We re-opened our doors at ctm this week and are getting back into a routine with the new ‘normal’ working arrangements.
Over the past few months, we have seen a huge increase in the demand for enabling remote working. In these challenging times, we have seen roles that used to be fixed to offices only, switch to remote working, with companies embracing their staff working from home.
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The feedback we have had from our customers has been fantastic. We know that a lot of our customers will be continuing a more flexible balance between staff working from home and from the office as a permanent working solution. All of this has been made a smooth process by working closely with ctm IT Support.
In light of this, we decided to put together this article with some key points to highlight the main areas that need to be considered when working remotely from a security aspect and also ensuring staff can still work as efficiently as they did in the office.
If you are an existing customer and would like to discuss remote working options in more detail, please contact your Account Manager.
If you are not currently a customer of ctm IT Support and would like more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear from you!
Security
Ensure that their employees working remotely lock their screens when they leave their device unattended so that there is still no risk of company data being exposed (holding the Windows key + L should lock their windows machine). With some IT systems, such as Microsoft Intune, this can be centrally configured and managed.
Good practice for file permissions is only to give employees access to resources that suit their job role and their company needs – this is known as ‘Principle of Least Privilege’.
Your work machines should be configured to automatically update from the internet; Microsoft allows your IT administrator to set working hours, so the users are not disturbed during the day. If your machine prompts you to install updates, please follow these instructions.
Users should use a work machine at home rather than a personal one where possible. This will mean that all company policies on updates, passwords etc are still in place.
Users should be more alert to potential cyber security risks as they may have less security in place on their home network than in the office.
Wherever possible, online and company resources should be secured with multi factor authentication (MFA).
Productivity
Users should use their webcams if they have access to one as it makes meetings much more interactive and it also could boost morale as remote working can get lonely over extended periods of time. They’re built into most laptops and USB webcams are cheap to buy. Make sure you look for full HD for the best experience.
Using Microsoft Teams is a good way to keep connected with your colleagues whilst you're working from home as this can be helpful if you want to get information quickly from a colleague and again, it can boost morale as you could have both a work chat and a personal chat. Microsoft Teams is available in some Office 365 subscriptions.
If the user has the resources to use dual monitors, they should use them as this will provide a huge productivity boost.
Docking stations might be needed for laptops and these can be costly at £100 - £300.
Users should use headsets if they have access to one because this will improve the audio quality of the calls you have in meetings and on calls. The on-board microphone and/or speaker may not be good quality or may not feature on the machine at all.
Users should try take a few breaks throughout the day, when possible, as this could really help them to stay motivated and work efficiently and effectively while remote working.
If you need help with your IT and remote working, get in touch now.
