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Most people know at least one person who works from home at least a few days a week. A number of technologies make this possible, even allowing some workers to work remotely full-time. Businesses are increasingly turning to remote workers as a viable means of improving worker morale and cutting overhead costs, and many experts believe the percentage of individuals doing their work outside of the office is only going to increase in the coming years.

New information about the benefits of working from home continues to surface, such as the report by the UK communications company O2 that revealed that when it allowed its workers to fulfill their duties from home, the workers were more productive and, ultimately, happier. The workers also saved on the costs of commuting and were able to spend more time with their families. They also found that the extra freedom made it easier to focus and be productive during working hours.

That provides a considerable incentive to businesses, particularly those already possessing the infrastructure needed for many employees to work from home in the first place. As businesses increasingly install cloud hosting software and networks into their operations, employees are finding it easier than ever before to do work from a remote location.

Even when high-speed Internet was widely available in homes and coffee shops around the world, accessing business software, information and other digital tools from outside of the office was often difficult, and many times impossible.

The cloud has changed all that, providing computing services that are accessible from any location with Internet access and valid credentials. Other tools, such as video conferencing, make it easier for employees to communicate with their peers and their higher-ups from a remote location.

Other changes in the tech industry, such as the Google Panda update, have created a greater need for online content and expanded the market for contractors and other professionals, many of whom work from home. Software companies are also producing new business software, such as Adobe Cloud and Microsoft Office 365, that help accommodate working from a remote location.

Another technology looking to be released in the near future is Smart Work Centers, or SWCs. These setups work like remote offices that are set up in a worker’s home to serve as an extension of their office workspace. Through a SWC, employers can monitor productivity while ensuring that their employee has all the requisite tools to perform their work at a high level.

As a younger, more tech-savvy generation enters the workforce, it increasingly seeks opportunities to make work simpler through the use of technology. Many younger professionals, understanding the benefits and technological ease of working remotely, seek out jobs that accommodate a flexible lifestyle. This is yet another reason businesses should be looking to invest more heavily in cloud hosting: not only can a cloud computing service improve operations within a business, it can also create an improved morale among your workers and cut costs for both employees and employers.