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    28Nov, 2022
    IT Support Tips For Remote Workers

    IT Support Tips For Remote Workers

    Working from home has become the new normal for many Australian employees. While in some areas of the country, remote working is compulsory during lockdowns and government restrictions, many companies are now offering employees the choice of ongoing remote work arrangements.

    It is expected remote working is here for the long-term, which means it is more important than ever before to ensure adequate IT support is available. Below we outline some challenges and tips for providing technology support for a remote workforce.

    What Are The Challenges Of Working Remotely?

    While the remote workforce has been growing over the last decade, for most businesses, remote work was not considered to be a viable option. As a result, the rapid changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic caught many businesses unprepared for the impact of stay-at-home orders on keeping their operations functioning and employees productive.

    Traditional IT support and security systems are designed for offices where all employees are connected to a single secure network environment and in proximity to each other. This pivot to a remote work environment has left companies wondering if they had the right technology and staff to support this change. There were also concerns about cybersecurity, and how to ensure employees were able to engage and communicate, while being mindful of the business budget.

    Home Network Infrastructure

    The biggest IT challenge of remote work is the network infrastructure of employees at home. Very few employees have an internet setup to handle their company’s workload. The typical home internet set up is adequate for streaming movies, playing online games, or internet browsing. But consumer-grade network equipment is not designed to handle the load when everyone at home uses it at the same time, leading to lagging video conferencing, or continual dropping out of the company network.

    IT support tip: Employees should plug their desktop or mobile device into a dedicated ethernet wire if possible. Alternatively, set up their remote workstation as close to their Wi-Fi access point as possible. Otherwise, they may need to update their home router to handle the increased demands of work from home on top of regular internet use.

    Tools Of The Trade

    Creating a work environment that is as close to the physical workspace as possible can be a challenge when it comes to a remote workforce, especially if some employees work remotely part time, or are in different time zones. Maintaining productivity, employee engagement, and communication are key to ensuring your business does not experience any negative impact of a remote workforce.

    IT support tip: Providing the tools and training to use them will empower your employees to work as efficiently as if they were in the office. Collaboration and communication solutions such as Microsoft 365 offer your company unparalleled capabilities to share and collaborate on documents in real-time, as well as chat and video functions that keep you all in the loop.

    Cybersecurity Threats

    Next on the list of IT support challenges for remote working is how to keep businesses safe from cybersecurity threats. Employees using their own IT infrastructure are very unlikely to be using the latest cybersecurity tools and may not adhere to standard security protocols. They may click on malware links or have poor password habits, which can lead to a risk of security problems for your company’s network. It takes most companies almost one year to detect and contain breaches, and this can lead to profound consequences both financially and to a loss of business reputation.

    IT support tip: Ensure employees are trained on remote security measures, and use multifactor authentication, strong passwords, and equip them with appropriate cybersecurity software. Understanding the dangers of malware and phishing attacks can help employees to be better equipped to avoid these situations and bolster the efforts of IT teams to bolster network security.

    Compliance Issues

    Data protection and privacy regulations in Australia must be complied with, and failure to do so can result in fines of up to $2 million AUD. One of the big challenges for supporting remote employees is staying compliant with data security legislation. Businesses can find it difficult to control how employees connect to networks and where they store data, increasing the risk they could be downloading and sharing protected data and information.

    Provide company-owned devices to employees to retain control over security protocols and enable better support for issues. If employee devices are used, ensure they are secure and up to date, and provide a strong virtual desktop or cloud communication options to stay connected.

    IT support tip: Implement and enforce security and compliance policies, to ensure compliance with legal requirements in your industry. Deploy firewalls and virtual private networks (VPN) to maintain security and protect data.

    Outsourced Tech Support

    Once a company switches to remote working, it is more likely there will be an increase in IT issues. This can put increased pressure on existing IT staff, who may not have a wide enough range of experience to support remote workers. Or you may not have a dedicated IT team within the business and cannot justify the cost of hiring more staff for this purpose. Lack of IT support can mean less productivity, less employee engagement, and higher costs as you try to fix infrastructure that is redundant for remote work purposes.

