Stay Connected, Productive, and Secure While Working Remotely
Remote work is here to stay—as more businesses shift towards remote work, it’s becoming increasingly clear that technology is an essential piece of the puzzle if companies want to be successful.
As a company with a growing remote workforce, we’ve discovered that certain tools are critical for employees to be successful when working remotely. In this blog, we’ll explore ten powerful technology tools that can help your business thrive in a remote work environment.
The Importance of Specialized Remote Workplace Technology
The basics are great for personal use—remote and hybrid workplaces have used tools like Skype, Dropbox, and basic instant messaging for years. However, they may not be sufficient for businesses that require more advanced features and security.
Adopting newer, more collaborative tools allow your business to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive in an ever-evolving market.
10 Powerful Technology Tools for Remote and Hybrid Workplaces
1. Virtual Collaboration Tools
Virtual collaboration tools, like Microsoft Teams and Slack, give businesses tools to keep collaborating, producing, and performing.
These tools have features that allow employees to work together, even when working from across the country, including instant messaging, voice calling, video conferencing, screen sharing, live event hosting, and file sharing.
With Microsoft Teams, remote and hybrid organizations have the tools they need to collaborate on documents and manage projects in real time, reducing the painstaking need for office nuisances like endless email exchanges and version control issues. Microsoft Teams also integrates with other standard workplace technology tools like Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Power BI, giving remote and hybrid employees the tools they need to get their jobs done from anywhere.
2. Endpoint Detection and Recovery (EDR)
With EDR, you can help protect your network-connected devices, regardless of location. EDR works by monitoring your devices in real-time to detect cyberattacks, isolate infected machines, alert administrators, and remove cyberthreats.
System administrators also have the tools to identify past incidents to patch cybersecurity flaws in your system.
EDR is vital to any cybersecurity solution but is essential for remote and hybrid organizations where you cannot monitor equipment on an internal network. Additionally, EDR can help prevent employees from bringing equipment into the office and infecting the entire network.
3. Custom Software Integrations
With more reliance on software applications to get your job done, custom integrations, which allow different software systems to communicate with one another, are more important than ever.
An Application Programming Interface (API) provides a set of definitions and protocols that software users can use to create custom integrations and middleware. For example, adding a daily weather forecast from weather.com to your landscaping company’s website.
An often overlooked benefit of customer software integrations is that they can give remote and hybrid organizations a competitive advantage, especially against brick-and-mortar counterparts, by enabling them to offer unique services or capabilities.
4. Remote Technical Support and IT Management
Supporting your workforce while they work remotely can be a challenge. If you’re looking to enhance and support your IT operations, consider exploring Remote IT Management services from an experienced managed service provider (MSP).
Remote IT Management can offer several benefits for remote and hybrid organizations, including cost savings, increased flexibility, strengthened security, heightened efficiency, and access to a wider range of IT expertise. With 24/7 support services, employees can access reliable support regardless of location and time zone. Additionally, Remote IT Management can help businesses optimize their IT infrastructure without needing in-house or on-site IT staff.
5. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
A virtual private network allows devices on a less-secure residential or public network to safely transfer files and data over a secured, private internet connection. With VPNs, your employees can safely share and access important information they need to get their jobs done.
VPNs also provide an additional layer of protection for your business against cyberthreats. By encrypting data transmitted between remote workers’ devices and the company’s network, VPNs make it difficult to intercept and read data. Additionally, most VPNs require some form of authentication before allowing access to your company’s network, which helps ensure that only authorized users can access the company’s resources.
VPNs are also scalable and easy to manage, making them a cost-effective solution for small and medium-sized businesses.
6. eCommerce Tools
With more people working and shopping online, businesses are looking for new ways to reach their customers via the internet. To monetize operations, companies are focusing on online storefronts, online service sales, fundraising websites, search engine optimization, and business listing management.
eCommerce tools can help your business expand its market reach and diversify revenue streams. Moving your inventories, products, and services online allows you to reach customers beyond their physical location. Added eCommerce features, like chatbots, automated email, and integrated dashboards, can help you enhance your customer experience and make better decisions.
7. VoIP Phones
Overall, VoIP phones can provide remote SMBs with an affordable, feature-rich phone system that can help improve productivity and collaboration.
Most importantly, cloud-based VoIP phones can also be used from anywhere with an internet connection, making them an ideal choice for remote and hybrid workers on the go—you’ll be connected to customers and colleagues no matter where you’re working.
VoIP phones also offer advanced features geared towards productivity and collaboration—for example, call forwarding, video conferencing, and voicemail-to-email transcription. Likewise, the scalability of VoIP phone systems makes them a good choice for small and medium-sized businesses that are growing or have inconsistent call volumes.
8. Microsoft Azure
Azure is a cloud computing service that provides remote access to the technology services, tools, and infrastructure employees use in the office every day. Azure provides over 100 applications and services to enable your remote workforce, including virtual machines, virtual desktops, application development tools, networking, and more.
Also, Azure offers a wide range of tools and services that you can use to build and deploy applications and services across different platforms and devices.
An added benefit of Azure is that there’s a wide variety of pricing options that can be tailored to the specific needs of your business. Azure’s scalability can make it easier for you to manage IT costs and avoid expensive upfront costs related to hardware and software.
9. Cloud Data Backup
Cloud data backup is essential for a business operating in a remote environment. With cloud backup, your files are safe and secure, available from anywhere, anytime you need them.
Many remote/hybrid businesses find that cloud backup solution are more cost-effective than traditional backup solutions, because they no longer need to worry about expensive hardware and maintenance costs. With remote access, cloud backup solutions can also help remote teams boost collaboration by allowing them to access and work on the files simultaneously.
Finally, since cloud backup solutions aren’t tied to physical equipment in your office and are managed by a third-party provider, they’re much easier to scale with the size of your business.
10. Cloud-Based Enterprise Resource Planning (Acumatica)
Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, like Acumatica, give remote and hybrid organizations the flexibility, scalability, and real-time data they need to operate efficiently, effectively, and securely.
No matter where employees and customers are located, Acumatica provides real-time business data on essential metrics to help make more informed, intelligent business decisions. Acumatica has also been engineered to provide robust security and data protection, ensuring that remote and hybrid organizations operate securely. Many small and medium-sized businesses also find that Acumatica is more accessible and scalable than legacy ERP systems that require extensive training and in-office equipment.
Questions About Remote Workplace Technology?
High Touch specializes in enabling businesses to be successful in a remote work environment by providing comprehensive technology products, services, and support. Contact us today to learn more.