In the space of weeks, the way we work has changed beyond recognition. In this new working world, digital fitness has never been more important. And digital poverty has never been a bigger risk. New expectations have been set and rapidly become the norm. Whether you’re a small start-up or an established business, you are going to need to adapt – and fast.
As we head into the early stages of a recovery and return to work, every business needs to be sure they are digitally mature and fit for purpose.
Intalex’s team of digital specialists has pulled together this essential IT checklist for businesses to address if they are to successfully transition to the new world order.
Do we have the right tools to run our business remotely?
Thanks to the accessibility of affordable digital communication tools [like Zoom and Microsoft Teams] even the smallest companies have at their disposal the same tools as the world’s largest organisations. There are no excuses for being behind the curve. When toddlers and grandparents have mastered the art of the virtual meeting, there is nowhere to hide if your business is not able to do the same.
Your workforce needs the right suite of tools to allow them to collaborate and communicate and to keep pace with customers, clients, suppliers and shareholders. Equally importantly they need the right capabilities and infrastructure to use them effectively.
As the world moves to remote working, you may no longer be judged harshly if a curious child interrupts your board meeting but you will be causing great deal of frustration if your Wi-Fi is patchy, your sound quality is poor, you don’t know how to screen share or you cannot access the required information digitally.
How do we measure productivity?
A significant percentage of the workforce will be working from home at least some of the time for the foreseeable future. This will have a huge impact on how businesses manage performance and productivity levels.
Once you have the tools in place that allow effective remote working, how are you going to track productivity and efficiency?
Business managers need to be freed up from laborious processes to oversee working practices and outputs if they are going to prosper if this new world order.
Smart businesses will use data to automatically measure inputs and diagnose productivity levels and how to improve them.
Are our systems secure?
You may be a business that has invested heavily to make your office technology secure, but it’s highly unlikely that home working setups have the same level of security in place.
The rise of digital working will, unfortunately, go hand in hand with the escalation of cybercrime so your business must be prepared and protected with the appropriate cybersecurity technology and awareness training. Information security should follow your staff and protect every device rather than tied to a physical office.
Am I protecting my workforce?
At a time where the health and wellbeing of employees is paramount and in an age where it is no longer necessary to rely on hardware such as servers, IT provision should allow complete remote access to the information and tools employees need, minimising the need for unnecessary time in the office.
Working from home should offer seamless, real-time access to shared information, in effect making the home office an extension of your own company, allowing workers to focus on priority business, not frustrated at the lack of infrastructure or worried about having to visit the office to do their job effectively.
Intalex is an expert and experienced provider of IT operations, security, collaboration and continuity services that enable businesses to drive digital transformation. This is what we do. And it’s never been more important than it is now.
If we can help you navigate your business through this essential transition to agile working, please contact us.