    IT support tip: Instead of taking on additional staff, you should consider outsourcing your IT support. Managed services providers (MSP) offer diverse types of plans which can cover the support your remote workers need on an ongoing basis, as well as ensure areas such as cybersecurity and cloud computing are covered. A MSP can also provide expert advice about how best to make your company’s transition to remote working. By choosing to outsource to a managed service provider, you have access to more modern IT solutions, which optimises your business efficiency and productivity, and provides your employees with the best available support.

    If your business is making the shift to remote work models, talk to the Essential Tech team about the perfect IT solution for your modern office.

    Resource : https://www.essentialtech.com.au/blog/it-support-tips-for-remote-workers

    28Nov, 2022
    IT Strategy: The Difference Between Business Success And Failure

    Business success is not a matter of luck. It is a matter of proper planning and execution.

    With new technologies and trends coming out every day, companies are struggling to find ways to stay ahead of their competitors.

    The key is to have an IT strategy that can help you not only survive, but thrive, in this ever-changing digital landscape.

    A successful IT strategy is based on an understanding of the business needs and expectations, while failure can be attributed to lack of understanding or poor execution.

    What Is An IT Strategy?

    An IT strategy is a comprehensive plan that describes what an organisation wants its IT department to do, how it will do it, and why. It also includes a list of goals, which are concrete tasks, and objectives that should be accomplished by specific dates.

    The objective of an IT strategy is to provide a framework for your business to use technology in order to achieve both your short-term and long-term goals.

    A business can create an IT strategy by looking at their current environment, analysing the market, identifying their goals, and then creating strategies for how they will reach those goals through the use of technology.

    An IT strategy should not be confused with business strategy; while they are both important and intertwine in terms of goals and objectives, they often take different paths in terms of usage. Your business strategy should consider the technological infrastructure that IT plans to develop, while IT strategy should integrate plans related to your overall operations.

    What Is The Importance Of An IT Strategy?

    The difference between success and failure is strategic planning.

    IT strategy can be seen as one of the most important parts of a business. It is not only crucial for the success of any business, but it also impacts employee workflows, processes, day-to-day operations, customer service, and how well your employees are performing.

    It is important to have an IT strategy in place as it helps you make decisions about what technology you should invest in, and where your company should focus its efforts.

    Without an IT strategy, businesses will be at risk for not being able to compete effectively with their competitors.

    Creating An IT Strategy For Success

    In order to be successful, an IT strategy should state clear objectives and show how it can deliver on those objectives. It should also have a process that allows the company to measure progress and identify areas of improvement.

    An IT strategy should also have a plan for managing change, which should include planning for future technology advancements, as well as anticipating potential problems. Flexibility is vital, as it allows for any issues or opportunities that may arise.

    Key areas to be considered when creating an IT strategy:

    • Overall business vision
    • Core values
    • IT roadmap
    • Competitive advantage
    • Long-term adaptability
    • Continual monitoring
    • IT infrastructure
    • Budget

    An IT strategy aims to answers questions like:

    • What are the key technologies we need for our business?
    • How will these technologies be used in the future?
    • What is our current IT infrastructure, and what does it look like?
    • How can we get the most out of our current resources?
    • How can we ensure that these technologies will provide value for our customers and shareholders?

    There are always new advancements, hindrances, and trends in today’s digital landscape. It will take some time to implement these changes into your IT strategy, so you may want to begin focusing on your adaptability earlier rather than later.

    What To Avoid When Creating Your IT Strategy

    One of the most important parts of your strategy is to avoid being caught up in the hype.

    Some IT strategies can be so ambitious that they become difficult to implement. It’s important to remember that your strategy should be realistic and achievable, not just a pipe dream.

    Avoid these pitfalls:

    • Failing to include all stakeholders in the decision-making process and understanding their needs.
    • Not considering the full range of risks and threats that could arise when implementing new technology.
    • Not having a clear idea of the requirements of your business.
    • Not considering the needs of your customers.
    • Not having a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your IT strategy.
    • Creating a strategy that is too rigid or doesn’t allow for flexibility.

    Strategise With The IT Experts

    With the help of a scalable, flexible IT strategy, companies can avoid business failure by ensuring they have a strong foundation and clear goals achievable through key technologies.

    The IT specialists at Essential Tech can help you create an IT strategy that aligns with your future visions and business targets. They’ll endeavour to understand your company from the inside out to help you find the right IT infrastructure that will help you grow and keep ahead of the competition.

    Resource : https://www.essentialtech.com.au/blog/it-strategy-the-difference-between-business-success-and-failure