Mar 20, 2020
With concerns on the rise and the risk of coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, businesses are seeing unique challenges that are impacting the operations of many organizations. One of the more notable challenges is the need for secure teleworking capabilities for workers to continue essential business operations. The safety and health of your employees should be the number one concern of your company, but that does not mean a business needs to come to a complete halt. Whether it is to avoid Covid-19 or a weather event, disasters don't need to be devastating to wreak havoc on your business.
Here in Atlanta, a half an inch of snow can – and has – shut down the greater metro area. When water mains burst, power or internet goes out, floods, fires, severe weather, or any other number of unanticipated situations happen, your business can come to a grinding halt, costing you thousands in lost revenue and productivity. Teams that are set up to work remotely can continue running business operations without a hiccup.
A remote work policy supports pandemic and disaster preparedness along with business continuity. How? Because 75% of teleworkers say they could continue to work in the event of a disaster compared with just 28% on non-teleworkers.
With the right technology infrastructure, employers can give their employees a secure, accessible option to work from home. Check out our list of must-have technology solutions your employees need to remain productive from any location.
Disasters are swift and unexpected. In seconds, floods, power outages, cyber-attacks, theft, and even snowstorms can obstruct operations, and with an increasingly mobile workforce, having a business continuity strategy is essential. Without it, files become inaccessible, work goes undone, processes are slowed, and employees are less productive.
Virtualization, or converting physical networks into virtualized IT environments, can make everyone's job easier. Virtualization gives employees secure access to company systems, applications, file repositories, websites, and vendor services to create a universal digital access point for remote collaboration. However, if your virtual network is not safeguarded by a trained IT team, there could be other risks like data breaches and cybersecurity attacks.
Information is a businesses' greatest asset. Despite technological advancements, 90% of corporate data is stored in unstructured formats like paper documents, shared hard disks, and filing cabinets. In our modern age, nobody should be working out of a file cabinet. When supporting remote workers, the necessity of digital files becomes even more apparent as it allows employees to interact with their documents from anywhere securely.
Reducing information-based vulnerabilities like access to physical files, lack of workflow continuity, or environmental impacts that can disturb employee productivity are just one of the many benefits of implementing a document management system. A document management system can help clean up files, secure information, and make your organization more agile. With easier access and more administrative control, a digital document management system can create enormous boosts in productivity and efficiency, while making your organization more agile.
Communication is at the center of every operation. Today's communications reach far beyond a desk landline. Instant messaging, emails, text, mobile apps, and video conferencing are some of the collaboration tools available to businesses looking to support a remote work environment.
Unified Communications (UC) provides products that encourage collaboration and make it easier for colleagues and customers to reach you. Users can communicate quickly and effectively in whatever manner suits their situation, using the same platform. Digital access is streamlined and more efficient, offering more productivity, better customer service, and cost savings. Upgrading to a cloud-based or hybrid system may reduce your company's communications costs and increase your company's ability to support a teleworking environment.
97% of workers surveyed in a FlexJobs report stated that a flexible work arrangement that includes remote work options would have a considerable improvement in their overall quality of life. Less time spent commuting, a more comfortable work environment, and fewer distractions all contribute to the employees being more productive while working from home. Global Workplace Analytics Costs & Benefits survey reported a 35-40% improvement in overall productivity from remote workers. Transitioning into a remote work environment with the right technology could make your business more reliable, even in the face of a national health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.
With the right technology, your employees and stakeholders can stay connected, productive, and integrated into your business's daily operations. We work to ensure our clients receive the best of both worlds: secure networks that maintain their efficiency for mobile teams, and the continuity and accessibility your business needs to support essential business operations.
