With the proliferation of high-speed networks, many organizations are moving away from their standard "bricks and mortar" offices to "virtual" offices. That is, there is, at most, a small office that houses the computer equipment, answering machine, and maybe some meeting space. The staff is largely made up of telecommuters who access the corporate computing resources via VPN and are equipped with cell phones for voice communications.

While this sounds like a flexible, economic setup, it is not without its challenges. Like most corporate networks, security is the main issue. Because, however, most network users access the network from remote locations, security is even more of a challenge for virtual offices. A firewall with VPN capabilities is a must, and we're not talking about the $100 firewalls that you can get from the nearest big box retailer. Rather, corporate networks usually require something with more horsepower and flexibility. Popular choices include firewalls from Checkpoint and Cisco, and, while these are pricier, they are well worth the cost.

Another alternative for remote users from fixed locations is to simply go with a private network. Local telecommunications providers Pacific LightNet, Hawaiian Telcom and Time Warner provide the ability to "nail" connections from residences to the office. While this may cost more than a VPN solution, it is more secure, and usually performs better than your normal VPN, since you aren't necessarily sharing bandwidth with everyone else on the Internet. Such solutions only allow access to the office from fixed locations, however, so you might consider a hybrid solution that includes both nailed connections as well as VPN capabilities.

Although it seems counterintuitive, all critical data files should be stored at the central site, so a file server is a must. This will facilitate centralized backup of all files on a regular basis, thereby helping to prevent your kids from accidentally deleting the latest revenue projections. Depending upon the speed of your network connection, it may be beneficial to copy the files you need to your local hard drive, work on them, and then copy them back to the central file server.

Finally, if your organization utilizes a variety of applications - more than your standard office productivity suite - you might consider implementing a centralized application server. Microsoft's Terminal Services running on a Windows server is a good choice in many situations, as is Citrix' Presentation Server. With a centralized application server the need for "tweaking" individual workstations is mitigated.

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