Professional Documents
Culture Documents
k r o w e Tel
Learn:
To discover flexibility in where and when you do your job How teleworking benefits employees How to save commuting time and money How to maximize productivity for you and your organization
Pat Hurley
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Telework
FOR
DUMmIES
by Pat Hurley
These materials are the copyright of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and any dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
These materials are the copyright of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and any dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
About This Book ........................................................................ 1 How This Book Is Organized .................................................... 2 Chapter 1: Understanding What Telework Is (And Isnt) ..................................................................... 2 Chapter 2: Realizing the Benefits of Telework ............. 2 Chapter 3: Taking Stock of Telework Technology ....... 3 Chapter 4: Making the VPN and Virtualization Desktop Decision ......................................................... 3 Chapter 5: Why Turn to Dell for your Telework Solutions? .................................................... 3 Case Study A: Adobes Approach: Telework and Continuity of Operations .................................... 4 Case Study B: F5s Approach: Secure, Accelerated Application Access for Remote Users ...................... 4 Case Study C: LifeSizes Approach: Bringing High-Def Video to Telework ........................................ 4 Icons Used in This Book ............................................................ 5
Flexibility .......................................................... 15 Reduced commute time ................................. 15 Financial and environmental ......................... 15
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VPN pieces and parts ..................................... 28 Handling the Data at Rest ........................... 29
Moving to desktop virtualization................................. 31 Determining If You Should Do It Yourself ............................. 33
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Table of Contents
Case Study B: F5s Approach: Secure, Accelerated Application Access for Remote Users . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Delivering the Data Securely .................................................. 54 Application Delivery Made Easy ............................................ 55 Availability ...................................................................... 55 Security ........................................................................... 55 Value of Access ........................................................................ 57 Using resources efficiently ........................................... 57 Optimization ................................................................... 58 How BIG-IP Makes It Happen .................................................. 59
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Publishers Acknowledgments
Were proud of this book and of the people who worked on it. For details on how to create a custom For Dummies book for your business or organization, contact info@ dummies.biz. For details on licensing the For Dummies brand for products or services, contact BrandedRights&Licenses@Wiley.com. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Carrie A. Burchfield Editorial Manager: Rev Mengle Business Development Representative: Kimberley Schumacker Custom Publishing Project Specialist: Michael Sullivan Composition Services Sr. Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Lavonne Roberts Proofreaders: Lindsay Amones, John Greenough
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Introduction
or a variety of reasons, ranging from employee quality of life, environmental, economic and even legal, organizations of all sizes and types are beginning to seriously explore offering telework options to their employees. Telework is simply the act of giving employees flexibility in terms of where and often when they perform their work duties. More and more workers spend their day in front of a computer and a phone and the advent of ubiquitous broadband networking, portable computing devices, and new networkcentric applications means that it doesnt really matter where someone is when shes doing her job. That doesnt mean, however, that you can just send someone home with a laptop and turn them into a teleworker. Numerous accessibility, security, and policy considerations exist that need evaluating before beginning a telework initiative. Those considerations and choices are what Telework For Dummies is all about.
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Introduction
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Case Study B: F5s Approach: Secure, Accelerated Application Access for Remote Users
Telework is a fundamentally different way of approaching and providing network services it moves people off the Local Access Network (LAN) and onto public networks, far away from IT staff and outside of the security of the network firewall. This study talks about two big issues that IT must deal with during this transition: security and performance. Solutions are available from F5 Networks and you see how they can provide security, control, scalability, and the application acceleration needed to support your teleworkers.
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Introduction
workers enjoy when theyre together in an office. This case study talks about how high-definition (HD) video conferencing and collaboration can make colleagues a continent apart feel like theyre in the same room. You look at the need for video collaboration and get introduced to LifeSize, an innovator and leading vendor of HD video products. You discover the keys to successfully implementing HD video and read a case study demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) of HD video collaboration.
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Chapter 1
elework is a big deal these days, for many reasons employee satisfaction, environmental concerns, financial benefits, and even legal requirements but before I can talk about telework, it makes sense to figure out exactly what the term telework means. Unsurprisingly, telework is a rather broad term that can and does mean different things to different people. And thats okay because every organization has different working environments, different technical and security needs, and a different culture, and each of these factors shape the kind of teleworking policies and programs that organizations will implement.
