Wilmington, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/01/2011 -- As technology continues to carve new pathways and the Internet strengthens its total domination over the business community worldwide, it does seem that the future of work will be independent of geographical location.

The fact that physical distance is not a barrier to a smooth flow of work can be demonstrated in the two facets of outsourcing – freelancing and remote staffing. As more and more companies embrace outsourcing to increase profits and save costs, it is the virtual employee or the freelancer who is in much demand.

Outsourcing has already proved that geographical distances (nor the time zone barriers for that matter) don't really make a difference. Freelancers sitting in developing countries like India began to work for companies based in the US or the UK, with both parties benefitting enormously. From freelancing, it was only natural that the next level of evolution be achieved soon. And it was, in the form of remote employment. The virtual employee is the new emerging face of outsourcing, adding a fillip to the burgeoning outsourcing industry like never before.

A freelancer usually worked in a far away developing country, often from home and handled multiple assignments from multiple clients from around the world. The freelancer was affordable but skilled and was a great cost and time-saving investment.

The virtual employee, on the other hand, is several notches superior to a freelancer. The remote employee works exclusively for one client, and on a full-time, exclusive manner. They can be supervised and monitored and work out of the controlled office of the service vendor.

Today, a big or small company in the US can outsource work not merely to a freelancer but by actually hiring a full-fledged virtual employee from say, India. This remote employee would work for them exactly like any of their locally hired employee, except that the former would cost them a mere fraction of what it would to hire a similarly qualified person back in the US or the UK.

So, today, a software company in Louisiana can hire a whole team of software programmers and developers from India, all working under one roof, and only for that company. This is because there are reputed, established outsourcing vendors in India who specialize in providing highly skilled, talented remote employees on a full-time, dedicated manner.

India boasts of an impressive talent pool of skilled and talented, and most importantly, cheap labour – all hugely attractive to the companies in the US or the UK. Add to that the proficiency in English of the average Indian professional and it is like hitting the jackpot.

Thanks to the advances made in Information Technology, all the tools for a smooth online collaboration are easily available, thus making the management of virtual teams a breeze. Modern means of communication mean that the virtual employee is just a mouse click or a telephone call away.

Transforming a faceless entity into real flesh-and-blood person is the newest form of communication with a remote or virtual team – video conferencing. This communication in real time completely dissolves any perceptions of time and distance, enabling both parties to see and interact with each other in a natural manner.