Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’re well aware of the coming 2010 Olympic Games to Vancouver.  While this is exciting for our city and all the opportunities it can bring, a lot of people are bracing themselves for the impact.

VANOC and Translink have stated in press releases that a lot of downtown will be closed off during the games, and have suggested making alternative plans.  I’ve even heard reports of officials suggesting that it may be a good time for some businesses to go on vacation!  I’m not sure about you, but I don’t have a pile of cash that I’m sitting on in order to send our employees on a 2 week vacation.  We’ve put together some tips to help you.

There are plenty of alternatives available and we’re working closely with our customers, particularly those in the downtown core to make this as easy as possible.

Now would be the time to come up with a plan for having key personnel work from home and telecommute.  Prepare your IT infrastructure now to safeguard important data, and to allow secure remote connections to your information systems for both data and voice communication.

There are numerous technologies that are available to allow employees to work from home just as if they were sitting in front of their computers in the office.  Here’s a quick run-down of some things you’ll need to think about before February 2010, when the games are scheduled to begin.

• Have a look at the planned road closures.  You can find the maps that VANOC has provided to the public of their transportation plans.  Check to see if your business is going to be affected.
• Translink has setup a series of pages of tips for businesses on how to deal with the impact.  You can see them here.
• Translink is suggesting that anyone  not staying downtown Vancouver for the Games or event to leave the area by 2:00pm every day.
• Work with your IT Provider to setup and document a plan for employees to telecommute during the games.  Do this now, rather than waiting until the last minute.  You’ll be surprised at how easy and affordable it is to do this.

What’s nice about this, is that even after the games are over and long gone, you’ll still have your IT systems setup for remote working.  This is useful in many ways, including employees that are sick, or are concerned about the effects of H1N1 Flu, and need to stay home.

Contact us today to discuss what your options are, and schedule a free analysis to see how we can help prepare your business for teleworking before, during and after the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.