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Budgeting for Information Technology and specialized IT support is always a challenge for small IT businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced small businesses to reimagine their staff to work remotely as per government guidelines to fight against the grave social dilemma. This article acknowledges IT businesses the criticality of amicable IT support/management for their remote staff serving them amidst the pandemic. IT Support or management encompasses every requirement that rises with technical support for desktop computers, laptops, etc, Secure cloud data storage, Security Threat Monitoring, Devices/Servers Maintenance, Software Implementation, & employee training. The degree of IT Support required for respective employees is completely dependent on the nature of data that should be stored, the requirement of software upgrades, and the intensity of IT operations. With complex integrations of software and hardware required for internal business operations for the management of client relationships, organization of internal processes, and effective handling of accounting operations and other rising requirements, IT businesses must acknowledge how deep their reliance for ample IT Support. Businesses must understand how a network crash or a faulty server can hamper an employee's productivity and morale. 

As per the reports released by Anchorage Daily News, 23% of teleworkers work longer hours from home than their normal onsite accomplishments. As per the research-based consulting firm, Global Workplace Analytics reports state that remote employees to work five more hours weekly than did their on-site employees. The Remote Collaborative Worker Survey reports remote employees to be less stressed and happier and are motivated for working harder efficiently. 

TERAIT's IT Managed Services ensure amicable efficiency and timely improvement of the IT environment, with end-to-end comprehensive support for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid infrastructures and comprise consulting and migration services for dynamic IT evolution. Thus we are diving into how potential costly outages ensure justification of investments in remote or onsite IT support/management solve small issues without any fail, preventing even the critical issues entirely.

Following are the ways How Businesses Can Ensure Their Remote Staffs to Have the Right IT Support:

• Facilitation of Remote IT Support

Prioritizing technical problems that remote workers experience during their work must be attended for a quick resolution. As for meeting an IT Person is quite impossible, businesses must ensure partnership with an ideal IT Support partner, compatible in providing error-free remote support. This IT support partner must be able to contact employees over the call or chat for offering their best solution. Any requirements for accessing employee’s systems, screen-sharing, and virtual conferencing tools must also be incorporated for serving the purpose effectively. With clear directions at problems, this IT support service provider must reinforce themselves for facilitation of faster resolution. They must also be efficient with high-quality level support irrespective of the location of the employees. Well-versed in handling multi-linguistic IT teams, they must also be able to connect to remote workers and cater to their requirements. Interacting users of possible issues, they must gather information needed for addressing the problem, later guiding engineers to skillfully solve it. Competent in effectively resolving IT issues remotely in some other cases, these IT support service providers must also be capable to access user's workstations and resolve issues without even employee attention. Technology updated for delivering uniform service throughout all employees, they must also be efficient in taking care of emergency situations too.    

• Robust 24/7 IT support

Employee working hours at remote working formats vary drastically. With system crashes and the inability to access resources, employees might require an instantaneous IT support team 24/7 even if they are part of a whole distributed workforce. With round-the-clock support, even remote employees in varied time zones don't need to wait for resolving their problems. This will also streamline incoming technical concerns and ensure all problems from the employees will be accounted for and addressed based on priority. With the earliest skillful commitment, businesses can drive uninterrupted business operations and continuous productivity. Incapicated employees over failed email or computer running, only an ideal 24/7 IT support team can answer for employee emergencies and guiding them back to work. 

• Inter-linked Network to Support Local Emergencies

IT Businesses must always be prepared for emergencies that require assessing remote team's hardware in person with technological requirements. With a wide-reaching and extensively capable network of support options, businesses can enable the deployment of local technologies or repair units for swooping in and resolving issues much quicker. This requires a network of providers who can work directly from the system and cater seamless IT support across a particular region. With time to time health checks of employee's hardware by the IT support service provider, businesses can take their operations forward without any hurdle. These can also turn out to be fruitful in a condition where employees can't travel to their offices. IT businesses can establish a wide-reaching network of IT support by partnering with a local managed services provider (MSP). Enabling deployment of specialists available near remote employee’s locations, such collaborations also make timely interference with experts and quicker resolution of issues.

