International Internet Day: How The Internet Is Unleashing The Remote Work Revolution
Every year on the 29th of October, the world observes International Internet Day to celebrate the use of the Internet. Started in 2005, International Internet Day is celebrated through events and conferences online.
The internet has not just changed our lives but also businesses and the workplace in many ways. It allows you to keep in touch with your team, work in a group, manage files and stay in touch with anyone in the organization. No matter what is your location, you can collaborate on tasks with ease.
Let’s take a brief look at the history of how it all started!
History of International Internet Day
In 1969, communication wasn’t as easy as searching for information on Google. Back in the day, the Internet was known as ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). Charley Kline, a student programming at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), sent the first electronic message on October 29, 1969.
Kline, who was working under the direction of Prof. Leonard Kleinrock, transmitted a message from the computer located at UCLA to Bill Duvall, who was using a computer located within the Stanford Research Institute’s computers.
The system at UCLA was the SDS Sigma 7 Host computer, and the receiver was the SDS 940 Host at the Stanford Research Institute. The message included the phrase “login”. Kline and Kleinrock were able to transmit “L” and “O” before the connection between the terminals froze.
Thus, the first literal message sent over the ARPANET network was “lo”. The issue was resolved within an hour after Kline was able to send the entire “Login” message.
“Lo” was the first bits of data ever transmitted over the first computer network for long distances on the 29th of October. That’s how the concept of the Internet was born.
The very first International Internet Day was celebrated on the 29th of October 2005 to commemorate this historic milestone that changed the course of telecommunications as well as technology.
How Internet Is Unleashing The Remote Work Revolution
In 2020, we witnessed an enormous shift in the office environment when a deadly pandemic struck worldwide. As a result, the “work-from-home” culture started and is likely to be the norm even after COVID-19’s demise.
This new culture created a problem for both employees and businesses as working from home was relatively new. However, the increased access to high-speed broadband internet and the growth of cloud computing provided modern businesses with the necessary infrastructure to swiftly adapt to work from home.
Small and mid-size enterprises are increasingly investing money in security solutions, collaboration tools, cloud-based applications, and various other remote IT services to facilitate work from home.
Today you can work from any location and collaborate with ease, offer superior customer service and even learn new skills on the internet.
Let’s see how Internet is unleashing the remote work revolution.
- Communication
Internet and technology have revolutionised the way people communicate in modern-day workplaces. The introduction of smartphones, social network sites, and chat apps has made communication more efficient. Communication between employees and management is faster, more precise, and more collaborative. Also, it is more unified.
You can send messages, emails, video chat, or organise video conferences with subordinates or superiors using applications such as Slack, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Meet, etc. Thanks to the internet, you do not require being at your workstation every day. You can do important tasks outside of the office and stay in touch with work on the go.
2. Collaboration
Thanks to cloud storage and the widespread internet, collaboration has become easier. Now team members can work together on the same document from any location in the world. Two of the most popular productivity tools, Google Sheets and Docs require you to simply log in and work on a single document, making it much easier to collaborate on larger projects.
There’s no need to send documents back and forth or change the names each time so that the next person is aware they are working on the latest version. It is now possible to save the document as an updated version, which is a time-saver.
Trello, Asana, and Teamwork are all great tools for project management. They make it easy to share the workload, track expenditures and tasks, and communicate with the team about the project. Such tools make you more productive and efficient when working in groups, and we must thank the internet for this.
3. Location
Employees can now work remotely from anywhere. Employers are therefore taking steps to make work-from-home arrangements more readily available. Work from home allows you to continue working without commuting to the office and makes it possible to create teams with people from all over the globe.
Companies have a major advantage here as they don’t need to restrict their search for team members by geography. They can now recruit talent from all over the world and cast a wider net. The Internet makes it much easier for people from different cultures and geographies to work together in teams.
However, there are some challenges too that include awareness of time zones and cultural differences. You need to know the time in your area so you can plan meetings and get replies to important messages. This is even more important if team members are located overseas.
4. eLearning
Working is more than just how we make a living. It’s also where we find meaning and grow as people. The days of feeling content with just a good job and having benefits are long gone. Instead, jobs must offer opportunities for personal growth. This is why many people change jobs.
Companies that use eLearning along with remote work see a significant increase in productivity and employee satisfaction. While working from home, individuals can sign up for online courses to grow in their careers. Employees who continue their education find it easier to gain promotions or recognition.
5. Work-life balance
Technology and remote work make it possible for employees to be independent. Employee engagement is far more among employees who have a good work-life balance. The employees can take control of their time and manage their projects as per their schedule.
Organisations that empower employees with remote work see increased productivity and great employee engagement. Also, employees tend to stay longer with companies where they are happy.
6. Cost Management
Every company strives to improve its profitability. Companies are becoming financially healthier thanks to technological innovations that are more cost-effective. Every workplace has chores that require dedicated workers and have high costs. Software as a Service (SaaS) tools for the workplace can help reduce these costs.
SaaS can help us eliminate the need to manually handle tasks. Instead, we can automate tasks where possible and focus on the integration between different tasks. Automated processes provide greater accuracy as every record has a date and time.
Conclusion
The internet is shaping and influencing work-from-home arrangements positively. Companies are able to meet their targets, whereas employees are enjoying greater work-life balance. So let’s celebrate International Internet Day together “for a better internet” and actually be grateful that today we can do many things which were unthinkable 100 years ago.
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International Internet Day Facts
- When is International Internet Day celebrated?
International Internet Day is celebrated on the 29th of October.
2. When was the first time International Internet Day was celebrated?
International Internet Day was first celebrated on the 29th of October, 2005.
3. What’s the theme for Safer Internet Day 2022?
The world celebrates the 19th annual Safer Internet Day with the theme “Together for a better internet”. On this day, people from all over the world join together to help make the internet better and safer.
4. How many people use the internet a day?
Around 4.95 billion people use the internet every day in 2022.
