*Updated January 2021
Just before the Pandemic broke out in March 2020, we saw Ireland and the world go into lockdowns. Since then, we have seen thousands of workers transferring PCs, monitors, and other peripherals into the boots of their cars en-route to their new home offices. Some took a punt on whether they would be able to work-from-home (WFH), setting up remote VPN access to terminal servers and other workarounds. For businesses that had already moved to the cloud, the transition was easier. They had a digital workspace, without the constraints of the office, to support an agile workforce. The investment in Cloud IT paid off! With lockdowns becoming more frequent, now is the perfect time to start your transition and take advantage of the Cloud.
Business Transformation with Cloud
Over the last few years, we have seen a surge in Cloud Computing, remote or virtual desktops, Office 365, and team collaboration tools like Sharepoint and communication apps like Teams. According to ZNET, Cloud computing in 2021 has become the de facto choice of IT due to digital transformation shifts accelerated by remote work and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Radius Private Cloud IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) customers are able to work from anywhere. They have access to virtual desktops, critical apps/software like Sage, Adobe, ERP, etc like they were still located in the office. IT security and data protection worries are almost non-existent due to many layers of IT security and safe transfer of data to and from the cloud using a VPN connection.
“Companies that invest more in digital transformation actually outperform their peers over time. These companies are more prepared for disruption, better able to monetize new digital channels, and better able to build a bigger user base. What’s more, this phenomenon exists regardless of industry.”
Geoff Cubitt, CEO of Isobar
Time for a new Office Phone System?
Radius Cloud Phone utilises hosted VoIP PBX technology to deliver real solutions for Irish businesses; A fully flexible business phone system – answer / make calls from any handset, laptop, desktop or smartphone (softphone) – from your office or home office location.
Video Conferencing Hangover
Like it or not, videoconferencing is here to stay. Some companies that had a multi-national or global presence have embraced VC for some years now. Every company will need to embrace it going forward. You may not be able to go visit a customer or potential customer for some time. VC is the answer to have a face-to-face. Its time to get your VC, webinar or live event strategy and tools in place. Some places to start include Zoom, MS Teams, and GOtomeeting.
What Does Post Covid-19 Look like?
There is plenty of thought-leadership in the media to when things may go back to “normal“. But will normal ever be the same again? It’s prudent to think that remote working will be the norm for office-based workers for some months post-pandemic. After that, some people have suggested some interesting ideas. For example, “office sharing” which is a bit like job sharing but instead of sharing a job you will take turns going to the office to curb worker numbers in close proximity. Whatever happens, working from home will no longer be a “perk” but a necessity for some workers. Furthermore, once businesses figure out that work can carry on remotely, in the same way as it did before, our working lives will change forever.
The Future of the Office is Remote
Now is the time to look at what opportunities are available to your business. Now is the time to act to make sure you have the right technology in place to support not only your employees but to protect your business for the future. Cloud technology has been there for some time and its a proven success. Remote working or WFH is the new norm.
From a timing perspective, it’s a “no-brainer” to take advantage of a quiet period to start your business transformation. If you do, your employees will be more agile to work from home. And you are positioning your business to hit the ground running when things pick-up again. Now is the time for you to take advantage.
Download the WFH Set-up for 2021 infographic.
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