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An organization-wide IT initiative
Enabling an official telework option (as opposed to the casual telework thats probably already happening within your organization) is an organization-wide effort for your IT department and many other departments, such as human resources, finance, accounting, security, compliance, and more. A successful telework initiative requires your organization to look deeply into the following: Your IT and networking infrastructure and policies Your security policies The actual hardware and software you use for worker productivity Your HR and management policies that define how you measure worker productivity, performance, and behavior
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Dont be scared by the word consequences. On the contrary, most organizations that implement teleworking find that the benefits outweigh the costs. But a clear and intelligent consideration of all the aspects of telework makes for a faster and easier transition.
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Mobile access
In present day, were pretty well along the road of the mobile revolution. According to recent statistics, about 65 million Americans own a smartphone defined as an advanced mobile phone with PC-like capabilities for web browsing, e-mail, multimedia,
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and other applications. Most regular feature phones have at least rudimentary e-mail capabilities, and tens of millions of people own Android or iOS tablet devices. Whether those devices are employee-owned or provided by the organization, employees are going to want make that demand to use them for work-related purposes. They may want to access e-mail on-the-go, at any time, or they may want to use apps on their devices to actually do work with documents or cloud-based services, such as SalesForce. This isnt telework, but supporting users desires and demands to do these things are something your telework initiatives should take into account.
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Chapter 2
eginning a telework initiative can be a scary thing for many organizations as they try to come to grips with the perceived loss of control and immediate supervision of employees who will no longer be physically present for managers to reach out and touch. The right mixture of policies and technology can go a very long way toward addressing those concerns. More importantly, the benefits of telework can far outweigh any perceived downsides. In fact, telework can provide a host of benefits to your employees, community, the environment, and your budget.
For many organizations, telework is the law: The Federal government put into law the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 in December 2010. Under this law, executive agencies are required to Establish telework policies Designate a Telework Managing Officer to oversee telework in each agency or department Determine employee eligibility for telework
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Flexibility
The most obvious benefit of telework is that it offers employees increased flexibility in terms of how, when, and where they work. Your office policies define exactly how flexible an employees work schedule and environment are, but generally teleworkers enjoy the ability to be more in control of their days and their schedules. So the life/work balance that eludes so many workers is easier to maintain.
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Family time
Teleworkers simply have more time with their families, because they spend more time at home and less in the workplace and on the commute. People who can take advantage of teleworking tend to simply be able to spend more time with their families because theyre at home more than in the office. They can Be home when the kids leave for or get home from school Be able to have lunch with a spouse, partner, or child Spend dinnertime with their family Schedule home service calls during their teleworking hours Theres a very delicate balance required for telework programs for parents, particularly for parents of pre-school aged children who require more or less constant supervision during the day. Some organizations (for example, Federal government telework regulations) have some pretty specific guidelines about how this scenario plays out, as it can be impossible for a parent to do a full days work and care for younger children. Such situations should be well-thought-out and spelled out in the organizational telework policies and also thoroughly discussed and monitored with employees. For example, a reduced time (a 50 percent full-time equivalent) working plan may work best in such situations, or the organization can provide flexibility in which hours are worked as long as the employee accomplishes agreed-on goals. Beyond childcare, the flexibility of telework also lends itself to other dependent caregivers no matter whom the dependent may be (for example, an elderly parent or a disabled spouse).
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Disabled workers
Workers with disabilities of all sorts may benefit greatly from telework arrangements. Of course, many disabled workers are fully capable of working in an office environment and may wish to do so; however adding in the ability to telework can offer far greater opportunities to those who arent able to or dont wish to deal with long commutes and other hardships that may be imposed by performing their work within the traditional brick and mortar workspace. Organizations trying to increase the size of their disabled workforce whether for regulatory or altruistic reasons may find telework to be an excellent way of recruiting and retaining such employees.
