Responding to COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic is a fluid situation that HIOD IT is taking very seriously. We are taking every precautionary measure possible to ensure the safety of our staff, whilst continuing to provide an excellent service to our clients. 

Many businesses have begun transitioning to working-from-home in accordance to guidance by the Australian Government’s Department of Health. We fully endorse this transition and are here to help you, ensuring your staff have the technology needed to stay productive.

There are several main factors that must be considered before asking staff to work from home: 

• Can the role be carried out remotely? 
• Do they have a suitable workspace?
• Do they have a fast and secure network? 
• How will communication occur?

Here are some HIOD IT tips to make the transition from a physical working environment to a remote working environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Email:

There are a variety of email options that can be accessed from any computer or web browser. These include Office 365 and G Suite, each are popular options and familiar to most workplaces. Cloud computing services can help provide information on what option will integrate best into your business.  

Phones: 

The simplest way to retain office functionality is by unplugging the already configured phone from the office and reconnecting it to the router at home. However, using a VoIP phone system can also allow employees to maintain communication with clients/staff with added benefits of instant messaging, voice and video call.  

Data Security:

Keeping data secure can be extremely difficult, there is the risk that sensitive data may be copied and/or distributed. Keeping data secure can be done by ensuring employees only access work documents on a work computer, a work computer is more likely to have installed regular updates, run antivirus scans, and block malicious sites. A personal computer can be used if it is given remote access to an environment such as Office 365 and has adequate anti-virus protection. An encrypted Wi-Fi connection will also reduce the risk of valuable data being stolen. Managed IT services can assist in ensuring your staff’s devices are well protected when working remotely.   

 

Remote Communication:

Without the presence of face-to-face communication it is important for team members to clearly identify when they are working and to easily communicate like they would in the office. Email threads can be extremely inefficient for quick questions or back-and-forth dialog. Microsoft Teams and Slack are both effective platforms for fast communication between employees and even clients. These platforms also have an indicator that shows the status of team members. 

Password Management:

Source: Adobe Stock

Keeping passwords safe and secure is incredibly important when working remotely. Sending passwords on unsecure platforms that may be intercepted can be incredibly damaging to your business. LastPass and Dashlane are two platforms that are compatible with all operating systems, it allows for all passwords to be accessed across different devices in a secure platform. 

Feel free to contact us for any questions about how to best shift your workplace from the office to a remote working space. We understand it’s a challenging time and we can help guide you. We provide managed IT service, business VoIP, cloud computing services and IT hardware services & IT software procurement.