Working from home connected to the Gig
By
October 03, 2019
Since returning from his London OE two years ago, app developer Tim Tait has been working for himself from his Dunedin home. In that time he hasn’t once worked on a project for a local company. His work-life became a lot easier in April 2015 when he connected to the gig and he hasn’t looked back.
Explain what you do?
I’m a freelance app developer. I work for a few different clients but my biggest is Venntro, a UK-based company running dating apps. It’s huge business with the app available throughout the UK as well as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. They’re just starting to push into the US now too.
I’ve been living back here for two years and I’m yet to work for someone in Dunedin. Fibre makes it possible and now my gigabit connection makes it that much quicker and easier.
How has improved connectivity over fibre changed your business?
It’s made a huge difference! For example while working with the UK guys, one of the big set ups is a VM (virtual machine) which is somewhere around 15 or 16 gigabits. Before I used to have to kick it into download and come back the next day, sometimes even the day after – now it downloads in just one hour.
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Have you noticed any changes in the way you work?
Holding a Skype call used to be difficult - it would drop out regularly but now it’s perfect. There’s usually about 10 of us from around the world that need to discuss projects and now we’re mostly connecting using Google Hangouts and it’s as if we are in HD. We also use Slack, an online collaboration tool, to work with each other and again it’s just that much speedier.
Has the Gig helped reduce costs in any way?
It’s hard to put a value on it. I’m certainly more productive because I’m not waiting around for files to upload and download. It basically comes down to speed and timing and when something works in a second rather than 10 minutes that’s a huge saving to me.
What would you say to other business considering gigabit fibre?
I pretty much tell anyone that they should grab it as soon as it becomes available. We’re about to move and access to the gig was our first consideration.
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