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Both employer and employee would still see an overall cost reduction. As employee home (or other teleworking location) energy consumption and possibly cost increased, the costs associated with commuting would decrease. In the longer term, however, the benefits are even clearer as employers can grow their organizations without increasing the real estate, physical building size, and office equipment requirements that may be otherwise required by a full-time, on-site staff. Smaller offices mean less energy usage within the office as well as reduced environmental impacts for building, manufacturing, and installing office buildings and their associated equipment. Additionally, teleworkers may be well suited for more efficient and economical workplace arrangements, such as office hotel stations. In this arrangement, a smaller number of workstations are shared amongst employees (typically on a reservation basis) based on an average peak occupancy rather than total number of employees. Telework also, of course, provides some slightly less tangible and measurable but still very real environmental benefits, as folks who stay at home to work simply put less stress on the public infrastructure of roads and railways and require fewer police, firefighters, tow trucks, and repair crews to be out driving around during commute times. The environmental benefits of telework programs can benefit companies directly when they win recognition and publicity from various green company awards. Companies may even be eligible for grants and tax reductions when they implement telework.
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On the Opex side, organizations can decrease energy costs, administrative support costs (fewer people in the office to support), and even things like janitorial services and catering can be decreased. On the Capex side, organizations can decrease the cost of real estate and buildings, rent, office furnishings, office equipment, and more.
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Chapter 3
elework, discussed in more detail in Chapter 1, isnt just a flip the switch and send the workers home with a laptop effort. At least its not if youre doing it right. Instead you have to make a rather concerted effort throughout the organization particularly but not solely within the IT department to ensure that your telework effort maintains the communications, productivity, and security that employees enjoy while theyre working within your physical workplace. Luckily, creating a productive telework environment isnt nearly as hard as it used to be, because teleworkers can take advantage of the past few decades worth of work in building the Internet, broadband telecommunications networks, portable computing devices, and software. Without too much expense or too much disruption, an organization can easily offer employees all of the applications, data, and communications they get in the office no matter where their desks are. In this chapter, you take a look at some of the basic requirements for telework, and then look at the major networking and computing mechanisms used to meet those requirements. You also see how you can build your own telework infrastructure or let a specialist firm take care of that for you.
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Federal guidelines (under the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010) deny eligibility to workers who have poor attendance records, poor job performance, or whove been caught using government computers for inappropriate non-work related tasks. Determining funding available for a telework initiative and perform a cost/benefit analysis of this investment based on expected operational and capital expense savings Determining what equipment is provided to teleworkers and if or how teleworkers own equipment (such as PCs or smartphones) may be used as part of the telework program Determining minimum network requirements for the teleworkers (for example, broadband type and speed, additional phone lines, mobile voice or broadband services) and how those are paid (employee-paid versus reimbursement) Developing of job performance metrics and measurement practices to ensure that the performance of teleworkers is both adequately measured and continues to meet or exceed the job performance of in-office workers Development of security policies Development of a telework agreement that lays out the details of what is and isnt expected of teleworkers This agreement may contain the following guidelines: Agreements about working hours Agreements about how many or which days a teleworker may work remotely (frequency of telework) Discussions of job performance metrics required for a worker to remain a teleworker Explicit discussions of the administrative elements of telework, such as who pays for office supplies, safety of the home work environment, how legitimate expenses are reimbursed, and what kind (if any) of extra liability insurance may be required of the teleworker
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Encrypt the data at rest on the teleworkers devices. Similarly use encryption to scramble the communications between the teleworker and your internal network/ file servers by using a Virtual Private Network (or VPN), and use authentication to ensure that only authorized users are allowed in the door of your internal network. Encryption refers to the cryptographic scrambling of data (whether it is stored on a hard drive or transiting across a network) using an algorithm and key. Much like the old days when cable TV systems had those premium channels with fuzzed out pictures unless you had a special cable box, encrypted data is broken apart into unreadable jumbles of data unless you have the key to unlock and reassemble the data. The algorithms behind most encryption systems make it nearly impossible to decrypt (or unscramble) the data without the key even using supercomputers most good encryption algorithms would require thousands of years (or longer) to guess the right key. Authentication refers to the process of confirming the identity of a user typically using even more encrypted data keys that are known only to authorized users and which cant be unscrambled in a reasonable amount of time. An authentication system will only provide access to users who have the correct encryption keys. Authentication can be provided in a number of ways by a password, a security token, a smart card, or even biometrically via a fingerprint or retinal scan. Many organizations require dual-factor authentication, or more simply ask employees to use two of these options. You can keep the data entirely within your network. In fact, the users hard drive, applications, and even operating system are all stored securely on a file server within your secure network and facilities. Users access their desktop, applications, and/or data via an encrypted connection from their remote office, so it appears and feels like theyre working on the desktop of their computer, but in fact they are actually just remotely accessing the server. This process is called desktop virtualization.
