How Businesses Should Think About Their IT With A Decentralized Workforce

More and more businesses are turning to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, businesses have needed to take a look at their IT and make some adjustments to better suit a decentralized workforce. 

Managing Network Security

Security is easier to handle on-site because workers use a specific workstation to access the business’ network. The workstation is connected to the in-house server and IT Staff can locally monitor access to the network. This changes when workers need to use their personal computers to access the business’ servers.

Workers could install a VPN (Virtual Private Network). This will allow any remote workers to securely connect to the business’ network. The VPN could also only allow certain connections on the network, which makes working on the servers more secure.

Businesses should also consider outsourcing their IT security needs. Outsourcing will provide businesses with 24/7 monitoring of your systems and  frees up IT staff to assist workers with other issues.

Access Management

Businesses can use Digital Rights Management (DRM) solutions to control access to documents or files on a network. 

They can deploy software solutions to make sure that remote workers have the correct credentials to access a document. It can also ensure that they can’t edit, share, or copy documents outside of the VPN connection or the cloud-based server.

Cloud-Based Servers

Cloud-based servers are flexible. They are a great solution for businesses to remotely store and access data. They also don’t need costly physical server upgrades – making them more cost-effective. 

Cloud-based solutions store data on multiple virtual servers. So, if one server is down, a worker gets directed to another one. This ensures high uptime and availability of the server.  

They are also easily scalable. Businesses can manage workloads by adding or removing virtual services through a server management interface. This can be accessed worldwide so remote workers can have access no matter where they are.

IT Innovation

Businesses should consider having smaller teams on projects. These teams should use file-sharing systems to collaborate and communicate efficiently. The projects also need to have a certain autonomy, so that they don’t affect the business until completion. This microservices approach lowers oversight.

Administrators and IT staff also need to collaborate on which systems to introduce to the business. Everyone should receive training on how to securely access VPNs and use cloud-based servers. This will ensure that work processes run much smoother with a decentralized workforce. 

Other considerations should include implementing Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). With this, the IT department can provide support through remote access to a worker’s computer. They can also install updates throughout the network to ensure everyone is working with the same resources.  

Conclusion

With more employees working from home, businesses need to learn how to better manage their IT with a decentralized workforce. 

Moving to the cloud, ensuring security, and managing access are just some of the most important aspects to consider.  Contact us to learn more about how your business can work at full steam regardless of where your people are.