Flashback to a decade ago: “Work life” meant business casual attire, bumper-to-bumper commutes, and water cooler chatter. How things change! We’re in an era of remote work that’s completely changing how businesses operate and how workers collaborate. But there are two sides to every coin, and while remote work has created opportunities for enhanced flexibility and employee satisfaction, it has also introduced new security risks.
Outsourced IT services can help offload emerging concerns with innovative solutions. Explore the benefits and challenges of remote flexibility and how remote IT support can help you improve security and efficiency.
The New Normal: Flexibility in Business and Workforce Management
Remote work started taking off shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became the norm out of necessity. What did employees learn from it? They enjoy the freedom and productivity of working on their terms.
Remote Flexibility Remains a Must-Have
It’s here to stay, so companies must adapt.
Forbes paints a vivid picture of work life, showing that 98 percent of workers want at least some remote flexibility and that 1 in 5 workers already have it. By this time next year, approximately 32.6 million Americans will work remotely.
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Remote Flexibility and Tech
Between advanced technology and remote IT support, your organization can thrive in the future of work, enhancing benefits and mitigating risks in equal measure:
1. Save Money
Research shows that companies can save up to $10,600 per employee who works remotely. You can save thousands of dollars per year on operational overhead, even if it means redirecting some funds toward collaborative technology.
2. Retain Talent
One of the top drivers of turnover is unmet employee needs—and work-life balance is a biggie that remote flexibility can help solve. Workers are more likely to quit if forced to return to the office, with 63 percent of them willing to take a pay cut to work remotely.
3. Foster Productivity
Workers want more control over defining their roles, working hours, and locations. Between added flexibility and collaborative tech, 77 percent of remote employees report an increase in productivity, and upward of 79 percent of managers see higher productivity in a remote or hybrid setup.
Risks for the Remote Workforce
When your teams are working from anywhere, it’s harder to get a handle on security. Unsecured public Wi-Fi connections, phishing attempts, outdated systems, and inadequate device management can all put your organization at risk. This could leave logins vulnerable, introduce malware, and expose confidential information. But that doesn’t mean your hands are tied.
Tech Solutions for Hybrid and Remote Workspaces
Start by considering how your teams stay in sync. Unified communications platforms—such as from Zoom, Cisco, and Microsoft—bring apps and services such as call, chat, video, and audioconferencing together in one place to improve workflows and processes, keep teams connected, and reduce the need for multiple tools.
But what about your security posture? Taking a few basic steps can mitigate cybersecurity risks as workers shift between in-office and remote work.
- Basic security controls, such as VPNs, antivirus software, password policies, data encryption, and cloud-based file sharing
- Data security programs to protect critical data, including providing data security training
- Zero-trust framework, requiring verification for all remote users and devices before granting access to the network
- Cloud configuration to eliminate misconfigurations and enforce access controls to prevent security incidents
- Remote work policies, including implementing multifactor authentication to manage system access
How All Covered Enables Flexible Mobile Work
All Covered supports remote work with a holistic approach to mobility, ensuring a seamless and uniform user experience across all systems. As your single point of contact for IT, we make it easy to manage remote work environments. Our comprehensive remote IT support gives employees access to necessary resources and on-demand assistance from anywhere. Enhance team productivity and collaboration so remote employees can be every bit as effective as they would be in the office.
Cloud Services
As team members work from the office, the coffee shop, or even Oahu, cloud access maintains connections to key work systems. All Covered offers complete cloud support to improve your security and efficiency. Our services reduce internal IT demands, alleviating the burdens of monitoring and managing on-premises data storage and reducing costs.
We offer your team a variety of options, including:
- Public cloud
- Private cloud
- Managed services
All Covered even offers hybrid cloud solutions, enabling rapid scalability by shifting between public cloud resources during peak times and keeping more sensitive data on-premises or in a private cloud.
Managed IT Services
The more you grow, the harder it is to manage your organization’s technology needs, taking up valuable time and money. All Covered acts as your managed service provider (MSP) to handle your technology behind the scenes and enhance your efficiency. Get the help you need implementing and updating tech tools, with options including:
- All Covered Care
- Remote Help Desk
- Microsoft 365
Security Services
Business protection in a remote environment isn’t physical—it’s data-driven. All Covered offers security for the people, processes, and technologies that keep your business going. We lock down your data to maintain compliance and reduce your vulnerability, providing:
- Continuous protection
- Operational efficiency
- Cost savings
- Threat detection
Remote IT Infrastructure Services
Flex your mobility muscles. All Covered analyzes your remote work needs to help you create an infrastructure tailored to your requirements. As businesses potentially downsize office spaces or reduce in-house IT resources, All Covered fills the gaps with remote IT support and expertise.
Set your workforce free without compromising ease of use or data security. All Covered prepares your operations for remote flexibility with seamless and secure solutions, including:
Qualified Help Desk and Single Point of Contact
Implementing a qualified help desk enables your organization to leverage remote IT support. It eliminates inefficiencies by providing a single point of contact for all IT issues.
Applications and Monitoring Services
Server monitoring and management keep mobile systems going full steam around the clock, ensuring 24/7 system availability to keep your team productive. All Covered tailors your digital infrastructure for mobility and remote work to take the load off internal IT departments so they can focus on core tasks.
Backup and Recovery Services
Successful data backup and recovery can make or break your business continuity. Expert services, such as those All Covered provides, ensure data security and quick recovery when a threat is present. Our expert backup and recovery solutions prevent yours from getting lost in transmission, especially if it’s coming from remote workers using their devices in different locations.
Enabling Cybersecurity Everywhere
Advanced cybersecurity to support the entire customer ecosystem is our bread and butter. We configure your remote infrastructure and provide next-level protection, even for mobile devices and home connections that are particularly vulnerable. Here’s a sneak peek at our approach:
IT Compliance
Have to adhere to highly specific regulations? Consultants can help you stay compliant, improve processes, and avoid data breach fines by reviewing and updating remote systems according to industry regulations.
Email Security
Don’t let your communications compromise your security. Implement secure email to block spam, malware, and other threats and protect messaging gateways.
Patching and Endpoint Protection
Get the latest protection. Pros execute patching to address program vulnerabilities and bugs and implement endpoint protection to secure servers and workstations from external risks.
Penetration Testing
Think there’s a way into your systems? Consultants can identify security gaps and take steps to mitigate risks.
Security Awareness Training
Give everyone the tools to protect organizational assets, whether they’re on-site or remote. Security awareness training delivers the basics on spam, phishing, malware, and social engineering through interactive, scenario-based exercises.
Vulnerability Management
Your cybersecurity efforts are never done. Trust IT experts to consistently monitor your systems for gaps and vulnerabilities—and develop innovative solutions to ensure security from anywhere.
Thrive in the Future of Remote Work with All Covered
Embracing remote work isn’t an option—it’s a requirement as worker expectations and needs evolve to prioritize a healthy work/life balance. Whether you opt for a fully remote or hybrid model, it’s easy to achieve business continuity and support workflows.
By supporting remote access, you can maintain seamless operations anywhere. All Covered can help. Our MSP and remote IT solutions are backed by extensive experience to elevate your data security, ease of use, and flexibility. Get started today and transform your remote work strategy with All Covered.