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The VPN Client: This element can be a hardware device or (more commonly these days) networking software on a device that initiates and controls the VPN connection. The VPN client in telework resides within the teleworkers premises or on his PC or device. The VPN Server: This element is a hardware device or software on a server that accepts VPN connections from remote clients. The client and server work together to encrypt and decrypt (unscramble) data and also to authenticate users. The tunnel: This piece is the virtual private network connection over a public network like the Internet; as the term implies its like a tunnel through the Internet from one point to another. The process of transmitting data over the public network in this fashion is called encapsulation. VPNs use different tunneling or encapsulation protocols, such as Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) or Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). The VPN Connection itself is the portion of the network connection between the client and server on which all data is carried across the network. A VPN connection is designed to provide a secure and reliable connection between a private network within your organizations premises and a remote location (like a teleworkers home). All data thats sent across this VPN connection be it files transferred to and from a file server, e-mail, access to shared applications . . . whatever is secure from eavesdropping by third parties along the way, even though its transported across unsecured public networks. To the user, a VPN connection makes his computer appear and feel as if its in the office connected to the office network; so, depending on how the VPN and the internal network are configured, a remote user can access the same servers and services on your internal network at home that he would while in the office.
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A virtualized environment is centrally maintained and managed, backed up as part of the overall organizational data backup policy and system and much more robust than a hard drive on a users laptop somewhere miles and miles from an IT professional. This central maintenance is one of the key features of a desktop virtualization solution for telework, because it means that 1) Changes to the image or application upgrades can be done in minutes instead of waiting for systems to come into the office, 2) Because basic maintenance tasks are faster and dont require system hands-on time, IT can spend more time on strategic projects, and 3) When users have a computer hardware issue, theres no downtime. They can simply log into another system for their work, while their system is being repaired. Setting up a new user in a virtualized environment is much quicker and easier than setting up the same user with a traditional notebook or other computer. Some solutions may use a combination of VPN and desktop virtualization. This is a decision made by an organization. A VPN can be an extra layer of security in addition to desktop virtualization. There can be one, the other, or both depending on the clients security policies.
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Chapter 4
hapter 3 introduced the two main technologies for supporting secure teleworkers connectivity. Secure connectivity is essential for a successful telework initiative, even if your organization isnt one that deals with classified information, legally protected data (like health records covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Privacy Act, HIPPA), or other sensitive information such as customer account or financial data. But if your organization does deal with that kind of data, secure connectivity for teleworkers is mandatory and probably required by law! In this chapter, you discover these two approaches to secure connectivity and read scenarios where each may best fit your telework needs.
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those storage media (discussed in Chapter 3). In some cases, desktop virtualization solutions can be deployed to ensure data doesnt remain on the hard drive. A desktop virtualization solution can also provide secure communication, so VPN isnt in the only option for this attribute.
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Storage
Desktop virtualization can store all your data (and even applications) in a centralized location: Its simply a lot easier to ensure the security of your data and to enforce policies about its security (your own policies or those required by law or industry best practices) when its within your own four walls and inside your network firewall. Desktop virtualization can enable this kind of control over data by keeping it all stored right in your own data center rather than on dozens or hundreds (or thousands) of laptop storage devices spread throughout the world. In a virtualized environment, teleworkers can simply see and work with data on their screens without ever storing it locally even though it feels like theyre working with desktop apps and local storage, theyre not!
Device flexibility
Desktop virtualization lets you do more with less, hardware wise. Because all the CPU cycles required to actually run software (along with all of the memory and storage required) are located in a powerful, centralized server, your teleworking users dont need to always have the latest and greatest, fastest laptops with the biggest hard drives and the most memory. As long as a device can access the network and run whatever desktop virtualization client your solution requires, a user can work on it as if they were working on a physical desktop computer directly connected to your network. So devices that you provide to your teleworkers can have a longer effective lifespan, even when newer software may require an upgrade to a device running a particular application locally. Desktop virtualization is also a great way to deal with the consumerization that many IT departments struggle with the situation where employees may have personal computing devices that they prefer to use. If your policy allows and the device is supported by your desktop virtualization system, you can go ahead and let teleworkers use whatever device they want without having to deal with massive support headaches. And as long as you keep your data off that device, you dont have to worry about security when the device is lost or stolen or the
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employee moves on. You just disable her account and shell not be able to access any organization data and applications from that device any more.
