Microsoft sees Orange for home working connectivity

Many businesses today are waking up to the increased opportunities and benefits more flexible working practices can bring.

Generally famed for its technology, Microsoft is no exception.

This week, the software giant announced not another alliance but an employee-focused deal with Orange's business division.

Orange Business Services will now provide high-speed home office broadband connections of up to 8Mbps for more than 1,500 Microsoft UK employees.

"When the decision was made to provide closer support for our home workforce, quality of service was a particular priority," said Steve Dunn, Microsoft UK's finance director.

"Orange Broadband for Business represented a logical choice, offering advantages such as a dedicated, freephone customer service hotline that ensures our employees enjoy maximum reliability when working from home. Our IT teams benefit from this deal, too, with single billing for home and office services streamlining their admin load dramatically."

Orange believes that Microsoft is not alone in waking up to the benefits of more flexible working, not just in terms of employee satisfaction but also with regards to lightening the IT department's load, according to Neil Laidler, vice president of business services for Orange in the UK.

"Our own research shows that the growing market for home broadband access is encouraging more and more UK workers to demand greater flexibility in their working lives," he said.

"We are confident that our Broadband for Business service represents the best option available in the UK market for forward-thinking companies looking to support more productive home working. The fact that Microsoft, the world's largest technology company, has selected Orange to support its home workers, further underlines the strength of our offering."

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