This week my company, Citrix Online, launched HDFaces, which is high-definition group video conferencing, integrated simply with GoToMeeting. We've done everything possible to bring a telepresence-like experience to everyone. But it's not all about the technology, I could talk all day about HDFaces, that's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to discuss inhibitors to video usage and how we move past these to change the way we work for the better. How can you leverage video to be more effective? What behavioral changes are needed when shifting to video?

First, you have to pay attention again. I know, it sounds awful right? You mean I can't multitask on conferencing calls? I would argue that this is actually a positive thing. The problem with conference calls is that people invite everyone they can with the assumption that people can tune out if it's not relevant. With video, we're forced to think about who we invite to our meetings. This should be a positive for any organization. Less time spent in irrelevant meetings.

Secondly, commitments seem less meaningful at a distance. Any good salesperson knows that a handshake in person is worth 10 times as many commitments via email. Humans are social beings and make decisions based on trust. Video enables us to build trust from a distance. Whether a coaching conversation with a boss, a client meeting or a project team meeting, people make more honest commitments when they can see each other.

I've always talked about how online meetings reduce travel. It's still the #1 reason anyone chooses an online meeting solution. But video conferencing calls ALL travel into question. Over the past year, I've cancelled travel for board meetings, client visits and conferences and replaced them with video conferencing.

Historically, technology has also inhibited the adoption of video conferencing. Telepresence has been reserved for the few within enterprises, while consumer solutions like Skype leave much to be desired in terms of quality, usability and group collaboration features.

Expectations are high for video conferencing in the coming year. I can tell you personally that the use of video has changed the way I work. I've added personal connections to all business interactions, made stronger commitments and eliminated useless travel. To take a line from our new TV campaign: "Simple, high definition group video conferencing will change the way you work and possibly a whole lot more..."

Photo Credit: Citrix Online

Today we have a guest post from Brian deHaaff who is a Senior Product Line Director at the Online Services division of Citrix Systems, as part of the IT Services product group.

As the workforce becomes increasingly distributed, there is no reason that IT managers should continue to be chained to their desks. IT pros are people, too, and should also be able to benefit from the changing nature of work. Telecommuting and workshifting discussions to date have been oriented around the benefits of workshifting to knowledge workers of working from anywhere at anytime, but IT is not a 9 to 5 job and it's now possible to support remote workers and infrastructure from anywhere.

IT is needed more than ever

While IT continues to be a mysterious art (infrastructure and apps are complex and the movement of data is difficult to visualize), IT is far from dead. However, IT is becoming more difficult to manage. There are more devices and apps than ever before, and there are more remote workers, too. They often have a strong hand when it comes to selecting the technology that they will use to get their jobs done. Many sage industry analysts have called out this trend and described it as the "consumerization of IT." Well, if the employee gets to make consumer choices at work that also suggests that the IT pro has lost control and can no longer decide what devices and apps are used. It's not that IT is dead, it's just changing (as it always has been).

IT is needed more than ever to do what it does best - keep people and the computers they depend on productive. While end-user tech support may increasingly follow self-service and peer-to-peer models, someone will need to set that up and monitor it. And there will always need for a real human to assist when documents and/or peers fail to help. Also, as the enterprise borders expand and become soluble, IT remains the proper watch dog to apply safe policy and security mechanisms to ensure businesses hold on to their proprietary information and continue to meet compliance requirements.

What if IT could work from anywhere?

Now, imagine if IT professionals could work from anywhere. As long as they got the job done, would anyone really care where they worked? Would there be a benefit to the business? The reality is that IT pros already can work from anywhere. Remote support and monitoring tools make it possible for them to enjoy the freedom of working from anywhere while remaining in control. And some IT pros are just starting to take advantage of the benefits.

• Faster support of end users
• Faster resolution of problems
• Greater job satisfaction

In a recent survey, 35% of IT employees said they'd give up 10% of their salary for the chance to work from home full-time, reports IT Manager Daily, drawing on a recent survey by IT job board Dice.com (an IT job site). Some companies are looking for ways to satisfy IT employees without impacting their budgets. Working from home, says IT Manager Daily, is a no-cost benefit to the company and a perk to many employees. It's a win-win for both.

Unfortunately, workshifting is a rare perk for IT professionals, according to Alice Hill, managing director at Dice.com. Less than 1% of the total jobs currently posted on Dice mention telecommuting as an option. Given how difficult it is to find and retain quality IT professionals (the unemployment rate for technology professionals hovers around 4%) and current talent shortages in specific IT areas, employers would also benefit from changing how they think about workshifting.

Workers going mobile

As workshifters have spread across the globe, they have also rapidly adopted mobile computing devices. There are currently about 2 billion Internet connected users and over 100 million smartphones were shipped in 2010. Mobile Internet devices now out-ship desktop machines by about 10 times (source WSJ). And Apple is now projecting to sell over 30 million iPad tablets by the end of 2011. Two major changes have made this possible: high-speed bandwidth is now pervasive and processing technology has been miniaturized.