Systems management
With a virtualized telework solution theres a lot less software to manage on remote systems (that are usually physically out of reach to your IT staff, at least without prior planning) and a lot more to manage within your own datacenter. Which is, of course, exactly where your IT staff prefers to manage things (its always easier to manage something you can put your hands on rather than something thats sitting on someone elses desk miles away). And desktop virtualization means that there are simply fewer things to manage, because policies and easy-to-use consoles facilitate the creation and management of virtual desktops for your users.
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Chapter 5
ou may already rely on Dell for personal computers and servers, mobile devices, networking equipment, and professional services. But thats not all that Dell can bring to the table they have a full line of solutions for telework that can provide everything from notebook computers and security software to run on them to a fully outsourced and managed hosted virtualization service. Dell offers an expert assessment service that looks into your specific telework needs and provides you with recommendations and expertise needed to begin implementing a robust and successful telework solution.
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Laptops
The centerpiece of the teleworker device lineup offered by Dell (and its a wide line-up!) is the Latitude 6x20 series (specifically the E6520, E6420, E6320, and E6220). The E6420 base is twice as strong as the E6410, which provides more durability and rigidity to protect your data and work from everyday, on-the-go abuse.
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The most highly recommended 6x20 series laptop for teleworkers is the Latitude E6320, a 13.3" notebook. This computer offers an optional mobile broadband network card that allows it to connect to most cellular networks in the U.S. and worldwide. Your teleworkers can be productive no matter where they are.
Software
Even the best telework infrastructure cant keep your data secure if it isnt being secured on the devices that hold it it would be a shame to develop a highly-secure telework connectivity network only to have the data breached or compromised on the hard drive of a lost or stolen laptop. Data breaches from stolen laptops happen all the time. If you have a moment, do a Google search on data breach stolen laptop and youll see just how frequently this occurs. Organizations as different as the U.S. Army, a major hospital, research universities, and even (ironically) the network security firm VeriSign have suffered costly and embarrassing data losses this way. Luckily, Dell has you covered on this front, with their Data Protection services, Data Protection|Encryption, and Data Protection|Access. Data Protection|Encryption provides protection and security for data at rest. This solution offers central management of data encryption organization-wide, allowing your IT staff to set and enforce policies, automatically detect new hardware that needs to be protected (like a new external drive connected to a protected computer) and to easily roll out encryption to new computers as they come online. It helps keep your data safe, period. In case your chief security honcho (CSH to coin a new C-level acronym) asks, Dell Data Protection | Encryption
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This hardware and software is packaged together into the Dell Integrated Solution Stack (ISS), which offers you a soup-to-nuts virtualized telework solution that you can deploy in a fraction of the time it would take to create your own from scratch. The stack is shown in Figure 5-1.You can choose from Customer Managed Solution: In this scenario, you own the hardware and software and Dell handles the installation and implementation. The difference comes in when Dell finishes the implementation: The keys are handed over to you; your own IT staff manages the solution and handles customer (teleworker) support internally. If you have a robust and capable IT staff or if you have data that you need to keep in-house, this may be the solution for you. Managed Service Solution: In this case, you purchase the hardware and software licenses required to create your telework infrastructure. Dell installs and technically implements your telework selection and then provides continuous and ongoing support for it. In this case, the data stays inside your network, in your own data center, but Dell personnel keeps it up and running for you and supports your users. Dell also offers a variant of this solution where you still own the servers and hardware, but Dell hosts them for you in its own data center and manages them for you. This solution lets you own the hardware that stores your data and applications so theres no server or storage infrastructure shared with other customers without having to build out your own data center if you dont want to or cant. Virtual Desktop as a Service (VDaaS): This is the option where you go on full auto and let Dell do all the work. Dell hosts and manages your virtual desktops within their cloud and takes care of managing and protecting your data. You receive service level agreement (SLA) assurances about things such as uptime, performance, and data availability, so Dell puts its money where its mouth is on this one. Custom Solutions: If you need to integrate your telework solution with specific legacy systems that may not work with one of Dells recommended system architectures, no problem! Dells Custom Solution option allows Dells consultants to build you a (you guessed it!) custom solution
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You Manage
Purchase Dell hardware components that t your architecture, such as servers, storage, networking Utilize Dell reference architectures
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Case Study A
hen the commander of a Navy recruiting district in Pennsylvania got a promotion that involved relocating to Washington, D.C., he decided his family had moved enough roughly every two years. So he went to D.C. alone. But in 2008 when an opportunity arose to join a telework pilot project called Virtual Command, the 36-year Navy veteran quickly jumped on it. With a virtual private network (VPN) connection to the Navys secure network, a Navyissued laptop, and a cell phone, he now works from his home office in Pittsburgh and continues to oversee 15 people. This example, in which (among other things) the Navy saves relocation costs, illustrates why telework in federal, state, and local government agencies is growing steadily. Driven by fiscal, environmental, lifestyle, and Continuity of Operations (COOP) considerations, telework may also help revitalize government workforces by attracting and retaining a new generation of workers lured by a flexible work arrangement.
