Remote work is a policy that businesses of all sizes are adopting in the face of the pandemic . In recent weeks, there has been an unprecedented increase in people resorting to remote work, something that has never happened before in the business world. Even companies that were previously wary of remote work are now adapting their strategies to allow their employees to connect from home on a larger scale.
Teleworking is not a new concept, especially for smaller businesses that are often driven by transformations, while being characterized by unparalleled mobility. Given that governments in a large number of countries recommend that citizens stay at home, issues are raised regarding the advantages of mobile telephony and remote work for both businesses and employees, as well as whether this “experimental” test could be the future of work. The only thing that is certain is that the increase in the percentage of people resorting to teleworking presents challenges, such as the existence of the right technology that will allow employees to be productive while teleworking, while security issues are also raised, given that such circumstances favor the malicious activities of hackers .
What problems do businesses face and how can they protect themselves?
Invest in the right technology for maximum productivity: Small businesses are more flexible and can more easily respond to remote work. Although large companies have diverse ways and different work processes, small businesses tend to adapt much more easily and be open to any changes. For small and medium-sized businesses, working from home not only offsets the pressure of securing a fixed office space, but also enhances employee interaction and productivity. In order to maintain productivity, employees must adhere to certain rules when working from home. Most importantly, they must be equipped with the right technology. It is worth noting that in the last month, the demand for laptops has increased rapidly in view of the teleworking recommended due to the Coronavirus, therefore, manufacturers of technological devices are seeing significant increases in sales.
Businesses need to ensure they invest in lightweight, portable, yet powerful systems that can support a remote workforce. Connectivity and performance are critical to enabling employees to communicate with their colleagues through online tools ,overcoming distance barriers and maintaining collaboration within teams.
Seeking new technology to avoid network concerns: The challenge for any business adding connected devices to its network is the amount of data those devices will generate and how to manage and process that data efficiently and securely .It’s no surprise, however, that with the surge in new remote users resulting from the coronavirus, SMBs may be “outperform” larger businesses, considering they are typically younger companies that are less dependent on legacy systems. However, they still need the right technology and infrastructure. Completely overhauling networks can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, creating another hurdle, especially for resource-constrained SMBs. Edge computing is a viable solution to this problem while also creating new methods for collecting, analyzing, and redistributing data and information. Processing data at the edge reduces pressure on the cloud, allowing users to choose which data to send to the core network.
Security: Perhaps the most significant challenge that comes with remote work is security. Universal remote working presents unique cybersecurity challenges that smaller businesses have not previously encountered. The NCSC recently warned of criminal groups exploiting the Coronavirus outbreak with phishing, as well as malware and ransomware attacks. For small businesses in particular, cyberattacks can have devastating consequences, as they often lack the expertise or resources to fully recover.
As more devices gain access to potentially sensitive corporate data away from the office, this opens the door for hackers to attack networks. As a result, security is now a top priority for small businesses, as they need to constantly monitor and update their systems. Businesses need to ensure that employees are equipped with the right security tools to mitigate the risk of cyberattacks. This, in turn, reduces the need for remediation resources in the event of an attack. Devices with facial or fingerprint recognition and hardware- based credential storage capabilities provide a secure first line of defense against hackers, significantly reducing the risk of unwanted logins. In addition, information should be stored in a central, cloud-based system, so that if a device is lost or stolen, that information remains secure.
The change that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought to the business sector poses, like any change, many issues that need to be taken into account, some of which concern the devices used by employees, the availability of bandwidth, while cybersecurity issues are also raised. More than ever, regardless of the size of a business, responsiveness and preparedness to the challenges presented by remote work are essential.
