How Technology Has Made The World Smaller By Creating Remote Working Environments
When ARPANET adopted TCP/IP back in January of 1983, researchers slowly but surely began to put the framework in place for what we would now class as the “modern internet”.
Since its inception, it’s fair to say that the internet has divided opinion on its place within modern society and yet, few could argue that it has enriched our lives in ways that most would have thought impossible only a few decades ago. However, the internet is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes the modern technological age that we find ourselves in and a number of industries across the board are now reaping the benefits.
One of the most recent developments has been the rising prominence of remote working environments – a recent study from mondo.com revealed that 57% of workers in the IT industry spent a portion of their time working from home and, just recently, the Jamaica Diaspora Investment group recently pledged $5m to the Caribbean Maritime University to allow Jamaican workers to remotely work on tech projects that will benefit their birth nation. Due to the significant improvement in technology over the last few years, there are a number of careers and jobs which no longer require workers to be in a fixed location.
Virtual Assistants
If you rewind a couple of decades, the term virtual assistant or “VA” simply did not exist – personal assistants were essentially errand-runners who never strayed too far and could be trusted to deliver reports or anything else you require to your desk by a certain deadline. However, the rise in prominence of mobile devices and smartphones has meant that a large number of assistants can now work remotely without their productivity and efficiency being compromised.
With the total number of worldwide internet users recently surpassing the 4 billion mark, improved connectivity has made the transition from the office to the internet a seamless one. While virtual personal assistants have to be fairly tech-savvy, the benefits are there for all to see – platforms such as Linkedin Virtual assistant groups allow VAs to help each other with any queries, find potential new clients and simply network with other like-minded individuals in order to improve the services they provide.
Live Streaming
The improvement in the quality of 3D cameras and HD technology has impacted the gaming industry in a big way and online casino has certainly felt the benefit more than most. With the rise in popularity of live casino games from sites such as Betway, casino dealers are no longer required to be in a fixed location and can instead act as a virtual guide and confident while users play roulette or blackjack. It’s also worth pointing out that, thanks to the rise in the popularity of internet gaming on the console and PC, live streaming has turned into a lucrative full-time career. The rise in popularity of platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Live has meant that, as long as you have a decent internet connection and the right streaming equipment, you can share your gaming experience worldwide and let others see just how proficient you are at video games (or how much you suck).
The relationship between live streaming and remote working has meant that those who previously needed to be physically present in order to do their job can now essentially work full-time from home. Before high-quality 3D cameras and faster internet speeds, the temperamental nature of Skype and other similar platforms made this impossible but teachers, music tutors and those with similar roles can now live stream with their pupils without compromising the quality of their lessons.
Cloud Computing
The term “cloud” has had a fairly interesting journey in recent years. Before the year 2000, the word was almost exclusively used by weather reporters and climate enthusiasts but, nowadays, it has become a staple in the vocabulary of anyone who’s ever taken a picture on their mobile device. Cloud computing is essentially technology which allows a business to store its data and services off-site in a secure location, which can, consequently, be accessed through the internet.
Rather than eliminating jobs within the IT field, cloud computing has simply served to migrate them and has provided added flexibility to those with careers within the industry. The emergence of cloud networks has also created new jobs within the sector. As is the case with everything technology related, these networks must be maintained to an extremely high standard as not to compromise security and risk the loss of potentially sensitive data. While Apple are undoubtedly the kings of the cloud when it comes to the storage of photos and other documents, other major players are slowly getting on board, and companies such as Netflix have been using the technology for around a decade or so.
Remote Working Is a Win-Win Situation and This Is Just The Beginning
The good news is that remote working is likely to have a positive impact on the economy. As opposed to making jobs obsolete, remote working helps to create new roles while simply emigrating those who are competent enough to use the technology required to make this happen. In addition to this, companies cut down on costs when it comes to office space and storage, which will see an increase in profitability overall.
At the rate that technology is advancing, it’s difficult to predict where we will be within 10 years when it comes to remote working environments but one thing we do know is that, thanks to the advancement of technology, remote working will continue to change the employment industry for many years to come.
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