Many companies experienced a taste of the remote work lifestyle this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With stay-at-home orders in place and many businesses deemed “non-essential,” companies have had to pivot to keep their teams employed and serving their customers.
Perhaps the best way to continually deliver business is by allowing teams to work remotely. Employees can log in from home and, with the right infrastructure, continue to work as if they were in the office. This transition has been smoother for some companies than others, and for some, it can only be used as a temporary fix.
If your company is considering going remote beyond the current pandemic — either full-time, on a temporary basis, or even just certain portions of your staff — we want to give you a guide to help you ease the transition. With these steps, you can go remote without seeing any disruption in your services.
A Guide to Taking Your Business Remote
1. Establish a VPN
Perhaps the biggest concern for many companies about working is security. Data breaches and cyberattacks are more common than we’d like, and having many employees accessing company information from private (or public) networks can be risky.
By setting up a VPN for your company, your employees can log onto the network you already have established at the office to access the programs and information they need to do their jobs in a secure manner. This, then, keeps your data secure while also giving your team the ability to do their jobs from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Having a VPN also ensures that only your employees can access your business’s data. It’s a credentialed control system, so you don’t have to worry about cybersecurity attacks. Establishing a VPN is a good way to keep your data secure and your employees protected.
2. Use Cloud-Based Software
When employees work remotely, cloud-based software allows them to access all of the tools they would normally use to complete their day-to-day tasks at home. For example, your email provider is likely cloud-based, so your employees can access it wherever they have an Internet connection — or wherever they have access to company-provided devices.
Depending on your industry, cloud-based writing, presentation, and spreadsheet programs are particularly useful. These tools allow employees to create and edit documents across all of their devices. Likewise, other members of the team can access these documents, allowing for easier collaboration.
3. Maintain Communication Channels
Whether you already use a company-wide instant messaging app or you rely solely on email, you want to provide an easy way for employees to communicate with one another when they’re not in the office. This is especially important for employees who often work with staff outside of their immediate department.
Online messaging is a great way to keep your team connected with one another, whether it’s sharing a quick personal update that they may have shared at the water cooler, or if they have a business-specific message. Video conferencing is another great way to stay connected as well as increase employee engagement.
4. Provide Additional Support
The transition to a remote work model can be difficult, even for the most tech-savvy people in business. Improve their experience by leveraging Kinettix’s On-Demand Remote Services. We have expanded our globally diverse and remote work teams to be able to help our clients respond to the high demand for remote workforce support. We’re available to handle incoming calls from end users transitioning to working from home, as well as support your ticket management and talent pool development needs.
Our remote help desk services can help you field calls during high-volume times but can be scaled back when you no longer need the capacity. When you’re ready for off-site jobs, we can help you through every step of your global IT projects. From site call-aheads to field technician management to tracking your shipments and everything in between, our On-Demand Remote Services are here to help.
Kinettix is here to guide you through difficult transitions — whether you’re updating your infrastructure or adjusting to the current business climate. By using the four tips listed above, you can ensure that your employees can work remotely without missing a beat. Our team is here to support yours, no matter where in the world you are.
