Using The Remote Power Switch IP To Move Network Management Out Of The Server Room

Being able to work from home, or "telecommuting", is the dream of a vast number of people, for whom the drudgery of the 9 to 5 world is perhaps the only drawback of an otherwise satisfactory job. The cost benefit alone – in terms of money saved on a commute and the time wasted in morning traffic – makes the idea appeal to many people. This arrangement is often seen as a more realistic option for desk-based workers. In many cases, the project manager or analyst, who can perform their entire role with a single laptop, can perform just as successfully without working from an office. However, this is also becoming a more realistic option for IT and network staff. The widespread use remote management tools, such as SSH, as well as the console management server, remote power switch IP and SNMP management equipment means that many organizations are moving network roles out of the server room.

Whilst this type of arrangement may be viewed by many as a great perk of the job, it is not just the workforce who may benefit from a company allowing its staff to telecommute. The cost of office space, PCs, heating and lighting for a large number of employees can mean the choice to reduce the levels of "on site" staff can make significant financial sense.



Of course, to some extent network management will always need somebody on site. Equipment failures, provisioning of new servers and hardware maintenance are an inherently physical task; this is unlikely to change in the near future. However, aside from technicians and a shift supervisor, the majority of modern network management is software-based. Configuring web servers or routing tables and similar are tasks that are all performed through the console. Whether that console is a physical monitor and keyboard, or whether it is an SSH session 50 miles away makes little difference to the efficiency with which the admin can complete his or her job. Even if a server or router stops responding, technology such as the remote power switch IP means that remote staff can quickly reboot a machine and continue to work.

This type of arrangement sometimes runs in to issues within larger companies. The question often posed is whether the company is paying for an employee's skill, or whether they are simply paying for their time. The latter is often the case. A company will contract a person to work for 40 hours per week. This is because they have no other way of judging whether an employee has completed – in their estimation – an acceptable volume of work for the salary they are paid. Allowing staff to work from home requires a shift in perspective. One worker may be more talented that another, and may be able to compete their assigned work in half the time. If they are working from home, this means they would have to work for half as long, but would still receive the same pay. On the face of it, this may seem unfair.

By changing one's mentality and considering that an employee should be paid for their skill, rather than simply the time they commit to the job means that much of the workforce could be allowed to telecommute, with all the cost savings that this entails. The vast array of remote management software that is now available, the remote power switch IP and the improvements in a host of other technology means even network management can be completed from home. Perhaps it is time to reexamine our working practices.