Open source and telecommuting are on the rise

We’re all part of the changing landscape of information technology and as such, it’s always a blast to review the growing trends that have an impact on our wired (or "wirelessed") lives.

Although this review doesn’t intend to cover every trend, it’s focusing on two of which you’ve already heard of and in most cases, they really get people talking, thinking and moving.

Let’s take a look at how open source and telecommuting can help you get ahead in regards to both your budget and your work.

Open source gains tremendous momentum – if you’re not on the open source train already, you should jump in, now!

Having unlimited access to every single line of code is the ultimate garantee your security isn’t compromised by your operating systems, applications or scripts.

Commercial software might be fun, in a way, because they deliver results but remember you have no control over their "inner workings" so you can’t seriously ensure your customers their data in safe in your hands.

With open source, you’re -finally- the master of your domain.

Telecommuting is hot, again – if being stuck in highway gridlocks every other business day isn’t enough to motivate you into setting up your office at home, think about the awesome new technologies, many of them open source, that can help you be more productive than ever for your organization, without ever leaving the comfort of your own home… office.

Fuel prices are going through the roof and trafficwise, morning and end-of-day rush hours mean roads are transformed into open-air parking lots.

This inefficient use of human resources all over the Western World is about to change, thanks to visionnary leaders from all industries who now understand telecommuters are -very- good for business.

Furthermore, many managers now see their teleworkers as a sort of "local branch" where customers can be provided with even more "locally tailored" counseling. Absence leaves drop to a minimum for telecommuters and not having to maintain as much downtown office space, amenities and parking lots means huge savings… and organizations are transforming to bank on the long neglected telecommuter option.

Teleworkers are the future, videoconferencing is the future, high-speed internet access from the home is the future and rapid advances in high-performance mobility gear and applications will futher accelerate this powerful trend.

The rise of open source and telecommuting are probably linked, in many ways.

It’s now much more realistic for a teleworker to setup his own Customer Relationship Management system using open source solutions like SugarCRM or vTiger. These powerful scripts can be operated using the Mozilla Firefox browser on any flavor of Linux, which means the total "software" setup has an initial cost of… zero.

In other words, it’s a lot easier to work from home and still run business class applications to service your customers in a very integrated fashion.

Open source enables telecommuters to work with technology in ways "closed source" can’t (or won’t allow). Having the possibility to adjust a web script, for instance, at code level means every telecommuter can tailor a very "local" user experience for his customers, therefore strenghtening the business relationship in a way that’s impossible to achieve from an office downtown, far away from the customers and many of their most pressing concerns.

Distributed workplaces and openly crafted IT solutions are a winning combination for any worker who intends to win back his quality of life and companies that wish to make more money while retaining the top talent.