Allowing employees to work from home or a location other than the office, provided they have sufficient remote support, can help firms survive difficult times, it has been suggested.

As businesses plan for events such as the swine flu outbreak or severe weather preventing people getting in to the office, they must consider remote working, says Martino Corbelli, marketing director at Star.

"The additional benefit is the freedom that flexible working practices offers to staff by making them more responsive to customers when they are in the office, at home or on the move," he added.

Any firm that is to offer remote working should ensure their remote support and security solutions are up-to-scratch, Mr Corbelli continued.

Positive benefits of a well-managed remote working strategy include improved efficiency, lower costs, quicker customer response times and higher employee motivation, he added.

Research from Star shows that 92 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses see remote working as a way to cope with a crisis.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).