The right IT infrastructure in place both on-site and remotely helps your staff remain successful and productive while working from home.

Prior to Covid-19 compelling businesses to implement work from home (WFH) strategies earlier this year, an IWG survey found that in the past 10 years, 83% of businesses had already started or were planning to introduce a flexible remote work policy.

While the first half of 2020 has proven that WFH can improve productivity, small businesses with either no budget or capacity to have an IT department in place are having to rely heavily on their managed services partners (MSPs) to make the transition from office-based working to WFH as seamless as possible.

Managed services not only help your business improve its margins, but also future-proof your organisation and add value to your customers.

Three ways your MSP should aid remote working:

1. Increase network security

Getting hacked can cause irreparable damage to your company financially and reputationally, and hamper efficient operations and employee productivity.

Safe and secure WFH requires redundancy, VPN setup and a firewall installation. Once your connection and protection are up and running, employees should be able to access what they need, with continued remote IT support when they experience issues.

If you’re working off Web- and cloud-based files or applications, users can be access them from anywhere, securely, without the need for your MSP to increase security.

2. Effective IT road-mapping

The purpose of managed IT services isn’t just the technology, but on how using technology contributes to meeting your business goals.

How long will it be before you need to upgrade computers used for remote work? Are there solutions that can make work easier, making the return on that investment well worth it? These are questions your MSP should help you answer.

Creating a map for future IT growth enables you to budget for the inevitable, leaving nothing to chance – especially as the percentage of the remote workforce continues to increase.

3. Unparalleled support

Employees can’t work if their e-mail or computers are down, especially if they’re outside of the office. Remote IT support doesn’t only ensure WFH remains a productive exercise, but saves you – and your workforce – time, money and frustration.

“Supporting remote employees doesn’t have to be a major undertaking,” according to Dizzion, one of Inc’s 5 000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. “It just needs a more comprehensive approach with better built-in tools.”

Simplify your IT management by having Vox’s Managed IT take complete responsibility for all – or part of – your IT services while you focus on your core business. Let our team of local, certified engineers monitor, maintain and optimise your IT ecosystem to ensure your business meets its goals.

For more, please visit vox.co.za.