Ok so unless you live in a bubble or The Florida Keys, you have heard about this Polar Vortex that has hit a good portion of the US. Here in the Chicago area, the northwestern suburb of Crystal Lake to be exact, the actual air temperature reading is -19 degrees with wind chills plunging us into the -40-degree range. In the social media world, the hashtag #ChiBeria is being used! Newscasters and weather experts are advising citizens to stay indoors if possible. Public transportation is having major difficulties. But even in extreme weather, most companies cannot afford to completely shut down. So, what's the answer? Utilize modern technology to work remotely from the warmth and comfort of your home. Below are some ways your business can still function in the extreme temperatures or inclement weather.

1. E-commerce. If you sell any type of merchandise, by having an e-commerce system you can still generate sales even if your psychical store is closed due to weather.
2. Web-based applications. You can have a password protected, locked down system that your employees can access remotely, such as an inventory management system, for example.
3. Meetings can be conducted via GoTo Meeting or WebEx.
4. Cloud based storage. This allows employees or clients to access documents from anywhere.
5. FTP Access (File Transfer Protocol). We as a development firm utilize FTP to upload and download programming files to client sites remotely.

So, as you can see Mother Nature might be wreaking havoc on your city, but it doesn't mean it cannot be business as usual. Don't let the weather shut your business down and cause a loss of revenue or cause your firm to be unavailable to your clients in areas where the weather has not affected them. Embrace technology and work from the comfort of your own home when nature pulls the rug out from under your feet. Stay warm everyone!