Due to the onset of the Coronavirus crisis and government-enforced quarantines, more businesses than ever have been forced into remote operations.
While some companies were well-prepared for this quantum shift, many others were not, especially small-to-medium sized businesses who have struggled with some of the requirements for facilitating effective remote work programs including:
- Choosing and using video conferencing and other communications applications
- Providing employees with remote access to shared servers and data
- Keeping data, devices and networks secure
- Having a disaster plan and policies in place
- Managing remote employees effectively
Remote work was already growing rapidly prior to the COVID-19 crisis, driven in large part by tech-adept Millennial workers
- More than 4.3 million people in the USA work remotely (3.2%) of the entire workforce.
- The number of people who work from home has increased by 140% since 2005.
- Despite increasing popularity, 44% of companies around the world still allowed no remote work at all. COVID-19 has changed that and may have changed it forever.
(Click here to see more statistics.)
Businesses once reluctant to try WFH may now be discovering it can work, but it works best having the right systems, processes and technology in place for it, as well as plans for managing it to keep work and productivity at high levels.
Suggestions include:
1. Have a Business Continuity Plan and a Disaster Plan in Place for times when unexpected events like COVID-19, extreme natural events or cyber-events strike. Business continuity refers to keeping operations functional during the event and immediately after. Disaster recovery focuses on how you respond after the event has finished.
Some key questions to ask:
- What systems, hardware, software and networks are critical for operations? (Do your employees have laptops or computers at home that they can use for work?)
- What controls are in place to prevent cyber risks? Is your infrastructure secure? (Utilize remote monitoring, VPNs and other firewalls to prevent breaches).
- What third-party services or vendors are critical to maintaining your operations? (Do you have IT support?)
- Do you have a data back-up and recovery service off-site like a cloud back-up solution? (In the event that your on-site data back-up is destroyed.)
2. Consider what video conferencing software and applications you want to use. Popular options include Zoom, Join.me, Google Hangouts, Skype and Microsoft Teams.
3. Consider what document sharing software and applications you want to use. Popular options include: Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive and Box.
4. Consider team communication and project management software. Popular options include: Slack, Asana, Monday.com and Trello.
If you have a Jacksonville-area business and need help with remote work networks or work-from-home support including disaster planning, business continuity, cloud back-up support, IT security, hardware and software deployment or other managed IT services—call BrightLink Technology today at 904.619-1966.