption by employees.
References
CISCO (2008) How Cisco IT Provides Remote Network Access for Small Offices and Teleworkers. Cisco IT Case Study: scalable VPN Remote access. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ciscoitatwork/downloads/ciscoitatwork/pdf/Cisco_IT_Case_Study_Cisco_Virtual_Office.pdf
Richard, Y. (2012) Telecommuting: Implementation for Success. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(15): 20-29.
http://ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_15_August_2012/4.pdf
Gajendarn, S. & Harrison, D. (2007) The Good, the Bad. And the Unknown About Telecommuting: Meta-analysis of Psychological Mediators and Individual Consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6): 1524-1541.
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/apl-9261524.pdf
Lama, V., Sharma, S., Goyal, N. & Singh, M. (2014) Going Green: Computing For a Sustainable Future for Economy, Environment, and Eco-Friendly Technology. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 4(6): 970:975.
https://www.ijarcsse.com/docs/papers/Volume_4/6_June2014/V4I6-0415.pdf
