With nearly half of U.S. employees working remotely in some capacity, companies of all sizes should plan for the technology needs of those telecommuters and the IT support they will require.

There are numerous reasons that working remotely can be beneficial, not just for the worker who doesn’t have to commute, but for the business, too. Increased productivity, improved efficiency, lower overhead, lower turnover, reduced stress — studies have documented the many ways working from home can have a positive impact on both an employee’s lifestyle and a company’s bottom line.

But for your remote workforce to achieve those kind of results, your employees need to have access to the right technology to do their job. When it comes to hardware and software, successful companies procure the necessary tools for the job, often with assistance from an IT managed services provider.

That’s because remote working situations involve many technology considerations. While most employees have access to their own computers and internet service, that’s only the first of many issues to consider.

“Our survey averages have shown that 92 percent of respondents have sufficient computers and internet access,” said Rick Albiero, founder of the consulting firm Telecommuting Advantage Group. “Just having a nice computer at home isn’t enough, however. Organizations also need to determine if telecommuters can use their own computers or if they need to have dedicated computers for work-related activities.”

1. Hardware and Software

Generally, it’s wise to provide your remote employees with the equipment they need, just as if they were in the office. Not only will they have the necessary tools for their jobs, but you’ll also retain the ability to manage that technology via your centralized IT administrative team.

This rule of thumb applies not only to hardware — such as laptops, desktops or cell phones — but also to the software those devices use. Software in particular is constantly evolving, so having it centralized will allow your IT team to keep it updated.

2. Other Equipment Needs

Depending on their job function, some of your teleworkers may need other IT equipment to perform their work remotely.

For instance, employees may need to be equipped with such things as a webcam or digital camera, video card, video-conferencing client software, and a functional microphone and speakers.

3. IT Network Support

Because of our extensive experience with IT management and support, V2 Systems can help you determine the needs of your remote workforce and help you create a business plan with network solutions that takes your unique situation into account.

That’s exactly what happened when the Corporation for National and Community Service needed to perform remote interviews for federal employment personal identification and verification. We were able to modernize this client, a federal agency, by switching from outdated, on-sight servers to cloud-based Amazon Web Services (AWS), which included remote laptops with all the necessary equipment to carry out the job.

As a result of this server migration to AWS, the agency was able to avoid a long and expensive deployment process, speed up its service launch, increase availability and reduce costs — all while meeting stringent federal security requirements. And the entire process stayed within budget.

Ready to see your own remote workforce function with consistency and ease? Call us today.

Since 1995, Manassas Park, VA-based V2 Systems has employed local systems administrators, network engineers, security consultants, help desk technicians and partnering companies to meet a wide range of clients’ IT needs, from research, to implementation, to maintenance. Concentrate on your VISION…We’ll handle the TECHNOLOGY!