It’s probably safe to say that most organizations that made a sudden shift to work from home recently, did so due to necessity, and not due to a planned organizational change.

The results have varied by industry and by individual business, but I believe there is thing we can all agree on:

From a technology perspective, working from home has never been easier.

The rise of mobile devices, cloud computing and collaboration software have made most office-based roles achievable from home.  With the potential benefits of reducing office space, the leases, furniture, safety and utility costs that go along with it, maybe it makes sense to look at a long-term or permanent work from home option.

So, how can you ensure your staff & colleagues are safe, secure and productive when they work from home?

In this guide, we'll be covering some of the basic, and often-missed items that you should be aware of when you send employees home to work.

Data Security

While company data may be secure and accessible only on company hardware, what policies are in place if an employee is working from home?

The basics should include wording in your IT policy that includes "when away from the computer it must be screen locked" or something similar.  This is a very basic measure to prevent unauthorized access at the office, and should not be overlooked when working from home.

A more advanced approach would include a BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, policy that includes remote management software, and requires device enrolment to access company data.  After the devices have been enrolled, certain policies can be enforced on those devices to protect your company data.

Those with advanced security systems in place may need to expand geo-based access restrictions, and also deploy or expand virtual networks to retain public IP restricted protections and access.

Staff Training

Your workforce may not be ready to work from home for a number of reasons.  At the very least, ample training should be given on relevant collaboration systems.  A good example of this is Microsoft Teams or Slack.  While many office workers have embraced these collaboration tools there is still a percentage of them that shy away from new software.

As such, relevant training that encompasses all skill levels on the right software tools should be organized sooner rather than later.

Another item often overlooked is an update to your employee policies handbook.  A well thought out plan, including expectations for communication and availability for remote employees, is a critical component of a successful remote work program.

Getting the Basics Right

The basics, from an IT perspective, are the things that you might assume a staff member has but might be lacking.  A good example of this is the Internet.  While many would assume that everyone has home internet service, the reality is that there will be a percentage that for one reason or another do not have home internet, or do not have a connection sufficient for work from home.

As such offering, a 4G/5G hotspot with a company data allowance might be required.

Next up are the little things like monitors, keyboards, mice, and other peripherals such as a scanner.  Most work from home scenarios will help a company move closer to paperless processes out of necessity.  Scanning, however, is still is a part several job functions and may need to be considered.

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