Running a business remotely has become a popular choice in recent years. Part of this is almost certainly tied to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the world through 2020. Many businesses had no choice but to adopt a work from home model and shift to remote operations. This allowed countless companies to keep the lights on in an utterly hopeless situation. It also provided benefits for business owners and employees alike, providing a more flexible and dynamic work environment.
One might assume that now the situation surrounding COVID-19 is improving, people are going to be getting back to working in the office. However, this might not be the case. A lot of employees are still reluctant to work from a busy business office address. Added to this is the fact that business owners can clearly recognize the benefits of a remote business strategy. They are aware that there’s the potential here for a more cost-effective strategy overall.
While a fully remote business model may seem appealing, it’s important that you do approach this the right way. As you might have guessed this is all to do with your tech setup. With the right tech in place, you can guarantee that you do have an effective business that will deliver the results you hoped for. So what tech and software are we talking about here?
Connectivity
First, let’s look at how the right tech can help ensure that your business remains connected when you are operating remotely. We’ll start with the most basic options before moving towards some of the more complex possibilities. You do need to ensure that you have a fast internet speed. The speed that you are using for your personal requirements may not be enough for your business when you are operating at home. Instead, you should definitely consider investing in superfast broadband. That’s going to be crucial if your business model does involve the need to transfer massive amounts of data to different locations on a daily basis.
Since we mentioned data, it’s also worth thinking about cloud software solutions. A cloud server will ensure that you can store all your important business data with high levels of security and at the same time guarantee, it is accessible by any key members of your business model. This could include employees, colleagues and potentially certain customers as well.
Of course, the right cloud server could also provide you with more exciting possibilities. For instance, you might want to think about explore the option of a shared platform. With a shared platform, you will be able to share ideas and concepts between team members, potentially updating them in real time which is incredibly beneficial. But that’s not all. A shared platform will keep everyone on the same page and guarantee that you can easily monitor the individual work of your employees without it feeling too intrusive. Systems like this can be elaborate too, including the ability to control everything from invoices to revisions that need to be completed on a set time schedule.
If you are worried about getting the right system set up in place, we do recommend you explore some of the various options and possibilities on the market. Don’t just be blinded by a cheap price. It could be worth paying a little more to ensure that you do get a solution that hits exactly what you need from this type of platform in your specific business model.
Beyond this, you should also consider how you are going to communicate with people inside and outside of your business effectively. If you don’t have the right channels set up, then you do risk alienating your business customers, making them question whether they want to continue to explore your company as a potential option. One of the ways that you can avoid this is by making sure that you do invest in the best possible solutions available on the market. For instance, if you are setting up video call connections, then these need to be smooth and clear. If this isn’t the case, then it could suggest that your business is underfunded and isn’t as successful as customers might hope.
You might also want to consider how you can arrange larger business meetings when you are running your company remotely. This might seem difficult but it is certainly not impossible. It’s just again a case of finding the right solution. An online chat room by Click4Assistance or a similar company could provide the key solution that you are looking for here. This will essentially mean that you are able to connect with multiple team members and ensure that you do engage with them in real time.
Don’t forget, regardless of what connective resource you use, you need to make sure that it can provide the right standards of security. You can’t afford to be in a situation where your security is far less than to be desired.
Security
Since we mentioned security, it’s definitely worth exploring how this fits as part of a remote business model and what types of security or software you need in place. You should always start with securing your business property which is likely now going to be your home. People often assume that a physical threat to a home business isn’t going to be much of an issue. But don’t be so sure. It can be depending on what you are keeping related to your business in your home. If this includes sensitive data, then physical security should be a top priority. It’s not uncommon for the typical home business these days to have CCTV systems which ensure that the building can be monitored at all times.
Of course, you might also want to invest in security software as well. This might include anti-virus software. A big benefit of anti-virus software is that it can prevent and protect your company from some of the more basic hacks and issues that you could encounter. This ultimately means that you won’t have to worry about a smaller hacker stealing data from your business that they could use against you and your customers.
It could also be worth thinking about ensuring that you are investing in training for remote employees. It’s easy to assume that the mistakes of remote workers are not going to impact you. But they could if they can access sensitive files and info. You need to make sure that these workers are aware of the signs of a hack and that they will be able to recognize evidence they are being targeted. By doing this, you can make sure that they are far less likely to leave your business vulnerable.
Managed Services
You might also want to consider using managed services as part of your remote business strategy. That way, you can guarantee that everything does operate as it should. For instance, you could consider investing in IT support solutions. The benefit of an IT support team is that they will be able to set up your system and your network the right way ensuring that you have rapid connections between different areas of your company. But that’s not all. You will also be able to make sure that your business is protected from some of the more dangerous situations. The right IT support team will monitor your network 24/7. If there is a problem, they are going to ensure that it is dealt with before it becomes a massive headache for you down the line. This is exactly what you need.
You might think that the cost of a service like this is going to be too much for your company. However, we guarantee that this is not the case. Many businesses that provide solutions like this offer a scalable approach. This means that you can choose the specific level of service that is going to match your business budget down to a tee. As such, you won’t have to worry about going into the red trying to protect your business from major disasters.
A service like this will help prevent major disasters and at the same time ensure you can recover from those that are completely unavoidable.
For, instance, you can explore disaster recovery solutions. This will include a backup of your main data and guarantee that it doesn’t take weeks or even months for your company to fully recover. In a situation like this, time is money and a slow recovery can end up costing your business thousands that you won’t have in your budget.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key pieces of tech that need to be part of your business plan if you are setting up your company to work from home. Remember, you do need to make sure that your tech is reliable and you should consider using expert services to keep everything running smoothly here. If your systems that allow for full connectivity to the outside world crash, then your business is essentially going to be dead in the water which will allow competitors to steal your customers and eat you alive.