• Strict Security Protocols

IT businesses, especially during the remote working phases will have to be cautious in the management of sensitive data. Thus it is critical for IT service providers to take stringent approaches for ensuring effective cybersecurity for remote employees. Each employee system must be equipped with antivirus software, malware protection, and spam filters. Encouraging usage of a secured virtual private network (VPN) for helping employees access company resources and effectively use data encryption into their devices. This can assure business information to be protected regardless of how the employees connect. IT businesses must be cautious against the varied cyber threats their remote team will be subjected to. During remote working phases, employees may work from anywhere and maybe over unprotected and public networks where business information safety is easily compromised. Thus it is critical for IT support partners must be diligent in educating remote working teams with various risks that pose to sensitive business information.  

Following are the IT practices that the IT Support team must drive for Strict Security Protocols: 

1. Mandatory Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
2. Application of standard password management solution and thus avoid the use of easy-to-guess and simple passwords.
3. Phishing audits for checking the readiness of remote employees
4. Time-to-Time backups for avoiding business-sensitive data loss
5. Limited access for 'read-only' while file sharing
6. Email filtering solution for checking credibility of incoming and outgoing messages
7. Use of unique username & password for account access
8. Separate documentation for privileges & permissions
9. Consistent single access tool for connection
10. Authorized access to sensitive business information
11. Updation of antivirus and malware protection in systems
12. Virtual Private Network (VPN) for connecting the entire workforce under a common network to easy network monitoring and prompt identification of glitches.
13. Ideal configurations for stabilizing & smoothening network connection  
14. Dedicated network management for monitoring private network connections.

• Catering Ideal & Well Perofming Desktops & Devices 

Employers must be competent in catering sufficient equipment to their employees while working from home or either partner with an IT Support service provider who does the same. With employees equipped with ideal desktops & related devices, businesses can have greater control over security measures, by offering uniform access over everyone and simplification of support issues. These devices & desktops must also be updated with up-to-date MDM policies for protecting sensitive business information. Such MDM policies span policy enforcement & management, inventory management, security management, and software distribution. 

• Real-Time Monitoring & Build-in Remote Sessions 

IT Employees must be guided to perform time to time diagnose & fix a problem that can save both time & effort. This can also help employees who are not accustomed, to work remotely and face IT issues. Frustrating & complicated, troubleshooting can be intimidating for employees who are not that tech-savvy. Thus it is quite advisable for businesses for partnering with ideal IT support for these timely check-ups. Employees who aren’t accustomed to working remotely may encounter more IT issues at home than they did at the office. And, remote troubleshooting can be complicated and frustrating, especially for employees who aren’t as tech-savvy. 

• Varied Communication Options

Communication through emails won't be amicable in the modern age. Employees must be given the opportunity in choosing other communication methods that they are comfortable with. Messaging applications such as Slack or Microsoft Teams can be incorporated for real-time instant messaging and calling. Video conferencing applications such as Zoom can be used for holding meetings & sensitive issues. 

Thus IT support teams are not just for addressing technical issues but also for providing a solution for them. System crashes in systems or devices of remote employees must be solved with an ideal IT support team with suitable & result-oriented approaches. Offering temporary systems, while necessary repairs are done on the original malfunctioned equipment is also an ideal practice. While partnering with IT support service providers for remote staff, Businesses must be watchful in choosing an ideal partner. Well-equipped with standby hardware/software for addressing emergencies, they must also be competent in facilitating uninterrupted productivity and business continuity.

Businesses who are struggling for catering amicable IT support for their in-house employees to work remotely. Delivering top-notch IT support for remote workers, we as an experienced managed IT service provider manage IT with attention to taking care of all data & security concerns. Contact Terait's IT Managed Services for supporting your business's remote working strategy.