Has this ever happened to you? You're in a hotel 100 miles from the office, it's 8 at night, and you realize that you need a file for a customer meeting in the morning.

But everyone in the office has gone home, so there's no way to get the file printed out and faxed to you at the hotel.

Or . . . you're home for the weekend, ready for an active but relaxing Saturday with the family. The phone rings and it's one of your employees asking for some information that you have on your PC at work. It will only take you a couple of minutes to retrieve the information, except that you can't log on to the network from home, and the drive into the office will take a half hour each way and make you miss your child's soccer game.

If either of these scenarios — or anything similar — has ever happened to you, you're not alone. The opportunities, and, in some cases, the pressures, to connect to the company network remotely (from home, hotel, warehouse, customer site, wherever) is increasing.

Here are six advantages of using remote connectivity:

1. Remote connectivity saves money. According to a survey by Kinetic Workplace, companies that allowed employees to work from home (known as teleworking or telecommuting) saved about $12,000 per year, per teleworker, and reduced real estate costs by as much as 60%.

2. Remote connectivity improves employee productivity and retention. Some 75% of teleworkers polled in a survey by Kensington Group reported feeling they accomplished 30% more, in the same amount of time, working from home. Working from home can improve employee productivity by reducing the disruption associated with commute traffic, bad weather, sick children, etc. Managers realize that allowing people to work at home once or twice a week can be good for morale and productivity.

3. Remote connectivity enables more flexible use of your workforce. In a small business, every person counts. By enabling employees to work remotely, small businesses gain greater flexibility in how and where they use a limited workforce. For example, your company may be able to use staff based in different parts of the country or even the world, saving on wages or taking advantage of a more diverse pool of talent. It may give you greater flexibility in relocating your operations without necessarily having to lose or relocate a valued employee. And you can encourage collaboration among staff anywhere in the country or the world.

4. Remote connectivity can serve customers better. The Internet has raised customer expectations for reaching companies around the clock. By adding remote access and mobility technologies, companies can extend their hours of service to customers, or work with customers in different time zones.

5. Remote connectivity saves office space. These days, companies can use remote access and mobility to save on expensive real estate. Some workers may not even need assigned desks, but may "hot share" a cubicle or office at work with other remote workers when they come into the office.

6. Remote connectivity helps with regulatory compliance. Providing remote access options for employees may enable companies to comply with government regulations, such as reducing commuter traffic and air pollution or addressing workplace requirements for employees with disabilities.