This week I had a training class for BMC’s Proactivenet software.  Had this been a traditional on-site class there would have been absolutely no way I could have made it.  I just did not feel up to going out in the cold weather, and I surely was in no shape to be traveling!  Lucky for me this was my first online “virtual” class through BMC.  I had my reservations before the class started about how good it was going to be, however once I came down with this nasty cold and logged into the class on Monday I was pleasantly surprised.  The class was excellent – and since it was online I didn’t have to worry about traveling or spreading my germs to anyone else.  Everything I needed was at my fingertips!  A headset and a high-speed internet connection was all that was required. 

As the class wrapped up on Friday it occurred to me that what happened during the week was more than just training.  It was getting work done no matter where I was at.  Technology has come so far and yet so many of us are still scared to death to use it.  Sure, we carry around our iPods and Blackberries and all sorts of gadgets – but we still think that in order to get training we need to be in a classroom; in order to meet we need to be in a conference room; in order to work we need to be sitting at a desk. 

Luckily companies far and wide are starting to see that technology use (not just implementation) is going to be a big productivity and cost-saving factor in the future.  Why in the world would anyone spend money on flights, hotels and rental cars when you could achieve the same thing with a WebEx session and a high-speed connection?  It just doesn’t make sense.

I’ve learned a lot about Proactivenet this week, but I also learned a lot about using technology instead of just “having technology”.  When you use it the right way it can really make a world of difference – not only to you, but to your organization as well.