If there is an issue on which various researchers from organizations agree, it is that they are dynamic and that the only constant is change. And it is that the vertiginous technological advance in a globalized world has meant that organizations have had to be forced to adopt new technological tools and train their workers in the efficient use of them, as the only alternative to survive in the market.
This is how organizations use a variety of software applications, operating systems, and complex network infrastructure. And the end users of the technology, workers, have access to a growing number of devices with processing power (from desktops to smart cell phones) and connectivity. In a highly competitive business environment, organizations need to be able to do business from anywhere and at any time. Information technology providers - software and hardware manufacturers and service providers - are aware that their business depends largely on responding to the need for connectivity and permanent access in the business world. World where the traditional concept of a physical, static office, with a computer, printer and a telephone enclosed between four walls, is gradually disappearing.
Various hardware manufacturers are developing smart phones with greater connectivity and processing capacity, with powerful processors, Wifi and 4G connectivity, where in addition to being able to use pocket versions of frequently used programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, they allow the use of various applications, surf the Internet and access email. Likewise, notebooks, printers, tablets, and other equipment are increasingly powerful, functional and user-friendly, as well as connectivity has advanced a lot, counting for example with small wireless modems, which allow you to connect to the Internet practically from anywhere, each time with lower costs.
That is why since the 90s, when the PDAs led by the famous Palm corporation, marked a milestone in the use of pocket computers with the ability to use the programs of frequent use mentioned, surf the Internet and access email, in the Today, the new smart phones stand out for their versatility, power and applications.
And it is that the current highly competitive and changing business world mentioned above makes the trend towards the disappearance of physical offices is increasingly stronger to the extent that work coordination is no longer limited to the ordinary day, but to be connected and to be able to act and make decisions at any time. Likewise, another relevant factor is the reduction of costs for organizations, where the cost of maintaining underused physical facilities, added to the unproductive time that workers spend in moving to and from their workplaces, are factors to take into account to stimulate let workers work remotely.
The trend towards the "virtual office" is a reality in many countries of the world, and everything indicates that it will grow and strengthen, in such a way that in the not too distant future the highest percentage of office workers will work virtually, many as do currently from the comfort of their homes, with the consequent benefits for people, such as being able to spend more time with their families, a fundamental element highly valued by workers.
In this sense, only in those work activities, which by their nature the physical presence of the worker is essential, will be those that will remain under the traditional format although with increasing technological support, which will allow them to be more efficient and effective, staying in their jobs for the time strictly necessary, leaving behind the traditional long working hours.
