What do you need to consider before you can effectively set yourself/your employees up to telework?
With lock-downs happening all across the United States there is a growing need to work from home. We have provided a checklist of items to consider in order to determine how you and your staff can work remotely:
1) Email
Can your employees access their email via the web, or do they need to remote into their office computer to do so? If you are using Office 365 or Gmail, you should be able to access your email from anywhere by following the links listed below and signing in respectively. If you have other mail providers, reach out to us and we can help figure out a solution.
Outlook – https://www.office.com/
Gmail – https://www.gmail.com/
2) File Sharing
Where are your work files stored? Do you have centralized servers and shares or are all your files on individual computers? Or, perhaps a mix of both?
On a server – You will need to setup your employees with a VPN, or you will need to install a file sharing application on the server (such as Dropbox or OneDrive) and migrate all your shares to the cloud. If you require a VPN, give us a call and we can help you get set up in a timely manner.
In the cloud – This is by far the easiest solution to sharing files. Simply equip your employees with accounts to access the cloud (Dropbox or OneDrive), have them install the application onto their computer, and then sign in with their accounts.
On individual computers – The solution for accessing files on individual computers is similar to accessing them if they’re on a server. You can either get setup with a VPN and/or a remote desktop access. Again, please give us a call if these options are needed and we can help get you setup. Another option is to access these files using an Application-Based Remote Desktop such as TeamViewer (read more about TeamViewer in our article, “Technology Tools to Easily Work From Home”).
3) Applications
Do you have applications that are difficult to install or need to be connected to your network to run?
Must be at work to run – AutoCAD, QuickBooks, and Medisoft are all examples of software that may not be accessible with a home computer. The only solution to this is to remote into your work computer via a VPN or an application-based remote desktop software (like TeamViewer, mentioned above).
Can be at home – Examples of this are Word, Excel, Outlook, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Email. You may have to purchase licenses for employees to install the desktop-based versions of the software onto their computers; but if you are using the Microsoft or Google Suite, there is a good chance this software can be used entirely through a browser.
4) Communication
Phone Systems – Can you forward phone calls to your employee’s cellphones? If you can’t, you can use a Voice over IP provider. We personally recommend RingCentral (read more about RingCentral in our article, “Technology Tools to Easily Work From Home”).
Instant Messaging – If you’re using Microsoft or Google, you can simply make use of their instant messaging applications that come with your subscription (Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts). If you’re not, we can recommend Discord as it is free and fairly simple to use.
To learn more about our remote connectivity options, please visit our website: www.kitsapnetworking.com/work-from-home. We have various setup options to fit your business’s needs, and can set you up so you and your staff feel like you never left the office! Call 360-516-6741 to chat with us.