Illustration by Amirthalingam
Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we’ve discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. This week, we delve into how organizations are increasingly adopting a remote work model, and how they can equip themselves to build a synchronized virtual workspace.
In the wake of COVID-19 and the subsequent mandates to stay at home, many organizations have implemented a remote work environment in order to maintain business operations. The challenge organizations must now overcome is figuring out how to help their remote workforce remain interconnected and productive while working from home.
In terms of operational restructuring, this shift is less burdensome for tech giants thanks to their malleable policies and IT infrastructures—they can build (and afford!) sound virtual workplaces in no time. However, smaller organizations may succumb to the gravity of this situation as they try to implement several new processes in a short amount of time, like establishing a secure VPN connection, moving to cloud-based collaborative tools, encrypting and patching devices on time, and educating the workforce on the dos and don’ts of working remotely.
Organizations need to go that extra mile in building a solid infrastructure with impenetrable security perimeters and sound management controls to ensure the general preparedness of IT; this way, employees can quickly and easily transition from working onsite to working remotely, with negligible or zero operational bottlenecks or constraints.
That said, here are five interesting and timely reads from across the internet on how organizations are catching up with the remote work trend, some best practices, and how to build a sound virtual workspace.
1. With Coronavirus in Mind, Is Your Organization Ready for Remote Work?
Remote work is one of the crucial facets of business continuity plans across organizations. Here is how your enterprise can build sound policies for a foolproof remote workplace.
2. Coronavirus: How to implement safe and secure remote working
Discover what CIOs and CISOs could do to enable their workforce and end users to work remotely while staying secure during the COVID-19 crisis.
3. A remote work policy needs infrastructure, collaboration support
Analysts discuss some important lessons learned from China’s remote work policies, best practices for remote collaboration, and re-evaulate policies for the future.
4. Working in a coronavirus world: Strategies and tools for staying productive
The trend of remote work is picking up by leaps and bounds as enterprises look to ensure workforce safety during the COVID-19 crisis. Here are some important factors and tools to consider during this shift.
5. Coronavirus is exploding the remote workforce – here’s how IT should prepare
Is your IT well-equipped to take on the challenge of working remotely? Here are some best practices, proven tips, and important statistics to consider while building your remote work policy.
While a work-from-home option might initially look very lucrative, it all boils down to if and how organizations can sustain work productivity in times like these. The onus inevitably falls on IT teams to establish and implement sound strategies to orchestrate a synchronized virtual workplace.
Is your IT well-equipped to handle this situation? Let us know in the comments.
