As telecommuting becomes increasingly popular, more and more employers are allowing if not encouraging folks to work from home. Many small businesses do not even have physical offices. The migration toward cloud-based services is one of several factors that make telecommuting more feasible. What, then, are some of the things folks need to be prepared for as they consider working away from the office?

Of course, the most important thing when telecommuting is the “tele” component. In this case, we are talking about two things: internet connection and phone.

For your internet service, a reliable, high-speed connection of at least 50 Mbps (download) is a must. Most providers start their offerings at least at this speed. Most folks won’t need business-class service, but a backup is a must.

A GOOD alternative for a backup internet connection is using your smartphone as a hot spot. Most mobile phone plans include hot spot service, but double-check yours just in case. You will pay for data usage, so if your plan is at or near capacity, you might consider upgrading.

Also, test out calling capabilities of your device to make sure you can still make calls when you are using your phone as a hot spot. While most providers claim to support this capability, the quality of this service varies from provider to provider and device to device.

Speaking of calls, a telecommuter is highly dependent on phone communication. For most folks nowadays, the quality of mobile phone service is sufficient. The quality of a landline, however, still can’t be beat. Most folks will put up with poor call quality at times, but a telecommuter simply can’t have poor call quality at all times, at the risk of being labeled as unprofessional.

A good headset not only increases convenience, but adds to the quality of calls. Reliance upon a speaker for hands-free operation might work for phone calls, but currently is simply not good enough for web-based conferences such as WebEx or GoToMeeting.

Some Bluetooth wireless headsets are capable of supporting both computer and phone connections simultaneously. The quality of Bluetooth headsets, however, varies widely from vendor to vendor. It is not unusual to go through several models before finding one that has both the required quality as well as fit. Most wired headsets will provide excellent quality, but then you’re tethered to your phone and/or computer.

SOME other nontechnical aspects need to be considered when telecommuting. With the popularity of videoconferencing via Google Hangouts or Skype, others will be able to see you and your environment. The old days of working in your pajamas are out, and don’t be that person who doesn’t let the others see you.

More importantly, make sure the lighting in your home office is adequate and positioned correctly. Depending on the windows and time of day, you may have to use artificial light and move it around even if it’s a bright, sunny day in paradise. You also need to make sure your background is appropriate. The collection of paper towels and toilet paper bought in bulk from Costco might need to be moved.

John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 25 years of information technology experience. Reach him at jagsalud@live.com.