People expect to be connected wherever they go and mobile devices make that possible. IT will increasingly be challenged to support, manage and set policy for the emerging mobile platforms. We are likely to see the same challenges for IT as when dumb terminals were replaced with desktops. However, mobility also means that IT professionals can be better connected, more proactive and more supportive wherever they are.

Of course, IT will need to support these mobile devices and the applications that run on them, but just as importantly, they will also get to use them to keep employees and computers productive. Ironically, while IT pros are often the first to adopt new mobile devices and technologies for personal use, they've been slow to use them to get their job done. The time has come for that to change. There is a strong case to be made that rather than talking about the "Consumerization of IT" we should be espousing the benefits of "Consumerization for IT."

The IT pro's new best friend

Today, during Citrix Synergy, Citrix has announced the GoToManage app for iPad, which will be available for download soon.  GoToManage for iPad is a free application that enables any user to securely troubleshoot and provide real-time technical support to a computer user's system from anywhere.

GoToManage was built to meet the needs of IT managers and consultants. Coming soon as a free app for the iPad, IT professionals can conduct live end user support sessions and take control of a user's PC or Mac as if they were sitting in front of it. This application gives businesses a secure and reliable way to free IT from a physical location and empowers them to be more responsive when end users need technical assistance.

If you can't view the video below, you can view it on the Citrix Online YouTube channel:

Going mobile with IT services is easier than ever before. The tools are available - the GoToManage app is even free - and there's a great big web-connected world out there in which to use them. IT pros get more freedom, end users get faster service and companies increase retention while saving money. Everyone benefits from IT workshifting capability.

So, about a week ago, I was 5 minutes from producing a premium Webinar, which we do many of at my company.  And the thought occurred to me ... Here I am, based in New York City but working in Stratford-upon-Avon at the moment, about to produce a premium (meaning "not free") webinar where over 50 organizations will be participating, representing 5 different countries on two continents.





My immediate thought, "How the hell did my little company become an international business?".  We drive over 50% of our revenue from International relationships.  The answer of course lies in the times we live.  There are SO much incredible software available, like GoToWebinar, that allow small business to act like big business.  

Tools like this have democratized the playing field. They empower those with ambition and ingenuity to economically maintain even international relationships that drive revenue and awareness.  If you are a small business and do any sort of teaching/training, I strongly suggest you check out GoToWebinar.

What do you think? Do you have any Webinar hosting experiences?


Disclosure:  I have had a sponsored GoToWebinar account for a few months now.  Also, from time to time, my company does some interesting projects with Citrix Online ... mainly because we think they kick ass ;)

This blog was designed to serve the Workshifting community with relevant information contributed by the community, and when appropriate mention our services.  However, every now and again a really interesting and useful fact lands on my desk that I feel compelled to share.

The graph represents Citrix Online's internal use of GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar compared to our Average Travel Spend per Head Count.  The reduction in our Average Travel Spend is significant as our use of online meeting tools has increased (special thanks to Scott Allen).

I thought it would be useful to pull back the kimono and show internal data that demonstrates the value of online meeting tools.  I feel like I should add the disclaimer, "...individual results may vary".  However, I don't believe that to be true.  There are many choices as it pertains to Workshifting tools, and plenty is being written about adoption.  Once put into practice, whatever your tool of choice, the impact can be significant.

However, ROI for online meeting services is not always measured by a reduction in travel expenses.  In many cases your travel may increase because your use of the tools has allowed you to interact with an even greater number of clients and potential clients.  If you're that person, ROI could be measured in terms of an increase in Leads, Gross Revenue or Bookings.  For many others, ROI is defined by Productivity and Family Time.

The point is not to pigeonhole yourself into one or the other.  Select the tools that best serve your needs and the needs of your team.  It's your adoption of the tools into your life that makes them effective, not vice versa.  

How do you measure the effectiveness of your Workshifting tools?

I am on a long work related trip right now.  Actually, I have four different business trips that end with the beginning of the next.  This workshifting trip will keep me away from home for 65 days.  So, naturally, I have travel on the mind. 

I have been thinking about how to remain productive while traveling, and I will probably be sharing some of the things I have learned with you in the next few posts.  Yesterday, I was at Denver International Airport and decided to post a review on TripIt, an application for travelers that allows you to easily and seamlessly build trip itineraries.  I have used this app for a long time, and find it very useful.

If you can't view this video, you can check it out over on my Vimeo channel.

Have you used Tripit or similar apps?  What are your thoughts?

Photo Credit: 704 Race

Like most of you, I travel ... A TON.  Last year, Melissa and I traveled about 55% of the year.   I absolutely adore traveling! We purposefully built our business this way.  However, one of the very difficult elements about traveling so often is being able to effectively manage your bookkeeping while on the road.  During the course of our travels last year, we became very serious about finding the best online tools to help us with this incredibly annoying problem. 