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stress of commuting. Sun Microsystems, which has had a telework program for 14 years, has found that teleworkers work for about 60 percent of the time they save by not commuting so the company actually gets more work from teleworkers. In Arizona, state teleworkers drive 5.25 million fewer miles and endure 181,000 fewer hours of stressful driving every year. Reducing the need for office space: When employees work from home, agencies need less office space for them, saving public money. In 20062007, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hired 1,200 examiners, enough to fill a ten-story office building. Luckily, USPTO established a telework program of the 54 percent of USPTOs employees eligible for telework nearly 83 percent chose to do so, many full-time. This telework program, combined with hot desking (the practice of sharing work stations on an as-available or reservation basis like submarine crews used to share berths when they were on different watch schedules) for the times that examiners must come into the office, enabled USPTO to add all of these employees without signing a single new lease. Improving the workforce: Telework addresses several critical workforce needs for government. The flexibility of telework may help recruit the best and brightest young workers, who may otherwise turn to the private sector. Studies have found that telework is increasingly important to Gen Y workers, while at the other end of the age spectrum, telework can be used to entice retirementage workers to stay on, at least part-time, so an agency can tap their experience. The workers attracted by telework may be more productive. A 2008 study at the National Science Foundation found that 87 percent of managers reported that teleworkers productivity increased or remained the same as those who stayed in their offices. Similarly, analysis of more than 100 Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) teleworkers found a 27 percent increase in productivity over their time in the office. Work-life balance: A soft but very real benefit of telework is how it affects government employees lives. Skipping a stressful commute clearly helps workers and their families balance work with the rest of their lives. On the job, this reduced stress may lead to greater creativity. And
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Issues in Telework
The security of government data is the most serious telework issue agencies must address. Sensitive information can be inadvertently sent to an unauthorized person, stolen (when a laptop is lost or stolen), or maliciously released. At remote sites, teleworkers create, edit, and manage electronic documents that must be handled and transported securely. A robust security infrastructure that addresses security at the document level is critical, and it must be persistent, dynamic, and transparent. Telework also requires changes to an agencys work culture. The top concern for agencies is how supervisors manage teleworkers. Training managers and teleworkers in goal-oriented (rather than presence-oriented) approaches so they can properly cultivate and measure independent work is a key step. Agencies also must decide which jobs and which employees are best suited for telework. Especially in the early stages of a telework program, careful selection can enhance success. Teleworkers must also learn to collaborate remotely with coworkers and deal with the potential isolation of telework.
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users the foundation to protect documents, create captivating presentations, and hold web meetings. Because Reader is installed on 94 percent of PCs shipped worldwide and Flash Player on 99 percent, teleworkers can reach across boundaries to work more securely using software already installed on their PCs, a huge advantage over IT competitors. Home office to data center, mobile worker to government customer, online to offline these lines disappear with Adobe technologies. Adobe web conferencing technology, Adobe Connect, keeps teleworkers in touch with coworkers and constituents. Unlike other web conferencing tools, it doesnt require any additional downloads or plug-ins because its built on the Flash technology already on over 98 percent of PCs worldwide. Adobe Connect software can be used for remote collaboration, which is critical for daily office operations, as well as for eLearning or remote training. Compliance and control are key differentiators. Administrators can turn specific features on or off across an entire corporate account, such as the ability to share screens or applications. Settings also allow administrators to save or delete all chat transcripts, record all meetings or block recordings, and create notices and disclaimers on the login page that users must accept before meetings. In addition, bandwidth-friendly Adobe Connect offers persistent spaces that remain unchanged between meetings, video, VoIP, whiteboarding, and breakout rooms. Adobe Acrobat Pro software allows workers to compose documents with multiple content types text, spreadsheets, photos, 3D drawings, and more and circulate them for shared reviews. Commenting tools support this asynchronous collaboration, and Acrobat Pro also supports redaction, an important feature in government. Access rights to control who sees the document are easily assigned and managed. Thanks to the Adobe family of LiveCycle Enterprise Suite software, teleworkers can participate in paperless work processes on an anytime, anywhere basis. Teleworkers, like their inoffice colleagues, get the benefits of data capture and dynamic forms while online or offline from Adobe LiveCycle Forms ES software. Unlike paper-based processes, automated processes dont break when a workforce disperses.
