Five facts about working from home
DEFINITELY STRANGE TIMES
As the time continues and we work from home even more, we start to hear the same history every day, ‘Ransomware attack hit company X, or Data and Security breach about company XYZ, or Company ABC left their entire Database open in an EC2 instance’. the truth is cyber crocks are feasting with the way companies are securing their remote workforce. What I learned in my career as Network and Security Expert is that you need a good solution that is simple to use, fast to react, and able to contain a threat when it happens, this is exactly where a Cisco Partner like us can help you by creating a tailored approach for your business (yeah I know another sales pitch, but hang in there).
Many small businesses are moving to remote work by necessity (due to COVID-19), and that's not likely to change any time soon. In fact, having employees work from home has multiple benefits. It can reduce operating costs such as rental office space, travel, and commuting expenses, and make it easier to get and retain top talent who prefer workplace flexibility. In fact, over the last decade, working from home has become more prevalent with 56 percent of companies allowing remote work. So please stay with me a little longer and read the 5 Facts about WFH.
FACT 1: COMPLEXITY IS THE ENEMY
For many people, working from home is their new reality and they're still learning how to work virtually. But as a small business owner, you have a business to run. To ease the transition to working remotely, it’s important to keep things as simple as you can.
In a small business, you've got to be savvy. You don’t have the time to add more complexity to your already busy days. You don’t have to become an expert in technology to work remotely, but you do need the right tools and advice. With years of experience in remote work, Router ID along with Cisco solutions can help you.
You need solutions that are easy to deploy and manage while powerful enough to fend off cyberattacks.
FACT 2: SECURITY IS CRITICAL
Every small business needs to make security a priority because networks, systems, and users are bombarded with a continual stream of threats every day. Your business could be one data breach from oblivion. According to Verizon, 43 percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, and many businesses don’t recover. Although security solutions are becoming more efficient at detecting threats, attackers are also becoming more sophisticated and persistent. Your security needs to extend to remote workers and their devices. Look for a reliable network that:
Allows secures endpoint access to your network
Offers easy-to-use management and configuration
Protects your sensitive data by verifying the identity of users, devices, and applications
Defends against threats with cloud-delivered security
Can detect and block cyberattacks
FACT 3: COMMUNICATION IS KEY
The ability to communicate is vital for any small business; disjointed and clumsy collaboration tools can make matters worse. Meetings become a challenge when employees experience delays from login issues, connection dropouts, audio problems, or blurry video. If all people can make out is a bunch of fuzzy shapes in a room, it's difficult to tell who is talking or perceive body language. In the absence of good solutions, sometimes virtual teams "go rogue" and cobble together a collection of file-sharing and collaboration tools that may or may not be secure. To keep everyone productive, you need tools that:
Give your workers a variety of ways to communicate with voice, video, web, or messaging—all in one place
Come with built-in security, with encryption to protect the privacy of both the data in use and in transit
Offer high-quality video and easy screen-saving
FACT 4: TEAMWORK SHOULD BE EASY
Collaborating with remote teams is different than in person, but it’s easy if everyone is using the same secure interface. When teams can work in multiple modes (voice, video, web, messaging), all in one place, they can be extremely productive. Your virtual workspace should make it possible to easily:
Exchange messages and files across devices
Search the space to find conversations and documents
Privately message one person or create a group chat in seconds
Use a digital whiteboard to brainstorm
Launch video meetings
FACT 5: PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS AND NEEDS (SO BE PATIENT)
Like any change, the move to working from home can be confusing and hard. If your team is new to remote work, they may have questions and need answers about the new virtual culture.
“Do I have to turn on my camera? (My hair is a mess!)”
“Is it ok if my team sees that I’m working out of my kitchen in my background?”
“What if UPS comes and my dog won’t stop barking?”
Please comment and let me know if you agree or disagree with any of the points, I will like to know what is your current working from home condition.