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 There are a number of programs / technologies which can help you to work from home.
Remote Access
You might have heard the adverts for Go2MyPC. Using this program you can literally sit in front of your home computer and view the desktop of another computer (ie. your work computer). You can use the keyboard and mouse, access shared drives etc. Very simple to set up, you could do it yourself, or have us guide you through it for you. You'll need to install a small piece of software available from their website on your home and work computer. Perhaps someone at work could do it for you. There's another program called LogMeIn which does the same thing but is free!
Go2MyPC: http://www.gotomypc.com
LogMeIn: https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/
Exchange Email (sync email, calendar & contacts between computers)
If you have an exchange email account with Microsoft Outlook, your email, contacts, calendar, tasks, and more will sync between computers. Send an email from one and you'll see it has been sent on the other. Add a contact on one and it will add it on the other. Very useful if you use more than one computer anyway (like a desktop PC and a laptop). It will also sync with most modern PDA's, including the iPhone 3G (and 3GS, coming soon).
If you are part of a company with an IT department, it would be worth asking them if you already have an Exchange email account. You might have one without realising it. If not, then your exchange email account can be set up by logging in to your website/email hosting control panel. It is rather technical to set up so it might be best to get a pro to do it for you.
Dropbox (sync folders between computers)
This is fantastic. You create an account, create a folder on your computer, and drop any files or folders into it you wish to sync with your online storage account. Then, you create the same folder on your other computer/laptop and it will sync the contents of the folders in real time (immediately). Save a file to your dropbox at work, then come home, open your dropbox, and carry on working.
Dropbox: http://www.getdropbox.com/
Webmail (checking your email online)
If the main thing you need to work from home is email, then you might find this useful. Most email providers include a way of logging in using a web browser such as Internet Explorer. Ask your email provider for the login page (it should be something like 'webmail.yourcompanyname.co.uk'. Be aware, though, that if you usually use Outlook or Outlook Express to check your email it won't show any of the emails that you send through webmail. You also won't have access to your 'Contacts', 'Tasks', or 'Calendar'. This is where an Exchange email account would come in useful instead (see above).
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