Supporting Remote Workers – A New Strain on IT Resources
Offices across the country are coming to grip with a new reality and quite likely a new normal. Businesses shifted overnight from having 5 to 20% of their workforce remote, to as much as 100% remote. What began as a few weeks at home, has possibly shifted the balance of remote employees for years to come. IT teams initially responded by adding VPNs, preparing laptops, and deploying equipment for at-home use.
The equipment is essential, but the new remote worker needs more. To be as effective at home as in the office, they need help desk support, training, and the ability to communicate with their teams efficiently. Working from home can be a considerable challenge for some remote workers and IT teams designed to support corporate offices have been overwhelmed with support calls.
Getting and Staying Connected
Instead of supporting one environment, IT teams are dealing with dozens or even hundreds of unique, at-home networks. Their employees are connecting at varying speeds, using many carriers, router types, and sometimes configured by the household “expert.” Although the IT team may not be able to resolve every connectivity issue, it will result in additional support calls.
Video Conference
Video conferencing is a great way to collaborate. With options for recording, screen sharing, and demonstrating tasks, they can be a big boost to productivity. However, proficiency takes practice. Offering training for your employees can help them feel comfortable with the tools and make them even more productive.
Use Your Own Device (UYOD) Support
Whether this is company policy or a quick fix, this demands a reliable help desk. UYOD is the wild west of tech support. The help desk must understand your company’s applications and how they perform on Mac and PC. They will be troubleshooting a wide range of issues stemming from old equipment, old OS, new OS, infected PCs, and sluggish performance, to name a few.
Use Your Own Device (UYOD) Security
Maintaining software and security is much simpler with standardized equipment. Standardized PC “images” allow for remote updates. You can also manage settings that require automated updates for the latest application and OS security. Furthermore, company PCs are usually locked down tight to prevent rogue software and other “pathogens” that deliver malware and spyware. If you are allowing UYOD, additional support will be needed to maintain security.
Designing a New Strategy for Support
The initial response for most businesses when sending workers home for the COVID-19 crisis was to make sure their employees had the equipment and could connect. However, your business will need new strategies for supporting long-term remote workers. With the vaccine predicted to be many months away, treatments still uncertain, and social distancing our best defense, the new normal will be maximizing productivity at a distance.
Inc-sys supports remote employees with personable and knowledgeable assistance for network, OS, and application issues. Connect with us today to try our service and design a program to give your remote teams an edge.
To learn more about the inc-sys Service Desk click here.
