What kind of technology does remote work need?

COVID-19 changed the work landscape.

Across the country, as lockdowns and social distancing took effect, companies that previously never would have considered it sent people home to begin remote work. The genie is out of the bottle now. Even as the world returns to normal, remote work has tripled in the United States since 2019.

A remote workforce has different technology needs, which means you must adapt to the times. What kinds of technology do you need to cater to your remote workers?

Hardware

The most obvious thing a remote worker needs is a computing device. This is most often a laptop computer, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes, a tablet or phone may be all that’s needed. Others may need the power of a full desktop workstation (animation or video production, for example).

Different industries will have different needs for peripherals. Some might need a good phone headset for call center work, and others may need a tablet or a larger monitor with better color grading for artistic creation. As a general rule of thumb, if you need it in the office, you need it at home. Don’t expect your workers to provide their own equipment.

Networking

The most important need for a remote worker is a business-grade firewall.

When workers were in the office, it was easy to wall off bad actors. The IT department had control of the whole network and all the entry and exit points, but this is not the case with remote work. People are connecting across various networks, and many are lax about their home internet security.

A good firewall is less necessary if your workforce is connecting to the office for everything—for example, through a VPN. This puts them remotely right back in the same controlled environment. Your managed service provider (MSP) can help with firewalls, antivirus, and malware. Control as many variables as you can to keep security high.

Connection

Reliable, fast internet is also a must. Satellite or DSL are often not enough, and rural areas suffer from this more than urban areas. With many people moving further out from city centers due to not having to commute, this is more of a concern than you’d think. And if people have multiple individuals home during the day using the same connection, they’re all soaking up bandwidth too.

Remote work isn’t going away anytime soon, and if you’re still figuring out how to keep your workforce secure and productive at home, we can help. Contact TeamLogic IT today and find out how we can help your remote workers succeed.