The virtualisation of business processes – and office spaces… is it the future? Or a flash in the pan?

There are too many businesses that are not approaching the idea and concept of a virtual office with enough seriousness. It’s just an exercise in reluctancy and illustrates a real inability to see the longer term goals of a company as valuable – even when based outside of physical space.

This has been the case throughout history. New technologies are decried and defamed, instead of embraced. Whether that’s the introduction of the car as opposed to the horse, digital as opposed to analogue photography – or virtual as opposed to physical office space.

You can be an early adopter and choose a virtual office package if your business is so inclined – but for all our praise of the new technology, there are legitimate questions for new and established businesses. One of the biggest ones is – is it really the future, or just a flash in the pan?

Signs of progress…

It’s fair to say that there have been some signs of progress that illustrate the possibility that virtual office spaces will be a real and legitimate business force that can compete with physical spaces.

Signs of progress include the following:

• Virtualised Business Processes – There are plenty of ways that business is virtualised already. You only have to look at the capabilities of things like Google Apps for Business and other ways of doing work entirely within a browser to realise that the possibilities for working online are very achievable.
• Web Connectivity – The advances in web connectivity, particularly when it comes to mobile devices and tablets, have been significant in the past few years. With many different types of device now able to perform relatively advanced tasks – including word processing and spreadsheets – the accessibility of this connectivity has increased significantly.
• Applications – The use of applications and them making a powerful impact on our lives is evident, not just on desktop but increasingly across mobile and tablet devices. You only have to look at your smartphone to realise that. There are some very powerful applications that work across the web, meaning that work can be done in a virtual sense across a multitude of devices.

So the evidence suggests that virtual offices are certainly achievable in terms of capabilities – but what about desirability?

Are virtual offices desirable?

There are a lot of reasons why a virtual office can work, but what are the reasons why it’s really a desirable option? Well, a list of the potential perks and drawbacks might make the answer a bit clearer.

Pros:

• Costs – This is a big one, if you’ve got a physical office space it will be an extremely big drain on costs. Property, buying or renting, is expensive. In the UK business rates apply for owned premises, which can be very expensive indeed – as they are calculated on value, so in areas where property values are high they are a significant additional cost.
• Commutes – Virtual offices are free from the physical infrastructure of a workspace, and also the associated commutes. Commutes are not only expensive, especially in larger cities, they also cause stress for employees and pollution – which elevates the risk of sickness. Avoiding commutes is most definitely a perk of a virtual office.
• Compatibility – By using a virtual office, groups of people can work together in separate locations – and there really is no limit to this. People can work from different places all over the world. With such a huge amount of compatibility, the requirements of individual talent can be met – with the only thing needed being an internet connection.

Cons:

• Isolation – It’s no secret that there are a lot of benefits to being physically present. In a recent post we looked at Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s banning of remote working. The memo which announced that ban proclaimed “Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings”. And it’s a fair point that if you work entirely virtually you’ll miss out on such perks of physical offices.
• Integration – When your work and home life is permanently integrated, it can be hard to separate them and achieve that balance of work and home. If work is inextricably linked to a home, as is usually the case in a fully virtual office, it can be tempting for full-time home based employees to engage in domestic tasks and potentially neglect the full requirements of the job at times. It’s something that it is worth being aware of.
• Inspiration – Without a physical office there are fewer moments of inspiration that result from human interaction, it could be argued that this results in a reduced push that brings down a competitive edge in business. If your company is totally virtual, you might find yourself kept in a box that makes it difficult to see the business landscape around you.

It’s all about a balance, which is why many companies have a physical office space as well as a virtual one – this is a fantastic luxury, but often startups and smaller businesses don’t have that choice. As a result, it’s about weighing the pros and cons and determining what’s right for you.

It’s worth mentioning that digital businesses are the real beneficiaries of remote working, with more physical businesses like manufacturers being a lot less able to utilise it effectively.

What will happen next?

Determining whether a virtual office is right for you is dependent on whether the future is looking good for virtual solutions. Well, the future holds some interesting prospects.

• Increased Realism & Interaction – The most exciting thing about virtual offices is the possibility of virtual interaction that is much closer to real life than simply chatting over a webcam or phone. Technology like the Oculus Rift makes interacting virtually that little step closer to real life. This will translate to things like conferencing and virtual meetings being all but the same as their physical counterparts.
• Greater Processing Capabilities & Network Speeds – Enhanced network speeds, with things like 4G and the upcoming 5G cellular data networks mean that being connected in even the most remote locations is entirely possible – and it’s a process that’s gradually going to increase in capability over time. As a result, you can expect all manner of virtual office capabilities like 4K live streaming over phones and much more.
• Officeless – There are some people who believe that the technology will be so advanced and capable that there may one day be very few or no offices at all. One of the solutions to this is shared space, which is used by many businesses. Utilising space when you need it, for example with renting a meeting room, is much more efficient.

The future is obviously hard to predict, and when it comes to such specific things like virtual offices it’s even harder. But there are a lot of different things you can see that show there is great potential. Even if there is not a lot of certainty, it’s easy to see the trend towards virtualisation is gaining momentum.

Going Virtual Is The Future, But Your Physical Space Is Still There.

It’s not like you would never have a need for an office space in the physical sense. What virtual office solutions provide are not entirely virtual, but rather – mostly virtual. This reduction in the use of physical office space is the real crux of the issue. Using physical spaces only when you need them is much more efficient. So, choose a virtual office package and get started for a leaner more efficient business that’s ready to make the most of whatever the future might bring.

Thanks for reading. If you would like to share your thoughts please do comment. We like to share ideas and discussions so if you think we’ve missed anything let us know. Check out the rest of our blog for more, especially the ‘Virtual Office’ section.

By Alex Novakovic at Made Simple – Follow Alex on Google+