Following a series of climate change conferences, governments are setting targets to dramatically cut down on annual CO2 levels. These targets have increased pressure on businesses worldwide to reduce use of unsustainable resources and CO2 output, prompting many businesses to start to include environmental considerations into their agendas.

From reducing fleet costs to promoting home working, businesses globally are looking at a number of considerations in order to promote environmental sustainable working practices. Jim McFarlane, President & CEO, Explorer Software Group, explains how his company has helped pioneer a revolutionary new virtual business model for employees across eight different countries.
 
"Explorer Software has embraced a virtual model for over ten years and in the past year, Explorer's employees have reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 1500 tons simply by working from home. We operate internationally, and the virtual office approach allows us to communicate more effectively across the globe ensuring that we continually provide the best services to our customers whilst reducing our operating costs and our CO2 output.

"Explorer's flagship product Contract Manager, ERP software for the construction industry, is a prime example of a product developed from a virtual office. Version 7 of Explorer's Contract Manager can operate entirely on the web, allowing companies to access their data from anywhere with an Internet connection. Version 7 embraces everything web, from scheduled reports to your email inbox, integrated Google Maps to locate customers and projects, and the ability to bookmark Key Performance Indicators and individual reports. Contractors anywhere can leverage the benefits associated with a virtual environment - bringing cost savings and environmental benefits."