AT A RECENT DISCUSSION FORUM, getting more Women into the Boardroom, I started to wonder if people really understand the benefits of remote working.

The attendees gave two main reasons why women were not progressing. Firstly, women they didn't acquire the experience and confidence to work on the board. Secondly, that having children and then part-time working could play a part in slowing down the career.

When I asked what could change this, one group of women told me a good nanny would help!

Surely remote working, not flagged up by anyone, could help push women through the ceiling.

Women could work part-time office hours and the rest of the week at home.

Men could also be given the opportunity to work part-time office hours, putting both genders on more equal footing - in this instance anyway.

In the not too distant future all tax returns such as self-assessment, corporation tax etc will be filed online as well as all PAYE information. According to IT research company TechMarketView the UK's online (or cloud market) will be worth £6.1bn in by 2014 compared to its current £2.4bn.

Women and companies should be more proactive in pushing the remote working agenda, to ensure the business moves with the times, and women are given every opportunity to achieve their goals.

If the technology is there, why not use it?