It's 2015, a new year, right? Well, here in the Chicago area we are experiencing a case of deja vu! How so, you may ask? Well as is the norm in the Chicago at this time of the year, it gets cold, windy and snowy. These things are not new to Illinois. In fact, if anything we got a bit of a reprieve this year with a relatively mild December.

Now, where does the deja vu come in? Well, last year on January 6th to be exact I blogged about companies functioning in extreme cold. Well, here we are a year and one day later and schools throughout Chicago and the suburbs are closed and many businesses possibly too. For many of the businesses though they may have their physical offices closed, but work has not stopped. Just because it's cold, doesn't mean you should lose a work day. After all, it's possible you may have clients in another state or country for that matter who expect you to be available today.

Let's review the potential ways your business can carry on business as usual in this arctic blast they call winter, shall we?

1. Skype, GoToMeeting. Video conferencing is not new, and it's used on a daily basis in many industries anyway. So, it's a common sense go to on a day like today when you're working from the warmth of your home. Work in your pj's if you want, just make sure you comb your hair, put on makeup if you must. You know make the top half of you presentable for clients or colleagues, they don't have to know you have on ratty slippers and StarWars PJ bottoms!

2. E-commerce. Don't let the arctic tundra mean lost sales for your company. If you haven't yet, it's time to outfit your retail business with a kick butt e-commerce system, so you don't have to loose another sale to weather.

3. Web-based apps. There a plenty of systems you can have created that allow for remote access. You can have a developer create online order management systems, online catalogs, databases or utilize system integration to get work done.

4. Google Drive. Our kids are on the fence with this gem. They enjoy using it when it's convenient but they really don't like it when teachers rely on it during winter break to collect assignments on "vacation" or if they use it on days like today. They don't agree that an assignment should still be due on a day when school is canceled!

These are just a few ways you can carry on business as usual even if The Snow Miser is making mischief! With the latest gems available in technology there is really no need for an industry to shut down due to weather. School districts like our local one that relies on Google Drive, Google Docs and online grading systems really don't need to cancel school, they can conduct it virtually just like most businesses can. Now, I know my kids will kill me for suggesting this, for fear that the school will see this and agree with my suggestion making sleeping in on snow days impossible. But, hey it is what it is. In 2015, there is no need for most industries to shut down.  Now, sure there are issues with certain forms of travel or possible delivery services that functioning in this type of weather make impossible as well as unsafe, but for the rest of us, it really should be business as usual! Don't lose another day to weather, contact a developer today to make sure your team has the tools in its toolbox to work from anywhere in their bunny slippers!