Remote work is here for the long term

As companies consider making remote work or flexplace cultures permanent, some are worried about the long-term damage to employees and employers. A recent report from KPMG found that long-term remote working hampers the progress made in diversity and inclusion efforts and hurts team-building and the cross-pollination of ideas that occur with in-person interaction.

“Change is the only constant,” said Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher. Even he would be surprised if he were able to look at how we work together remotely and distance no longer plays a role. Much has recently changed in the IT industry and will continue to change faster.

Would continuing to work remotely cause the growth of intercultural and business skills at a slower pace? Many multinational corporations seem to think so. At Protected Harbor, we see it as another opportunity for more technological innovations and using existing software in innovative ways. Remote work post-Covid is the new normal. We need to find the silver lining

Protected Harbor’s Take

As times change, organizations need to adapt and restructure their office culture. Choose what works best for both the company and the employees.

“Remote work allows flexibility and better productivity. Employees can choose where to work from and can focus for longer periods.”                               – Richard Luna, CEO

One of the most significant advantages of remote work is a vast talent pool since the employer has no geographical limitations. Companies that allow remote work save lots of time, energy, and money as less office space and resources are needed. Also, our carbon footprints can be reduced.

With remote work, employees can have a more flexible schedule. Office distractions are eliminated, and productivity can be dramatically increased. It may help in extending the company’s operational hours. We also save commuting time and costs.

After the pandemic, employees expect their employers to allow remote work, especially if their physical presence is not needed.

The challenges in creating an actual remote work environment

A recent survey by Deloitte Tax LLP concluded. Remote work is a new reality. Perhaps, here to stay for the likely future- although in diverse degrees.

The report anticipated a pronounced shift, around 50%- 75% of employees working remotely in the future. Creating a proper remote work environment is far more complex than it seems due to several challenges.

According to the report, the greatest fear for employers is safety and security. They are further adding sustainability as a question to the model. Psychological safety is a challenge as some employees may feel isolated and overlooked. Security relies heavily on the infrastructure in use with the team at work.

The remote work is sustainable if we overcome the limitations. Team building and leadership is the first challenge. Since everyone in the team is spread across multiple locations, the reliance on technology poses a challenge. Taking the help of a specialized remote work technology service provider is a solution.

While reconnecting the workforce with a shared vision and purpose is also essential.
After the Covid-19 crisis has passed, managers may have to look for ways to re-establish trust among remote groups on a longer-term basis. Because now it’s more challenging to understand employee actions and motivations in a remote work setting. Establishing competency and interpersonal trust can be difficult.

Setting the remote work environment

Since you’re reading this column, you may even be considering remote work for your company’s staff or perhaps yourself. With Protected Harbor’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), you can set up your complete IT infrastructure. RDP is safer for company data, especially when employees are working remotely. With Remote Desktop, all of the data in and out is encrypted – no possibility of the company data being stolen. But if a laptop is stolen, regardless of how secure the computer is, the data will be stolen a high possibility.

A remote worker using a Remote desktop gets technical problems solved faster because a technician can respond quicker. When the employees work on RDP, the application runs on the server, not on the local machine, meaning the local machine can be a less expensive one. Thus saving significant unneeded expenses.

Click here to learn more about adopting the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for your business.

“Success in a hybrid work environment requires employers to move beyond viewing remote or hybrid environments as a temporary or short-term strategy and to treat it as an opportunity.” George Penn, VP at Gartner.

What are the Security Threats of Work from Home?

With COVID-19 changing the way we work, employees using personal devices at home expose themselves to greater security risks.  Rest assured hackers and malware programs are working overtime to exploit gaps and security oversights.

So what should employers do to ensure their systems remain free of hacks, ransomware attacks, and viruses?

Some employees may think their home is secure and private, however, they most likely will still be less secure than any corporate infrastructures.  Employees’ home offices probably don’t have hardware firewalls in place, multifactor authentications, or VPN’s.   These should all be considered and implemented by someone who is well versed in IT.

One of the most prevalent problems facing employees working at home is email scams.  Yes, they have been around forever but are problematic and sophisticated.  Today’s “scammers” are getting smarter and some phishing scams are created to take advantage of the current work from home scenarios.  These scams can include names of company personnel and may send users to a fake login portal or ask workers to forward login information.

In today’s climate, companies are faced with making things up as they go along because often, they don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to the growing number of work from home offices.  It would be prudent to educate employees on current cyber-crimes and offer training to ensure best practices are adhered to. Multifactor authentication is a key component to prevent attacks.

It is important to provide the necessary steps to in keeping your systems secure and this should never come at the cost of security.  Remote work policies should be monitored and updated often.  Security is never complete because the latest generation of cyber-criminals are bolder and can adapt to endless scenarios.

This is where a company like Protected Harbor can help.  Protected Harbor helps businesses across the US address their current IT needs by building custom, cost-effective solutions.  Our unique technology experts evaluate current systems, determine the needs then design cost-effective solutions. On average, we are able to save clients up to 30% on IT costs while increasing their security, productivity, and durability.  We work with many internal IT departments, freeing them up to concentrate on daily workloads while we do the heavy lifting.  www.protectedharbor.com