Business continuity planning emerged from disaster recovery planning in the early 1970s. Financial organisations, such as banks and insurance companies began the trend by ensuring they had data backed up at protected sites. Recovery efforts were almost always triggered by a fire, flood, storm or other physical devastation.

With the rise in working-from-home, many of us are now using softphones - which has lots of benefits.  Users can make and receive calls from their work number, transfer calls, conference calls, and talk as long as they want without using mobile minutes. But what many people working from home forget, is that soft phones are only as good as the WiFi and broadband they are connected to. And with demands on domestic broadband greater than ever between email, CRM systems and video, the competition for bandwidth can be fierce. 

Usually patients are limited in their ability to lodge a complaint to directly to their surgery. They can 1) speak to the receptionist, 2) write a feedback card 3) email a general surgery address, or 4) fill out text/online questionnaires.

You may have read recently that Zoom is going to start offering video conferencing hardware, as-a-service - meaning companies can pay monthly to rent state-of-the art equipment for only a small fraction of the cost to buy it. Companies benefit from the latest technology, completely supported, without a full fledged investment into devices that will no doubt be out-dated in a few years; and Zoom benefits by bringing its services to the office as people just as people start working from home less.

Even as lockdown measures are eased and retail businesses re-open, the B2B world remains sceptical about a return to the office. Most office-based businesses expect to be fully or partly working from home for some time, and as such there will be a continued increase in demand for remote working and digital collaboration technology in months if not years to come.

If you are working from home for the foreseeable future, you may be evaluating your internet connectivity choices — opting for ‘fibre’ if your provider offers it in your area. But if you have already upgraded to ‘fibre’ and it still isn’t as fast as the lightening-quick connection you have in the office, this is why.

While many people have enjoyed working from home over the past few months, there is a broad recognition that a completely home-based workforce can’t compare to one that has the ability to collaborate in-person. The serendipitous consequences of accidentally overhearing something you needed to know, or the unintended collaboration that occurs simply by sitting next to someone (even 2m apart), have value – a value that will no doubt end up quantified through an increasing number of studies like this one as we get more data from lockdown.

As the coronavirus pandemic comes under control in the UK, companies across the country are re-opening for business. Those that have been functioning with skeletal staff, are beginning to operate with a fuller workforce.  And businesses that require a physical presence, such as moving companies and construction companies, are now allowed to visit sites.

As lockdown measures are gradually eased, one thing is clear - people that can work from home, will be working from home for the foreseeable future. But what if you theoretically can work from home, but can't practically, due to a poor broadband connection? I recently had a video meeting with someone who was working in their utility room because it offered the best WiFi signal in the house (despite the visual interference from laundry baskets). 

With the impact of coronavirus being felt by businesses across the UK, we know that many of you are concerned about how your business and staff will be affected. This is a list of information, resources and places to go for support.