Technology Questions Your Business Needs to Answer About Remote Work

Remote Work Technology Questions

The COVID-19 health crisis forced businesses throughout California to shift to remote workplaces. The dramatic change means companies and their employees have to adapt to new ways of working.

Employees are working not from corporate offices but home offices, dining room or kitchen tables or couches. They're using home WiFi networks to connect to the internet and your business servers. Employees have to learn new applications like Microsoft Teams to collaborate with colleagues and share work files.

While working in this surreal setup, employees must balance sharing space with partners and roommates, managing at-home learning for children and worry about their health and finances.

It's a turbulent time to be sure.

What Risks to Cybersecurity to Companies Face During the Pandemic?

As companies grapple with dramatic changes to their work, they are simultaneously facing increasing cyberattacks. These attacks often target the vulnerabilities employees experience -- concerns about health news, financial uncertainty and the stress of the ongoing restrictions.

Hackers prey on those fears with phishing attacks, usually in the guise of emails sent from what appear to be official sources, health or government agencies or prominent figures. The attacks, written in urgent tones, often encourage readers to click on an attachment or website link.

These actions, however, often deliver malware to employee computers. Those programs can steal or erase data or lock out websites and systems in ransomware assaults. Such attacks can be devastating to companies financially and reputationally.

The rise in cyberattacks prompted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Centre to issue a joint statement warning companies of the growing threat.

The bulletin encourages companies to be vigilant in their policies and procedures related to cybersecurity.

What Can My Business Do to Protect Itself from Cyberattacks During the Pandemic?

Businesses face a complex balancing act when it comes to providing tools and resources to their employees while protecting data and systems. Here are some technology questions to consider for your remote workforce:

• Which employees can work from home or otherwise outside the office?
• Can these employees fulfill their roles and complete necessary tasks remotely? What can and cannot be accomplished?
• Do employees working remotely have the right technology to do their jobs? This determination should include hardware, such as laptops and smartphones, software applications and peripherals such as printers, scanners, cameras and related technology.
• Is the company going to provide these technologies and equipment or rely on employees to provide their own?
• Can your business internet service and cloud solutions support the surge in remote employees?
• Do you have the proper licensing agreements to allow employees to access applications and services remotely?
• Do you have the correct number of seat licenses to support multiple users accessing apps?
• Do you have enough storage capacity in your cloud services to support all your remote workers' data needs?
• Have you provided enough support and training for employees needing to use new tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom?
• Are there files and information that employees should not access using personal equipment or home wireless networks?
• Do you have technology in place to replace in-person meetings with collaboration tools or videoconferencing?
• Can your business phone system keep employees, partners, suppliers and customers connected or do you need to switch to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system?

On Time Tech specialists are ready to help your business with technologies that support remote work. We offer solutions including total IT management, cloud-based productivity tools like Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams, data backup and recovery, cloud storage and cybersecurity. Learn more about our customized IT solutions by contacting us today.