As we continue to navigate the pandemic, remote work has emerged as a permanent operation for some businesses and a temporary, but long-term, solution for others. Most businesses continue to have a high number of employees working from home and will keep them there through the end of the year. Some companies, such as Zillow, Twitter, Square, Coinbase, and  more have announced their employees will continue working from home permanently⁽¹⁾. And still others have said they will continue to allow their employees to stay remote well into 2021.

In fact, 67% of companies expect work from home to be permanent or long-lasting, according to a recent study⁽²⁾. Quite a few companies have let their commercial leases expire and have gone 100% remote.

But despite its global use across businesses of all industries and size, remote work is not without its security risks – something that became starkly clear at the beginning of the pandemic.

Risky Business

Early on, remote workers were taking risks by using unsecured WiFi, not keeping their devices and apps regularly updated to the latest available versions, and leaving their laptops and smartphones unattended.

Once businesses began retraining their remote employees on proper remote-access protocols and enforcing acceptable use policies (AUPs), things began to improve and take shape.

At the same time, organizations realized that upgrading their remote security and network technology was in their best interest for the long haul. This type of secure, advanced technology is just part of what THE Communications Stack^TM offers to help enable remote work.

Since then, organizations that have been able to solidify their remote-access security gaps and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) protection concerns have been able to more securely move into a long-term work-from-home status – paving the way for remote work’s permanence.

Unifying Communications

UCaaS solutions that enable cloud delivery mechanisms for enterprise and mid-sized businesses that serve as a bridge to remote workers and their colleagues are an integral part of THE Communications Stack^TM. Solutions such as voicemail to email transcription, SMS, chat, video call collaboration technology, and more, serve to connect employees, staff, and customers no matter their location.

Clients Turned to Us for Help

Many companies that didn’t have in-house resources, or had maxed-out IT staffs, turned to us for help. We were able to unify their communications technology and upgrade their remote access and device security with custom solutions from THE Communications Stack^TM, no matter where their employees were located.

Some organizations realized they needed a more comprehensive approach and chose to employ all three levels of our Communications Stack, which has them operating at full capacity with no security gaps or network monitoring concerns.

Looking Ahead

Now that most companies have figured out what works for them in terms of having their IT requirements satisfied, remote work is here to stay. And the fact that 98% of remote workers said they would prefer to continue working from home, according to a recent survey⁽³⁾, further forecasts the permanence of this new way of life for businesses.

If you haven’t yet implemented all your remote access and security upgrades, we can help. Contact us today and begin your journey to a fully optimized and secure network so you can solidify your transition to remote work.

Sources cited:
1 –
https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-asking-employees-to-work-from-home-due-to-coronavirus-2020#airbnb-extended-its-work-from-home-policy-until-the-end-of-august-2021-last-week-they-are-offering-a-500-stipend-to-employees-for-home-office-equipment-along-with-a-500-quarterly-credit-to-use-specifically-on-airbnbs-1
2 & 3 –
https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/06/work-from-home-permanently-survey.html