The future of work is upon us. Remote work is quickly becoming the norm. In fact, a recent study by Pew Research Center found that 61% of American employees are voluntarily opting to work remotely. As more and more businesses experiment with this trend, companies are seeing benefits in reduced overhead costs and higher staff productivity.
That’s not to say challenges are nonexistent. As you learn how to manage a remote team and deal with a new company IT infrastructure, problems can mount quickly. This is where Managed IT Services come in. The service offers many benefits and is often the ideal solution for a remote company. But why is this?
When transitioning your company to a remote work environment, you're suddenly confronted with a glaring problem—countless personal devices must now access your network. And not only from home. Employees may work from a cafe, the airport, or check their work email while shopping. In other words, they’re probably accessing an unsecured, public network, all while sharing unencrypted files.
To make matters worse, your employees probably have improperly secured devices with weak passwords. It’s not really their fault. Taking the easy route is human nature, which is why it is not surprising that 59% of Americans use easily discoverable info in their passwords, like their birthdate or a pet name. Regardless, this lack of security is why personal devices are prone to attacks. The problem for businesses is, if cybercriminals can hack an employee device, it can become a gateway into your network. Before you begin to panic, take a minute and breathe. While the above problems may sound overwhelming there is a solution.
Employee education is critical. An MSP can train staff how to protect their devices and avoid common, costly attacks, like phishing or ransomware. They can also implement new policies and procedures to help employees routinize security processes; for example, two-factor authentication and creating a disaster recovery plan.
Furthermore, MSPs safeguard your business with a custom security setup. This may include several layers of protection, like firewalls, antivirus, and AI to automatically flag and stop threats. Gant Systems’ Managed Security model provides all of this, plus staff cybersecurity training and multi-factor authentication for password protection.
When a company transitions to remote work, one of the first problems it encounters is creating an environment of easy collaboration. You may lack a shared knowledge base or cloud platform that provides access to your files, business apps, and communication tools. You may have trouble keeping tabs on projects and lack processes to work remotely. With today’s technology, the solution is easier than you think.
An MSP can set up a team collaboration platform that all employees can access. Microsoft 365 is a great choice. It includes tools like SharePoint, which allows users to easily share documents; OneDrive, which virtually stores all your important files; Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings; and classic tools like Excel, Word, and Powerpoint. All these applications can be accessed from anywhere, any time, and on any device. An MSP can also set up a cloud email backup to ensure availability.
But before you can migrate to the cloud, you’ll need to retire your legacy system. This can be tricky because you’ll have to juggle data security and data migration, all while you carry out day-to-day operations with minimal downtime. A competent MSP will help you navigate the process.
A proper cloud migration and setup are critical for remote work. Without one, countless problems can bubble up—inadequate storage and backup could compromise your crucial data; a sluggish platform could slow your productivity and customer response times; and unguarded remote endpoints can become security loopholes when working off-premises. These issues could lead to a host of consequences, including downtime, high maintenance costs, reputation damage, and security breaches.
A seamless cloud solution begins with restructuring your IT infrastructure so employees can easily access cloud-based applications from wherever they are. Once your cloud infrastructure is set up, regular maintenance and backups are critical. Corrupted files and data loss are more common in remote work environments. Without a proper backup solution, you could lose vital data, which could result in massive downtime. So consider a customized solution that accounts for cloud-based apps and tools.
Gant Systems’ personalized contingency plan is a versatile solution. It not only backs up your data and prepares your business for disaster, but it also prevents data loss—as it actively looks for and stops potential cyber attacks, system failures, and crashes. This results in less downtime and faster response times, which save your business time and money.
A seamless cloud solution begins with restructuring your IT infrastructure so employees can easily access cloud-based applications from wherever they are. Once your cloud infrastructure is set up, regular maintenance and backups are critical. Corrupted files and data loss are more common in remote work environments. Without a proper backup solution, you could lose vital data, which could result in massive downtime. So consider a customized solution that accounts for cloud-based apps and tools.
IT can play a pivotal role in business growth, opening up your company to new possibilities. But implementing new technology without a guide can be costly, especially when working in a remote environment. Missteps in the migration process and unchecked security holes could cause permanent data loss and sporadic employee downtime, which could last months. You may also be unaware of the best technology solution for your business. If you purchase the wrong technology, you may overpay and only reap marginal gains.
When you work with an MSP, you get access to the latest technology solutions. Your infrastructure will change. But an IT expert will be there to guide you and answer any questions—all while optimizing your business for the modern age. You’ll reap benefits in the form of higher productivity, enhanced collaboration, and reduced costs. And you’ll be one step ahead of the competition as you leverage the technology and wisdom of IT experts.
The transition to a remote work environment can initially create havoc for IT Support. Your in-house team may be slower to act and connectivity issues could reduce the overall productivity of your team, causing frustration among staff. You may feel like the only solution is expensive hardware and software. Save your money. The core problem often has to do with planning. Without a plan for training, updates, and maintenance, the more likely you’ll experience chaos as you make the transition to a remote work environment.
As mentioned, having a plan before your transition is key. An experienced MSP can assist you with this and provide strategic consultations to ensure your IT is aligned with company goals. But this is just the beginning.
An MSP also provides remote access to your IT department and remote software delivery—so you can access new updates, patches, and apps quickly. What’s more, your MSP will proactively monitor your systems and networks. This remote monitoring is critical because it catches little IT issues before they bubble up into big problems that cause downtime.
As you transition to a remote work environment, your business systems may become drastically inefficient and consequently cause staff productivity to plummet. But IT inefficiency may not be the only reason for staff output issues. Employees may seem less motivated. Suddenly without a manager watching over them, they could be unsure of what to work on, especially if their roles and responsibilities are poorly defined. This combined with erratic, more flexible working hours can create an overall drop in productivity.
An MSP can provide all-around optimization. Their technology can avoid data and software mishaps that cause downtime, and resource monitoring can ensure employees are doing their jobs. The advanced technology MSPs provide, like cloud computing, often increase efficiency and collaboration, which provide an overall boost in productivity. In fact, at Gant Systems our clients often see a 45-65% increase in operational efficiency and a 25-45% reduction in costs with our services.
Remote work is revolutionizing the way the world does business. It is the future. And though the benefits of this work environment are many, if not properly implemented, the challenges can overwhelm a business. Downtime, damaged reputation, and higher costs are real possibilities. But there is another way.
At Gant Systems, we offer a comprehensive Managed IT Services solution to help you navigate through remote work difficulties. We provide remote support, remote infrastructure set up and management, and IT consultancy—all at a cost-effective and convenient service level. What’s more, we are here to answer all your questions and provide support where needed. Want to learn more? Schedule a Discovery Call today to stop worrying about how to build a remote work environment, and take action. Gant Systems is here for you. We can help take your business to the future.
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