Tag: remote working

Here’s how the pros of technology outweigh the cons in the workplace

Technology is constantly changing and evolving and while many companies fear change, preferring rather to stick to the technology that they are familiar with, it’s undoubtedly an unproductive endeavour for the future of the business. Yes, new technology comes with its risks, but if you take the necessary security precautions it can really spur your business on to success.

New tech is empowering for customers, employees, and the business as a whole. Some of the downsides might include time spent on training and new vulnerabilities in terms of data safety, but it’s safe to say that the pros of technology far outweigh the cons in the workplace.

Advantages and Benefits of Technology in the Workplace

Below are just 5 areas that technology can benefit your business and spur on a more productive workplace.

1. Efficiency

One of the main objectives of technology is to streamline processes and speed up systems. By providing employees with technology that does this you free up their time to spend on customer service and be more productive. Most technology that speeds up processes also collects data and translates that into analytics. This data can be used to make confident informed decisions and to ensure that the business remains competitive and profitable.

2. Quick & Easy Document Access & Sharing

Did you know that around 20% of the time spent at work is wasted on trying to retrieve files, documents, and information? That’s a lot of time over a year! That time could be far better spent being more productive. Modern technology makes it easier for employees to store and share documents and data online or in the cloud. It’s also a safer way to store sensitive information than on an employee’s device. If you don’t have file sharing technology or cloud computing in place yet, why not?

3. Remote Working

How much time is lost with employees driving to and from meetings or to and from work? Recently, the value of working remotely or from home has been realised, but many businesses found themselves unprepared for this particular shift in remote working. Technology makes it possible for employees to work from anywhere, even while travelling. Online data backups make it possible to access information, and file-sharing systems mean that employees can access documents in a few seconds (as long as they have internet access). Mobile connectivity is highly beneficial to businesses

4. Convenience Through Automation

Automation is not just about saving time, but also about eliminating the risk of human error. Technology makes it possible to automate many tasks such as invoicing, data entry, bookkeeping, and project management. This saves time, money, and ensures the profitability of the business.

5. Improved Communication

Communication is of the utmost importance within a business. Without clear, effective, and efficient communication, the business won’t be able to prosper and thrive. Using technology, you can streamline communication between employees and also with customers and potential customers. Think of using chat systems such as WhatsApp, email, and other platforms but be sure to enhance security before you do.

Last Word

In a world where technology seems to be changing at a rapid rate, it’s important to ensure that your business isn’t left behind. While caution is always recommended along with a conscious approach to security, it doesn’t make good business sense to let yourself allow lag too far behind in terms of technology implementation.

Best Software for Remote Working Teams, Meetings and Conferences

As a business owner, you already know that COVID-19 has brought on a nationwide lockdown, but it doesn’t mean that your business has to close for business entirely. Many business owners have come up with innovative ways to continue operating online, with their employees working remotely. While this is the new norm, for now, there are challenges that are faced by work-from-home teams that need to be addressed. These challenges can certainly be solved by making use of software designed specifically for remote workers, online meetings, and digital conferences.

When looking for remote software and applications, it is always best to take a few things into consideration. These are:

  • Affordability
  • Online availability (do all team members have access to enough data/internet service?)
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • Method of communication

How to Connect Your Team Remotely

The question begs to be asked; What is the best software to use when you have teams working remotely? Below are the top applications, tools, and programs that many companies and individuals make use of when working remotely.

  • Asana

Asana as a brand claims to simplify team-based work management and in reality, it does just that. There is both a web and mobile version of the program that allows teams to connect, organise, track and manage work and projects currently underway.

Asana is considered safe and secure to use as sharing of info can be controlled in the app/program settings. All information entered is encrypted with industry-standard encryption.

Asana is free to use for up to 15 users. Premium features in the workspace are only available to paid members. Prices start from around $13.50 per month.

  • Zoom

Zoom describes itself as a leader in modern enterprise video communications. It has a reliable cloud-based platform that is ideal for webinars, chats, audio conferencing, and video conferencing. What makes Zoom popular is that it is able to collaborate with mobile as well as desktop.

Zoom claims to provide end-to-end encryption. Unfortunately, as evidenced in local news, Zoom’s video and audio meetings were not quite as private and secure as initially believed.  You can read more on the risks here. This doesn’t mean that Zoom isn’t a highly useful program to use, but if you are considering using it for sending and storing of sensitive data, do your research first.

Zoom offers a Basic Free Plan that allows unlimited meetings with many participants for up to 40 minutes. There are other pricing plans for larger conferences and longer meetings.

  • Skype

Skype has earned itself a great reputation over the years as being a world-class conference, audio, and video calling program. It also offers a great messaging chat service which makes it easy for team members to keep in touch and share information at the click of a button. Skype is considered very safe to use as it does a verification check to ensure that users are who they say they are.

The program encrypts communications and ensures that no third parties are able to gain unauthorised access to communications. The payment systems are also secured and considered safe to store card details.

Skype is free to use if you are communicating with other Skype users. Users only pay to use the service if they are calling an external number or sending a text message.

  • Slack

Slack is a great program for teams working remotely and is considered a good alternative to email and an effective way to keep conversations organised and tracked. Slack allows its users to organise communications in channels for group exchanges, and also allows for private messaging where individual employees can share files and information with each other.

Slack advises that data is encrypted and also offers data protection tools including Enterprise Key Management, audit logs and further protection by integrating with various data loss prevention providers. Unfortunately, Slack has been hacked in the past and this means that while the program is useful, it shouldn’t be used to share highly sensitive information, usernames or passwords.

What to Do for Safe Storage and Sharing of Data?

If you have team members that work with sensitive information you should consider using a cloud based backup service that encrypts data and password protects the information. With these services, you can set up user accounts and allowances, limit access and ensure that sensitive documents aren’t stored on-site or on personal devices, but rather in the cloud.

While working from home has become the new norm, it is important to make use of convenient, reliable and secure remote applications and software. Do your research and choose wisely – for the sake of your data security.