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Case Study B
teleworkers
Using scalability to meet future IT demands Making it happen with BIG-IP
n an environment where teleworkers as well as a mobile workforce, partners, and contractors require access to an organizations IT infrastructure, old IT models no longer work. This is especially true as more and more application traffic moves across the web. IT managers need to find ways of controlling and securing access to their data and applications while simultaneously providing remote users with the performance and on the network feel that theyd expect if they were in a physical office on the LAN. Its a challenge, to be sure. In this Chapter, you find out how F5 Networks BIG-IP product line can help meet these goals.
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Availability
How can you make sure applications are always available? In the past, you could address this challenge with a simple load balancer. Spread the traffic among several servers and youre done. But as applications get more complex, your method for load balancing has to keep up. You cant just spread traffic around; the load balancer needs to understand the application to distribute the traffic appropriately. BIG-IP LTM ensures the best resources are always selected, has deep visibility into application health, and proactively inspects and responds to errors. While BIG-IP LTM manages the local resources in each data center, F5 BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager (GTM) can automatically direct users to the closest or best-performing data center. When you couple the features of BIG-IP LTM with those of BIG-IP GTM, you can realize the full potential of multiple data centers and provide seamless disaster recovery and routing based on quality of service or business criteria.
Security
So, how do you secure applications? After your applications are available to users, you still need to make sure only authenticated users gain access and that they only access the resources they are authorized to see. Management of AAA in a web application deployment can be costly in an enterprise infrastructure.
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BIG-IP APM for web access management offers enterprises cost-effective, policy- based user access control, unified application access control, application security for complying with regulations (for example, PCI, HIPAA), secure connections with SSL, and integration with existing enterprise infrastructure and applications.
Value of Access
The mobile workforce is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. The IDC predicts that the mobile worker population will increase to 1.2 billion in 2013, accounting for 33 percent of the worldwide workforce. Paramount to business operations is the ability for mobile workers to access corporate resources in a secure manner. However, abundant challenges exist. You can incur a significant cost in scaling out a secure remote access solution because the performance of current SSL VPN solutions can suffer when the load gets too heavy. AAA management becomes even more critical not only to ensure that valid users are requesting access but also to make sure theyre only gaining access to the resources they are authorized to view. Additionally, global teleworkers will be using a wide range of clients connected to various types of networks. The new model for remote access requires access security, acceleration services, and application availability.
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Optimization
Optimized delivery is one of the biggest challenges in providing an optimal user experience. Remote workers want an experience that feels like being on the corporate LAN even if theyre connected to a high-latency network. If an IT department wanted to deploy some sort of application acceleration, they need to procure new specialized controllers and add them to the mix of equipment already being maintained by IT. This additional equipment adds both CapEx and OpEx to already tight IT budgets. How can you ensure delivery is optimized for the best user experience? BIG-IP Edge Gateway comes equipped with application acceleration services to deliver LAN-like performance to any user around the globe. With these F5 solutions, web application deployment becomes a whole lot easier, safer, and more resilient whether from a traditional data center or cloud environment.
