The remote workforce was expanding before COVID-19 hit. Over time, it has become clear for many business owners that there are advantages to having employees work remotely. For one thing, employers do not need to pay the overhead costs that come with maintaining a traditional office space. Rent and utilities can be cut from a business’s overall budget. For another, many employees actually become more productive when working from home. Working from home can therefore advance an employer’s objectives in major ways.
But there are complications that come from remote work. Employees can at times become confused and find it difficult to have their questions answered in a timely manner. This is particularly common when it comes to technology. Whereas most offices invest in technology consulting services and have IT support readily available to help employees, this may seem more difficult when employees are working remotely. But it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to advances in technology itself, professional IT services can be obtained no matter where your employees are working.
How Does Remote IT Support Work?
Today, it’s easy for technology consulting firms to offer remote workforce support for clients. In fact, many offices themselves no longer have in-house IT staff and instead have to reach IT support remotely. This is because many employers utilize virtual desktops, which means that employees are essentially always online and therefore it’s easy for IT to access their hardware and software remotely.
Most of the time, employees who have technology issues can initiate contact with IT support via email messages or the telephone. IT will then reach out to them and use permissions to access their desktops and help them through whatever technical issue they’re having. This process isn’t just a matter of IT instructing employees on how to execute simple fixes. IT support is actually able to remotely make changes and control employees’ work equipment. Therefore, most technical issues can be resolved remotely.
Why Should I Employ Regular IT Services?
Employers excited about cutting costs by moving their staff to remote work may also be intrigued by the idea of leaving regular technology consulting firms behind. Why not only utilize IT support as needed, rather than signing with regular third-party services?
The issues with going without regular IT support are manifold. For one thing, this will make it more difficult for employees to receive the support they need. When IT services are under contract, employees can immediately make contact with support technicians. Some IT support firms even offer services 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Being able to immediately access IT support is even more important when employees are working remotely. It’s incredibly difficult for a team to remain functional if they’re constantly waiting for help from a technician.
IT support isn’t simply there to provide fixes and answers, either. They can also help employers boost their cyber security, which is especially important when employees are working remotely and therefore are less directly supervised. It can be easy for remote employees to compromise their employers’ security without even intending to do so. In 2018 alone, incidents related to cyber security cost businesses a collective $45 billion. Technology consulting firms can help employers ensure that employees are able to do everything that they need when remotely, while not jeopardizing the online safety of their place of employment.
Additionally, technology consulting firms can help business owners manage a remote team, ensuring that employees have the equipment that they need while at the same time creating a system through which that equipment is organized. A remote workforce is nothing without the proper equipment, from computers to headsets. IT services can help employers select the right options.
Additionally, IT support can assist employers in preventing loss. If employees are taking equipment home, it’s easy for that equipment to become damaged or to even become lost to employers. Check out and assignment systems make it easier for employers to prevent this from happening.
There are clearly many advantages of working with remote IT services. Though working from home can be an adjustment for employees, IT services make it easier for them to execute their tasks as needed and maintain high performance levels.
