How to Optimise Remote Working

All signs point to working from home becoming the new norm, for both the immediate future and possibly the long term for a lot of businesses. Whilst many companies have offered the option to work remotely for years now, it comes as a completely new way of working for the rest. I've compiled some apps, tips and tricks, as well as things to think about when your workforce are no longer working from your office.

Meetings & Collaboration

Cisco Webex - Meetings & Teams

Cisco recently upgraded their free Webex offering which allows users to host meetings with up to 100 participants, for an unlimited amount of time, which includes free-to-call dial in options. This move has seen traffic of the video and audio conferencing software jump 22-fold in recent weeks. Webex Teams allows teams to chat and share files in real time and includes a white boarding feature to brainstorm ideas.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines persistent workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. One very cool feature is the ability to blur your background during a video call - so no need to tidy up the mess behind you! Also has a free offering, but you may find that you already have this included if your company uses Office 365.

Slack

Slack is the collaboration and messaging tool of choice for millennials in the workplace. Commonly used by startups, Slack advertises itself as an 'alternative to email'. Groups (called channels) can be organised into separate teams, host informal chats and also be shared with customers and clients, to keep things moving seamlessly. A personal favourite feature is the GIPHY integration.

Google Hangouts

Hangouts is part of the G Suite and consists of two products: Meet & Chat. Google has also begun integrating features of Google Voice into Hangouts, stating that Hangouts is designed to be "the future" of Voice. Google will shut down the G Suite version of Hangouts in June 2020, but will continue to support the consumer version of classic Hangouts.

Zoom

Zoom is your bread and butter, no frills video chat. You've seen it advertised everywhere and the popularity comes down to it's simplicity. The downside is that the free offering limits to you 40-minute calls, before needing to upgrade to a business license. If your computer has the right specs, you can however make it look like you're on a rollercoaster, or on the beach. So if you're into that sort of thing, Zoom is the one for you.

File Sharing

Google Drive

If you're on the G Suite, you're probably already using Google Drive. With over 1 billion registrations, and the browser-based editing tools, this popular file storage option also comes with macOS & Windows integration to allow seamless sharing between users.

Microsoft OneDrive

If your company is using Office365 for email and office subscriptions, then you're probably using OneDrive for your files. With autosaving to the cloud from Word, Excel & Powerpoint, this handy feature means that it will be very hard to lose your progress in a presentation or document.

Dropbox

The old man of the file sharing world, Dropbox was one of the OG cloud storage solutions. Still as popular as ever, the offering comes in several different flavours, including unlimited storage for teams!

The Apple Offering 

If you're a macOS and/or iOS user, don't forget that you have most of these features already built in to your device. With Group FaceTime, you can have video conferencing with up to 32 total users. The built in Files app allows integration with iCloud Drive, as well as the above mentioned third-party offerings whilst Messages allows you to chat with colleagues individually and in groups. If you use a Mac and also have an iPad, you can even utilise the new Sidecar feature to use your iPad as a secondary display!

Security

When working remotely, your company's security shouldn't be compromised. If you store files on your premises with a local file server, you may need to set up a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to allow your users to connect to the office network from home.

Data loss from an internal perspective is also something that you should be wary of as a business, especially when you aren't able to physically keep an eye on users who are working with sensitive corporate data. Jigsaw24 work closely with Code42 to offer next-gen insider threat detection, investigation and response. Please feel free to get in touch if this is something you'd like to discuss in more detail!