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Case Study C
rganizations of all sorts find that to operate with maximum efficiency in a distributed economy, they must be able to seamlessly connect their geographically dispersed workforce (teleworkers), customers, and partners. An important way to ensure the success of a telework initiative is to enable true human interaction and collaboration. However, that collaboration shouldnt cost the company millions in travel costs or the environment in long-term damage from carbon emissions. Most organizations know that video conferencing solutions are available to help address their need for face-to-face collaboration. What these organizations dont know, however, is the viability of video collaboration solutions, if their return on investment makes sense or if, in fact, teleworkers can get by with the standard business communications tools of e-mail, IM, and audio calls. This chapter discusses a few key drivers and highlights how various industries and people around the globe are gaining
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hall for an impromptu meeting. Additionally, organizations are adding workers globally through outsourcing or global expansion. The result is a workforce thats widely dispersed and hardly ever in the same place together. Expensive, inconvenient travel: Anyone who travels knows that flight delays, tight seating, and increased security requirements have made the experience difficult and taxing, and theres no relief in sight. While travel is sometimes a required means of human interaction, people are considering alternatives whenever possible. Video communications is an ideal alternative, and travel savings alone can easily translate into a solid return on investment for any organization considering it. Competition: Competition is fundamental across every business sector, whether youre an enterprise organization or a full-scale federal organization. The ability to reduce risk from a poor decision or lack of communication is improved with regular face-to-face interactions, which can effectively be achieved through video communications. Agile, innovative organizations are using video to connect subject matter experts from anywhere in the world to meet on a moments notice. Environmental: The way we live today and travel to meet face-to-face isnt sustainable, so many organizations are considering the impact of their carbon emissions on the environment. Video communications provides an alternative to airline and automobile travel and can be part of an environmental carbon offset or reduction initiative. Work-life balance: Travel, jet lag, missing a childs recital or sporting event, continual catch-up from week to week travel these are often issues facing frequent travelers and commuters. Without compromising on productivity and communication, theres a benefit to increasing time at home and improving worker morale. Innovation and connections: Education and healthcare organizations have long been creative users of video communications to extend access to subject matter experts. The ability to connect educators, students, researchers, and the private sector in an interactive face-to-face encounter opens a wide range of possibilities. These applications demand the utmost quality and technology transparency to get the most out of the experience, for example: telemedicine consultations,
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Who Is LifeSize?
Since its inception, LifeSize has simplified, streamlined, and improved the face of video conferencing, building a better, clearer solution for organizations across the globe. As a pioneer and leader in HD video communications, LifeSize enables businesses to bring products to market faster, allows teams to collaborate without boundaries, and breaks down competitive barriers in the global marketplace. Since delivering the worlds first HD video conferencing product in 2005, LifeSize has continued to drive universal video collaboration with groundbreaking products that have changed the way people and organizations work together. LifeSize delivers a full solution set of HD video conferencing endpoints as well as its own suite of network infrastructure and management solutions. Video conferencing is a culture-changing capability. To be truly universal in scope, video collaboration must be as seamless and effective as communicating in person. Thats why LifeSize solutions are designed to be reliable and simple to use, as well as innovative and technically superior. Year after year, LifeSize delivers best-in-class HD video and audio that is not only immersive but also incredibly intuitive, enabling the rapid adoption that is necessary for building collaborative environments, regardless if youre utilizing a stationary HD video system in a board room or connecting via an all-in-one-HD-video solution from your home office. There are a number of key factors in the successful deployment and implementation of a HD video collaboration system including the following: Adoption: HD video conferencing is a fundamentally different experience than legacy video conferencing, so it helps to have an executive sponsor who can act as a champion for the technology within your organization. Build the network initially to support the sponsor and her direct reports, and then extend it from there.
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Accessibility: Investment in HD video conferencing equipment and services needs to balance cost with convenient access to the network of HD video endpoints. Too few endpoints and you run the risk of frustrating users by establishing have and have not classes of employees, overtaxing a limited resource, and limiting the transformation of work collaboration styles to only a subset of the mobile workforce. LifeSize works with businesses of all sizes and offers the highest-quality HD video communication available at the lowest total cost of ownership. With the best price/ performance on the market, LifeSize reaches regional offices, branch locations, international partners, and even remote or mobile workers around the world. Concentrating HD video conferencing resources into a few locations makes it all too easy for employees to avoid the service claiming too little convenience. Greater accessibility leads to greater usage and both deeper and more frequent collaboration. Quality: Users expectations for high-quality visual experiences have changed dramatically in the past few years because the home entertainment experience has changed. Falling short of users quality expectations in todays business environment has severe operational consequences users just wont use the service. All but the most demanding HD video offers work with access network connections of as little as 1 Mbps. All three of these factors are key to success and should be recognized and planned for in order to maximize the impact of the service and collaboration across the organization.
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