By now almost everyone has been impacted by the coronavirus. You’ve either stocked up on toilet paper and hand sanitizer or you can’t trade your firstborn for a single roll. All kidding aside…is your business ready to accommodate your remote employees?
Most large corporations have already suggested or required that employees work remotely to lessen the possibility of spreading the virus. These larger companies have in-house IT support that have measures in place so that employees can work safely at home. Many small to medium-sized businesses are not well-equipped to transition to remote employees that work from home. And, many cities and states are requiring that all businesses have their employees work remotely from home. Is your company IT prepared? Do you know if you have the right equipment? Do you even know where to start?
It can be overwhelming for a business owner during these uncertain times, so these tips will make the transition easier for both you—the business owner and for your employees.
Some things to consider as you navigate the decision-making process on whether your business should make the move to remote employees.
- With schools shutting down for the next several weeks, employees with children won’t have easy and affordable access to childcare
- Many employees are worried about exposure to the virus in the work environment and during their commute
- Some cities and states have mandated that non-essential personnel work from home
Challenges for businesses with remote workers.
- File sharing/backup
- Will your employees have access to the files and applications they need to work productively?
- Will you be able to control access to files that only management needs?
- Will your employees have the ability to interact with one another?
- What happens if one of your employees suffers either a power outage or an internet outage?
- Communication
- What will your company’s communication look like?
- Does your current IT set-up accommodate your communication plan?
- How will your staff communicate with clients?
- Cybersecurity
- Without the proper configuration, your remote employee may be using their home internet that is unmonitored and unprotected leaving them vulnerable to hackers.
- Hackers will be focusing on this influx of unsecured home Wi-Fi network usage
- Will they be storing important documents, containing sensitive information locally on their laptops or on their personal computer at home?
- Will they have access to cloud storage that is secure?
- Hackers are already playing on the public’s fear and launching coronavirus related phishing attacks.
- Accountability
- How will you keep your employees on task?
- Do you have a clear plan or description of setting expectations for your remote employees?
Technology is your friend with remote employees.
- Technology has made working from home relatively simple if your technology is set-up properly
- Virtual desktops allow employees to log-in remotely and access all of their files and applications
- Messaging, email, and teleconferences make communicating with each other for one-on-one communication and meetings simple
- VoIP phones can be forwarded to cell phones or home landlines
- Office 365 has several built-in functionalities for remote employees, such as Teams and Sharepoint
Why hire Spry Squared as your Managed IT Services Provider to Help with Your Transition?
The good news is that Spry Squared is positioned to help you and employees transition smoothly into this new workplace.
Spry Squared has over 60 years combined experience in helping businesses plan, build, and maintain their IT infrastructure. Don’t be concerned because your business is too small or too big…we’ve helped businesses with just a few desktops to hundreds of desktops.
Our Managed IT Services experts can help with:
- Assessing your needs to accommodate your new remote employees
- Create a plan for the transition
- Assist with any purchases to transition your staff to work from home
- Install and maintain any required equipment and/or applications
- Ensure that all software applications are up-to-date
- Install and maintain necessary cybersecurity measures
- Ensure that your business is compliant
- Train employees on recognizing malware and phishing attacks
- Provide helpdesk support so that efficiency is reliable, timely, and consistent
- Our services are affordable and scalable
A final note…we take this Covid-19 virus very seriously at Spry Squared. Because the health and well-being of our employees and clients are important to us, we have transitioned our employees to work remotely at home. So we know this works! We continue to support our clients as we always have…with respect and kindness in a timely manner during these uncertain times. Be well, everyone!
Contact the Managed IT Services experts today to discuss your transition to remote employees.
