Working away from the office could mean more companies invest in cloud solutions.
An increase in the number of employees deciding to work away from the office could prompt businesses to invest in secure online document storage so that staff can access their work in other locations.
According to Shirley Borrett, development director at the Telework Association, the idea of home working is moving away from being seen solely as an employee right and more towards something that can benefit both companies and workers.
"All of the evidence suggests that employers gain enormously from having a flexible, home-based workforce. More people are thinking about the benefits to business, society and the environment," she remarked.
"The Olympics next year are really focusing people’s minds on how thousands of extra people will get to work – the answer, of course, is ‘don’t travel’. There is a growing realisation that flexible working is not just about mums and families, that there are [other] benefits."
Remote working also cuts down on costs both for members of staff who do not have to pay for an expensive commute and for businesses that no longer have to spend as much on energy bills for quieter offices.
Companies which offer flexible working could also attract more potential employees who value doing their jobs outside a traditional workplace.
"Offering flexible and home-based working is a way of recruiting people who don’t want to work in a conventional office environment. It benefits those people who for reasons of disability and circumstance find it difficult to travel," Ms Borrett added.
Her comments came after Kenneth van Surksum, chief editor of Virtualization.info, predicted that 2012 will see changes in the demands companies make for data management storage services.
He explained that this year will see more virtualisation management products will support the use of multiple virtualisation platforms, which could see more firms being able to "build their own private cloud solution".