Price Comparison Site Pilots Remote Working

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Price comparison website MoneySupermarket is the latest company to make use of remote working, in a move it believes will make its analysts more productive.

The firm is providing greater flexibility in an initiative that has begun with a pilot scheme centred on the site's 20 customer insight staff. They were chosen as they are the heaviest users of data, Computerworld UK reports.

One particular reason for doing this is that database queries are often far from simple and the programme takes hours to run. However, by freeing staff at the firm's London office from their desks, analysts can start the programme running while at their desk and then access the results when they are at home hours later.

It helps bolster security because staff operate a hot desk policy with limited amounts of equipment and belongings present, with anything personal kept in locked cabinets.

Head of infrastructure engineering Neal Garman said: "We ensure we treat our customers’ data with absolute respect. But we wanted our people unshackled from their desks.”

Describing the virtualisation system now in place, he said: "We have been able to deliver flexibility without compromising data security or jeopardising customer trust.”

Such an application may be useful to all kinds of organisations where remote working is desirable or necessary. Obvious examples could include web-based firms where some staff will work from home most or all of the time, or employees who have to travel to face-to-face meetings around the country. This latter group will be able to access data on the train, which may include information that will be of use during the meeting.

MoneySupermarket is certainly convinced of the benefits, as it now intends to extend its remote working facilities to other members of staff among its 500-strong workforce.

Companies who are carrying out remote working will, of course, need to be security conscious and MoneySupermarket is convinced it has that issue well covered.

Last month, group manager at the Information Commissioner's Office Simon Rice said the key to protecting data held digitally is good knowledge about encryption.

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