The coronavirus pandemic has transformed the way that millions of employed Americans work. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, just 20 percent of employed adults worked from home.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2020, 71 percent currently work from home and 54 percent would want to work from home after the outbreak ends.
Although remote work environments provide employees with freedom and convenience, there are certain risks associated with telework.
IT Solutions To Consider For Telework
To keep remote employees engaged and productive, businesses must introduce IT solutions that support telecommuting in the modern age. The following IT solutions can be part of a successful telecommuting plan:
1. Mobility
Mobility is vital when working from home or in another remote location. Mobility provides telecommuting employees the flexibility of working across various devices and screen sizes instead of being glued to a traditional desktop computer.
Enterprise mobility solutions enable employees to log into company platforms or programs using secure login information that keeps sensitive data safe. Mobile apps ensure that business data and tools can be accessed from nearly any device with wifi capabilities, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and traditional desktops.
2. Collaboration
Collaboration with management and other team members is critical for a successful office-to-home transition. Having access to the right collaboration tools can help make this transition easier. There are many technologies that businesses can use to quickly and effectively share information.
Email is one of the most popular collaboration tools used to share data, photos, videos and other media. Although email is not as engaging as real-time chat, it is a safe and trusted form of communication.
Phone calls also remain a staple in telework, and with smartphones, staff can talk to one another anywhere. Video conferencing, chats and instant messaging tools can also make telework more productive.
3. Networking
To be successful in a telework environment, employees must have a secure and reliable remote experience. The right network management solutions can help businesses meet the high demands of emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), increasing the number of endpoints.
Cloud integration is also a critical IT solution that requires superior network performance and bandwidth. With cloud services, businesses can more easily monitor and manage their networks in the cloud and help prevent outages and other operational interruptions.
4. Cybersecurity
Working from home poses certain risks that could put sensitive data in the hands of cybercriminals. Companies must follow security best practices to prevent cybersecurity incidents when employees work from home. This may involve using a VPN to encrypt internet traffic, making it unreadable to anyone who may intercept the data.
Having secured wifi connections and password-protected home routers is also critical for business security. Enforce security guidelines to keep data safe, such as two-factor authentication, firewalls, antivirus software and backups. Employees should also receive training to quickly identify and avoid phishing attacks and other malicious actions they may encounter online.
5. Applications
When working remotely, employees rely heavily on business applications to maintain performance. Companies must ensure that workers have secure and consistent access to vital applications from their home environment. This can be accomplished in several ways, such as using a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or remote desktop.
VDIs can help employees stay productive and enable collaboration between team members. Innovative tools also allow employees to share documents instantly. Businesses can also leverage other useful tools, such as one-on-one chat capabilities.
6. Printing
While working from home, employees may not have access to the wealth of equipment and supplies available in a traditional office environment. This includes printers, ink, paper and other supplies needed to print important business documents. Fortunately, there are some IT solutions that enable employees to easily print and request supplies.
Many businesses that have employees working from home are also moving to a virtual, paperless workplace which helps ease this transition. Documents can be created online, stored securely on the cloud and easily shared with management or team members with a few clicks of a button. Digital signatures have widely replaced pen and paper signatures, which helps streamline the paperwork process.
Inquire About IT Solutions for Telework
IT solutions for telework have become an important topic of discussion over the last year. With telework now becoming the norm in a post-coronavirus world, the need for cutting-edge IT solutions is critical for any business involved in telecommuting.
The right tools and strategies enable businesses to continue working productively from remote locations which helps keep employees safe without having to cease operations.
For more IT solutions for telework or to speak with an IT service provider about managed IT services, networking or IT security services, reach out to the IT experts at SeaGlass Technology today.