There has been a lot of change in the last few months. With the sudden shift to a working from home environment for a lot of businesses, we look at the top 4 biggest challenges people have found:
1) Outdated or legacy telecom products
Many of our customers are already using cloud-based phone systems; however, some are still using legacy digital-based telephone systems. The issue with these older systems is that they often lack remote worker capability or feature sets that are now a necessity. Trying to find workarounds for these can be tricky and have the potential for delays and errors. So, what is the best solution?
With IP/Cloud systems, your business can have access to a variety of tools available to help set up remote workers. We are on hand to discuss all your requirements and talk you through the network infrastructure and correct connectivity to get you up and running.
2) Network Connectivity
Issues with firewall rules, server resources, and available bandwidth on data services can be cumbersome. Not forgetting that with the shift to remote working solutions, you are having to depend on reduced resources that remote workers have in place at home too. The technical challenges can be complicated and require a degree of expertise to manage and resolve.
Alan Stanley, Head of IT at Onecom says “Moving staff from a managed, enterprise network to a home environment where there may be multiple users of limited bandwidth definitely presents a challenge, even when corporate IT assets are set up for secure remote working. Poor broadband or WiFi connectivity becomes very apparent when participating in video calls!”
3) Hardware
Making sure that you have the right hardware for your teams to work from home effectively is essential. Whether this is handsets, laptops, or tablets – it’s vital for productivity that employees have what they need to do their job. As the length of the pandemic is difficult to quantify, it makes sense to look at long term solutions – ensuring you are future-proofed no matter what the outcome.
We offer 4G and 5G business broadband MiFi that can enable flexibility within a workforce by allowing staff to connect wherever they want, whether that’s at home or the beach! The latest MiFis are offering similar speeds to home routers, and in some instances (where 5G is available) people can obtain faster speeds than their traditional cabled router.
Another item which can prove extremely useful is the VF 4G Gigacube which is a router with the bonus of having failover to support any networks that are down. If the local cabled infrastructure does go down, it allows the customer to carry on working.
4) Security
The shift to remote working solutions has thrown up several security concerns. With employees working from home, there can be many security vulnerabilities associated with remote access.
We are on hand to advise on your Network security, GDPR and Device security. With our Samsung range, you’ll be able to access security through the handset itself using the built-in Samsung Knox. Speak to one of us today to make sure you are utilising all the safety measures in place correctly.
“As a company, we have legal responsibilities to ensure that data is protected on remote devices, so security features such as those provided by KNOX are essential,” says Alan Stanley.
As a leader in communications and technology backed up by partnerships with leading manufacturers, we can support your business and give advice to ensure that your business can cope with the new normal. Whether you need to update your handsets to more secure devices or upgrade your tablet to allow you to be accessible remotely, Onecom will be able to talk through your options with you – providing a solution bespoke for your business. Speak to one of our experts today on 03300 888 999.
Don’t forget to also take a look at our Home Working report that we carried out with 1000 SME’s to get some insight into how other businesses are coping. It’s a really insightful report!