By Robin Gareiss, Network World, 12/05/05

Welcome to your first weekly newsletter addressing emerging strategies and best practices for managing the branch office.

Branch offices - and particularly the employees in them - have quickly become critical assets to the majority of companies and organizations.

The compelling data that Nemertes Research has gathered during the past three years validates the growing need for strategic guidance on how to effectively manage the branch. For example, more than 90% of employees work away from their headquarter facilities. The number of employees working away from their supervisors has increased by 800% (yes, that’s 800) in the past five years. And, on average, companies expect the number of branch offices to grow by 6.5% this year.