Are Federal Agencies Equipped to Promote Telework IT Services?

Telework Exchange recently released the results of “The 2012-2013 Telework/Mobile IT Almanac,” a Riverbed (News - Alert) Technology and SwishData Corporation-sponsored research, revealing that 65 percent of Federal agencies boast above-average IT programs for enabling telework and mobility.

Telework Exchange is a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the tangible value of telework and serving the emerging educational and communication requirements of the Federal teleworker community.

According to the Telework Exchange report, 21 percent of federal employees are currently teleworking. The report predicted that mobile device use among the federal IT executives is expected to increase by 20 percent by 2013. 59 percent of respondents said they expected more regular teleworkers and 45 percent expected more part-time mobile workers in the next two years.

In order to stay prepared for this “mobile storm,” agencies focus on improving and expanding security, networks and wireless access, implementing telework polices and the technology infrastructure.

According o Vice president of SwishData Corporation Bob Kerr, there still are some areas where agencies can improve. Kerr suggested agencies take cues from successful telework programs, as well as make strategic investments for supporting telework expansion and mobility.

Various agencies have been rated on the basis of the effectiveness s of their respective telework programs. 65 percent of agencies polled have scored an “A” or “B” in telework IT readiness. Agencies with grade-A programs noted that laptops, smartphones, remote desktop access, instant messaging and video/Web conferencing are the top five telework/mobility tools.

The report revealed just over half of the agencies (54 percent) are currently working on a plan to reduce costs specific to issuing mobile devices in accordance with Executive Order 13589 – Promoting Efficient Spending.

To improve telework programs, agencies acknowledged investing in mobile asset management (33 percent), data loss prevention (25 percent) and multi-factor authentication (21 percent). IT professionals are also looking to the cloud to continue to drive telework growth.

“As agencies look to mobilize the workforce and support telework programs for increased productivity, it is important to provide an IT infrastructure that meets the demand for delivering mission-critical applications anytime and anywhere, especially as employees will be located farther away from the data, and yet will expect the same, if not better experience while teleworking,” said William Hartwell, general manager and senior director of Riverbed.

Last year, Telework Exchange started Telework Week, which debuted with almost 40,000 participants pledging to work from home either part or all of the week.