Fewer companies are investing money into commercial property, and instead relying on cloud technology, according to a new survey by Rackspace Hosting.
In the third report of its kind, it has emerged that 90 per cent of the sampled companies admitted that they had saved money by relying less on office space and more on clouds; 75 per cent of firms specifically revealing that remote working from employees had saved them £200,000 in a single year. The impact was larger for bigger companies, with corporations experiencing a saving of £367,000, compared to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which saved £162,000 in the same period.
Furthermore, remote working on the cloud has proven to boost opportunities and activity. Over half of those questioned stated that the cloud had allowed them to base employees all around the world, whilst 84 per cent suggested that they were now much more active when working.
Dr Brian Nicholson of Manchester Business School said: “There is no doubt that cloud computing is enabling a more flexible workplace using a range of devices.
"[Staff are] demanding the same consumer app experience in the workplace from their laptops, smartphones and tablets. With our reliance on the PC declining, the onus is on the businesses to deliver their IT services in a format that enables staff to access corporate cloud apps from any device or location.”
The report stressed thus usage of apps, with only 17 per cent of the sample saying that there was not a demand for mobile devices at the workplace, whilst 42 per cent of workers wanted to use their own devices at work, with 56 per cent of these people then expecting the company to pay for the bills.
Commercial analysts need to start considering the impact that remote working is having when it comes to office investment and city take-up rates.