Demand for remote and mobile working is on the rise. By the end of the decade, employers may be locked into a culture where it is expected, as with company cars in the 1980s. If there is ever a huge upswing in demand, law firms will be hit heavier than most other businesses because they are, for the most part, brimfull of highly intelligent, ambitious and lavishly remunerated ‘information workers’ who know what they want and see mobile working as a lifestyle issue.
Yes, there are management challenges and human resources headaches, but when push comes to shove, most people will be put off by the awkward and poorly conceived technology. In the short term, perhaps the most pressing issue for businesses chasing the mobile working dream, however reluctantly, is that dull little chestnut, information security. Mobile devices are inherently insecure, some experts claim. Not so, say others, while acknowledging that the protection offered by some of the most user-friendly solutions on the market is not as secure as they would like.