On Saturday, we are departing for a very long 62 day workshifting trip that will take us through three continents.  I thought it might be helpful to post a little video on what we use to keep our accounting in order while we are on the road.

If you can't view this video, head over to my Vimeo channel.

The three applications that I discussed during the video are:

• Shoeboxed
• LessAccounting
• FreshBooks

Are there other apps that you use?  What are some of your favorites?

Photo Credit: The Shifted Librarian

Last week I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Steve Bristol and Allan Branch, the founders of Less Everything.  Our company uses both Less Accounting and Less Time Spent, two cloud based, small business applications that the duo has developed.  (Disclosure: I would make love to both of these apps if they were women, and Melissa would approve).  It led to a lot of great internal discussions regarding my proclivity towards cloud based business apps. 

I am a massive proponent of cloud based technology for a variety of reasons, but namely because that's where I feel we're headed so why not dive in head first now.  I decided to post a video talking about why I'm big on cloud computing, which cloud based apps I use, and of course why I feel these applications empower workshifting.

Cloud-Based Apps I use for my business:

Gmail - Mail Server
Google Calendar - Team Calendar
Google Docs - Collaborative Docs/Spreadsheet (Blog Post Backup)
Less Accounting - Easy Accounting Program
Less Time Spent - Track Time and Expenses on a Client Basis
Basecamp - Project Management System
Batchbook - Customer Relationship Management
Box.net - File Sharing and Collaboration
Protoshare - Website Wireframing Application (For Internal & Client Projects)
Yammer - Twitter for Business
Google Wave - Collaborative Workspace
TinyChat - Video and Chat for Multiple Users (Team Meetings)
ConceptShare - Collaborate on Design Direction

What cloud-based apps do you find useful for your day-to-day needs?

Today we have a guest post from Sean Ryan.  Sean is a research analyst with IDC focused on mobile enterprise software.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS), may be another buzzword for the road, but there is a very real shift underway towards adoption of SaaS-based solutions for mobile devices. This includes SaaS-based solutions with mobile client add-ons, such as the case with Salesforce.com for the BlackBerry and the iPhone. It also includes SaaS-based mobile middleware platforms that extend multiple enterprise applications to mobile devices, as is the case with vendors like Antenna Software and Spring Wireless.

Many factors are contributing to the MaaS trend, but here are a few of the biggest drivers:

• The flexibility of enterprises to easily scale up and scale down users based on an on-demand subscription pricing model.
  
  
• The ability for enterprises to start small, in terms of number of users deployed and cash outlay, with certain apps and then grow them across the organization. This equates to being able to run a pilot on your own terms without time constraints or an obligation to purchase a set number of seats at a given time.
  
  
• A lightweight client can often be provisioned down to devices over-the-air (OTA).
  
  
• The challenges unique to mobile deployments -- e.g., limitations of wireless connectivity, limitations of small form factors, and the variety of smartphone Oses -- are a real headache for already overburdened IT departments to deal with, as they require different skill sets as well as different management and security tools. It is much easier to farm this out to a vendor that specializes in mobility.
  
  
• It is becoming very difficult for developers to keep up with the array of mobile OSes that are viable candidates for mobile workers -- i.e., BlackBerry OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian (Nokia 60, etc.), iPhone OS, Google Android, and Palm webOS. Combine this with the multiple versions for each OS along with different hardware reference designs, and the complexity is overwhelming unless the company takes a draconian approach to drastically limit the types of devices it will allow employees to use. Again, a vendor specializing in mobility can do a much better job of staying on top of a rapidly moving, complex space. In most cases, the near real-time updating of OS versions, bug fixes, etc., can be included in the service-level agreement (SLA).
  

While mobility as a service is not widely deployed today in large enterprises, it is expected to grow rapidly in the coming year.

A recent IDC survey of 309 IT and business professionals for large enterprises in the United States and the United Kingdom, responsible for enterprise mobility purchase decisions, found that only 9% of organizations have already embarked on a large-scale deployment of mobile SaaS-based solutions (see pie chart). However, the same respondents indicated a growing acceptance of this delivery model for extending enterprise applications to mobile devices. Almost 40% of organizations plan to deploy a SaaS-based mobile solution in the next 12-18 months. Another 19.7% have already done a pilot and plan to roll out a larger deployment in the next 12-18 months. Furthermore, 15.5% of organizations have no plans to roll out any aspect of mobile SaaS-based solutions in the next 12-18 months, with another 8.4% that did run a pilot but have no plans to roll the solution out to other employees.

Of course, this does not mean that all on-premises solutions will be displaced, as many organizations will likely run on-premises solutions for certain applications that may need to be more customized or strategic in nature, or deal with data that is very sensitive, particularly if it is in a highly regulated industry. But, overall, the advantages of a SaaS-based model for mobile deployments align well with the needs of mobile workers and the IT departments supporting them.