Thanks to technology, it is possible to work from almost anywhere these days. It’s one of the benefits of our modern age. It is important for a company to have the right mix of policies and technologies, though, to help their employees successfully employ remote work. Below are five ways a company can support remote work and make it successful.

1. Use chat apps to bring your teams together: team-based work continues to grow in the business world, so it is important to find new ways to keep your team members communicating with one another. It is also important to have systems in place that encourage employees to move between the different teams to collaborate and share information. RedWave Technology Group recommends a few team-based chat apps for employees inside and outside of the office setting. These include Cisco Spark, Microsoft teams, Google Chat, and Slack. These apps allow your employees to constantly communicate through messaging. Employees will also be able to share documents easily through these apps.
2. Fostering connections and accountability with video conferencing: more companies are allowing their employees to work from home regularly. Without the right tools in place, having employees work from home can backfire. The best way to make this work is by fostering more collaboration and communication with remote workers through video conferencing. A business can use video conferencing to not only have scheduled meetings but to keep track of the employees working in remote locations. Cisco Systems has a program called “The Portal” that allows employees from across the country to see what is happening across the coast by simply walking up to their screen. The portal system typically runs all day long in these situations. Other programs, such as Skype for business, allows employees to meet face-to-face while also allowing managers to know when and where an employee is working.
3. Accessing mission-critical apps through virtualization: as more companies embrace mobility solutions and engage in remote work, they continue to seek ways to ensure secure access to their mission-critical apps for their employees. Remote workers can access the apps they need from companies through virtualization of desktop environments and applications. This allows the company to send critical data without fear of the information being compromised if the employee’s device is hacked, stolen, or lost. Several online vendors now offer virtualization solutions to companies that help them go beyond the traditional boundaries of company networks. These vendors provide companies with a manageable, efficient, uniquely secure delivery of their environments and applications to employees.
4. Collaboration through document sharing: being able to access applications while an employee works remotely is one way to ensure their productivity. It is important, though, that those employees are also able to collaborate on and edit within these applications in real time. Two options that are great for remote workers on the cloud include Microsoft’s Office 365 and Google’s G Suite.
5. Firewalls and VPNs to keep data secure: when it comes to remote work, data and device security are a huge concern. Many of these security issues can be mitigated with virtual desktops, but it is also important to invest in endpoint security solutions and enterprise mobility management. Remote workers should also be provided with firewall technologies and virtual private networks for security. The company will need to create policies that restrict what data an employee can remotely access as well. Any high-risk functions should be locked down if they are not necessary for an employee to complete their job. Limiting functions such as copy/paste, screen capture, printing, and external saving can help keep company data safe.

Not every company is interested in allowing their employees to work remotely. It is best for a company to determine which work method works best for the work that needs to be done. If your company does support remote work, it is recommended that your company understands how to measure productivity, that employees and managers are proactive, and that all teams communicate often.  If you need assistance with any of the tools mentioned above, reach out to RedWave Technology Group today!