telework.gov

Information technology for individual employees will be the primary driver of additional IT costs for supporting home-based telework.

• Home-based teleworkers may require a second PC for the home environment or a more expensive computer (e.g., laptop with docking stations at home and the office)
• Teleworkers will also connect to the office environment through the agency network through the public telecommunications network and the Internet (depending on the technical approach taken)
• As telework expands to the entire base of eligible federal employees, the costs for these "per employee"components will increase employee IT seat costs
• In addition, federal organizations will need to enhance portions of their IT infrastructure to support home-based telework; these enhancements could include remote access enhancements, network/desktop configuration management tools, application redesign, Internet security, and others
• Most infrastructure enhancements to better support telework will likely be dual- or multiple-use investments (i.e., enhanced support for mobile/traveling workers) in which the costs can be shared across multiple benefits

Hardware and network connectivity costs will add to an organization's information technology seat costs for home-based teleworkers.

Specific agency telework policies and IT management decisions will govern the timing and magnitude of IT cost increases resulting from home-based telework.

• The in-home hardware configurations approved by an agency or its component organizations will likely have the biggest impact on home-based teleworker costs
  • Use of single computer or dual computers (for home and office)
  • Use of employee-owned equipment
  • Peripherals to be provided for teleworkers (e.g., printers)
• Network connectivity options will also impact teleworker IT costs
  • Choice of broadband connectivity services (DSL, cable modem, satellite)
  • Use of dial-up access
  • Reimbursement to employees for residential services
  • Installation technical support for teleworkers
• Investments in infrastructure enhancements will ultimately be driven by the state of an organization's infrastructure and the specific requirements that result from the organization's telework strategy
• Telework policies and pace of telework implementation will also govern the rate at which employees must be equipped with hardware and connectivity, which employees receive this support, and the timing of infrastructure investments

For example, one organization's telework support policy governs the hardware and the network connectivity provided to individual teleworkers based on days spent at home.

Such policies would incrementally increase in employee IT seat costs relative to seat costs for office-based staff.

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