Are you Prepared?

We should be well versed in the switch back to remote working (if indeed you even went back to the office) after all we had to do to adapt in March 2020. However, were the measures you put in robust and “business class” or are you struggling with a patchwork of make-do solutions that just about saw you through what was to be a temporary period before things went back to normal?

We understand that to properly transform your way of working from an office-based operation to a full, remote set-up is daunting and requires financial and people resource, however those that made the leap last year will be reaping the benefit now.

With so many options available to equip your workers with access to critical business applications, customer databases and company communications networks it’s not too late to get your business flexi-fit. The following technologies are out there in abundance with affordable, easily set-up applications to get you back to working remotely and efficiently as quickly as possible.

Business Mobiles

  • Are you still asking employees to use their personal mobiles and paying their expenses? If so, you are putting yourself at risk of a data breach. Unless you have introduced business grade security software onto the employee’s devices that you can manage remotely you have no control over what happens to company data accessed via a personal mobile.
  • What if that phone gets lost or stolen? How can you be sure that your employee won’t accidentally share company info via personal email or social platforms?
  • Are you spending too much time trawling through mobile bills verifying expense claims for business use? Often this can cost you more in time and money if the employee exceeds their personal allowance for business use – callas and data could then be being charged at high, out of bundle rates that would ordinarily be covered in the tariff value with a dedicated business plan.
  • Providing your employees with a business mobile is a no-brainer when you consider the pitfalls above. With a variety of standard and bespoke business tariffs, there are many cost-effective routes out there to compliant, smart communications. Also, these business handsets can then be utilised to access business critical applications and even serve as an internet connection to workers without adequate broadband by tethering the phone to a laptop.

MDM software

Once you’ve got your company mobiles in place, don’t forget about adding a Mobile Device Management (MDM) service. This allows you to remote lock and wipe the employee’s device in case of incident, plus you can also control which applications are able to be accessed in line with your company policies.

Asset Tracking

If you’ve not yet considered asset tracking technology for your business, now is a great time to assess your requirements. When you’re trying to limit face to face contact with colleagues and customers, tracking solutions can automate many processes so you can work safely and spend more of your time optimising business performance.

How can we help with your Lockdown Tech?

We all need to pull together in times like these and we are pleased to be able to offer additional support to a variety of sectors:

  • Free Handsfree Comms for NHS – click here to read all about how we’ve deployed a solution at Southampton ICU and how we’re opening the offer up to others
  • Vehicle tracking - Whilst some assets and fleets are more static this could be a good time to re-evaluate your current asset/vehicle tracking provider and look at functionality, more automation or cost saving. We have a great offer at just £5.00 per month with no install and no minimum contract
  • A temporary vehicle solution with refrigeration and battery powered temperature trackers is a great way to quickly enable safe, secure transport of temperature-controlled goods, plus we can supply Garmin POD tracking and two-way messaging
  • IoT people monitoring solutions are more relevant than ever as businesses need to help their staff and customers stay safe during the pandemic. Our range of instant IoT kits that automate people counting and space occupancy could be just what your business needs.
  • Cut human contact in the workplace by using two way radio technology on your mobile device allowing instant open communication in the work place. Push to Talk over Cellular technology is now available via an app you can put directly onto your existing business mobiles without having to change your contract.

Cloud Computing

Applications like Microsoft 365 are more and more widely used by businesses of all sizes now. This is an example of the Software As A Service (SaaS) model where you pay on a per user per licence per month basis. The latest versions of all the Microsoft Office applications are then available to access over the internet by the assigned users, with all company data being saved into the cloud storage, removing the need for on premise IT infrastructure and physical software installations. All this makes logging on to your work environment from multiple devices and locations a breeze.

Online conferencing software

There’s probably hardly anyone now that’s not used one of the many options for online meetings and video calls! Whichever one you choose, make sure that all your team have it installed and run a few practice internal meetings to make sure everyone’s confident in using the tech.

Business grade online sharing sites

There is a large volume of online file sharing services available such as Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive & Box. With a range of free to paid versions depending on the functionality you need; it’s never been easier to transfer files securely and quickly.

Staff Wellbeing

Remember that although we have been told that this latest lockdown is for an initial 6 weeks, nothing is set in stone and we need to protect the welfare of our workers. Especially with schools closed an open approach to flexible working hours and patterns will be so important for working parents and people with caring responsibilities.

  • Have regular informal video calls to give everyone a chance to indulge in some ‘office’ chit-chat and light hearted conversation
  • Publish a clear set of guidelines on how you expect your team to communicate
  • Make sure you book regular 1-2-1 calls with your direct reports to keep them engaged and involved with regards to their role in the company’s performance and direction
  • Update any company SLAs and communicate any impact to customers to minimise any potential problems for staff and customers in managing expectations