Remote working

Remote Working

Remote Working: What You Need to Know

Remote working is reaching unprecedented levels of popularity. Did you know it is predicted that half of the UK workforce will work remotely by 2020? This is according to a report put together by OddsMonkey.

It is easy to see why this appeals to employees. After all, it gives them much greater flexibility and they can reduce the cost of their commute. There are benefits for employers too, including retaining their best talent and lowering expenses.

As a result, many organisations are now embracing remote working as a way to improve work-life balance and increase productivity. This shift has led to a significant reduction in absenteeism, as employees are no longer required to commute to an office. By providing employees with the flexibility to work from anywhere, organisations can also attract a wider pool of talent.

However, it is not without risks.

Remote working risks you need to know about

One of the biggest risks is security. When an individual is in their own environment, using their own computer, yet accessing work-related files, the risk of a data breach is increased. After all, you cannot be sure they will have effective firewalls and other security measures in place, nor can you be certain that they make an effort to vet sites and email before accessing them.

There have been a number of cases where employees working from home have caused data breaches.

In one incident, a company was fined £60,000 by the ICO because one of their employees had downloaded information regarding 24,000 clients onto his work laptop. The laptop was then stolen from his home, meaning people’s names, income levels, addresses, and so on, were taken. There have been other cases where businesses have been fined because employees have accidentally uploaded sensitive information onto the web while working from home.

This is something you need to take very seriously. After all, not only could your business suffer the expense of fines, but reputational damage too. The good news, though, is that there is a way around this.

Introducing the Private Cloud

If you are going to introduce a remote working policy, you need a specialist IT provider on your side who can provide you with private cloud computing. This ensures there is a cloud computing structure set up only for your business, ensuring you have a stable environment for your workforce. This means people can work anywhere in the world, while you benefit from complete peace of mind that your data is held securely.

This is something we provide at 1st IT. From network infrastructure services to IT support, we offer many services that can keep you and your remote workers protected. By investing in private cloud computing, organisations can ensure that their remote workers have access to the same level of security and support as their office-based colleagues.

Perhaps it is best to not bother with remote working at all? Definitely not! As an employer you want productive members of staff; having the flexibility to accept home working requests can help your employees get the right work-life balance, as well as improving morale and reducing turnover.

Remote working improves morale

Improved morale leads to a healthier workforce and fewer days lost to sickness or employees taking “duvet days”. Improved morale also leads to greater productivity, with Amex reportedly finding a 43% improvement in productivity. This is likely due to the fact that employees are able to work in a comfortable and familiar environment, free from the distractions and stress of a traditional office setting.

Your business resilience is improved; staff can still work even if there’s a Tube strike or major weather disruption. Cloud systems are easy to scale; just purchase more licenses as your company grows or reduce them when you need to. This flexibility is particularly useful for organisations with fluctuating workloads or seasonal demand.

IT costs are lowered by removing the need to maintain your own server room. This can result in significant cost savings, which can be reinvested in other areas of the business. Additionally, organisations can reduce their carbon footprint by minimising the need for commuting and reducing the amount of office space required.

Give us a call today to find out more – 020 3904 4123

For official guidance on this topic, see the National Cyber Security Centre. The centre provides a wealth of information and resources on how to protect your organisation from cyber threats, including guidance on remote working and cloud security.