DHTS Admin

Using Cloud-Based storage is one of the best ways you can help your team who are working remotely 

Working remotely means you need to have a good cloud-based storage system in place. This can not only help to protect all of your existing work but allows your staff to collaborate more easily in a secure environment. If you don’t have this set up already, which options work for you will depend on your cloud-based needs. 

Having a cloud-based system also allows your staff members to stay productive, as they can access their work anywhere, anytime. With certain cloud plans, you’ll be able to scale up or down depending on your business needs which can be really useful as your company grows or if you end up not using as much. 

Firstly, you’ll need to know how much storage space you’ll require from your cloud provider. Take the time to figure out how much you currently use across your business’s computers or your existing cloud provider, or hire an IT specialist to calculate and set this up for you. 

Once you have this decided, you’ll need to determine whether you need a public or private cloud provider. If you handle a large amount of data which contains sensitive information, you’ll most likely require a private cloud provider where your data can be more secure. However, you might need to consult someone on this, as each provider has different benefits and costs depending on the level you need. When taking this into consideration, you’ll need to weigh up the costs and benefits in the long-term and who will manage this for you. Using an IT services provider means you could have this set up and managed for a set fee. 

If you’re a small-medium sized business, a public cloud provider such as Google, Amazon or Microsoft might suit you well, as they have a variety of plans for different needs. 

By moving to cloud-based storage, you can also ensure that you control the access to these files and update and enforce any security measures you would like for your users. 

If you plan on utilising home working more often, this could well be a good fit for your business. 

With an IT specialist on board, they can advise you on the best way to move certain data and software onto the cloud to ensure that you always have a backup which works for your business. 

During COVID-19 many of us are now in the situation where we need to manage teams remotely. Not having face to face contact with your usual team can present some inherent issues and really put into question the trust you may have with some team members, especially those who may need direction.

So, it’s important for leaders to not only brush up on tips on how to effectively work from home themselves, but to also understand how to get the most from your team while you’re all working remote.

If you’re looking for some tips on taking your team remote when it comes to it then read our latest article: 4 things to keep in mind when taking your team remote.

Manage with goals and complete projects, weekly & quarterly goals.

When you have a remote team it’s important to bring in a series of achievable goals for your remote team to work from. Break down your project into manageable milestones and make sure they adhere to the timelines. 

It’s important for your team to have milestones and structure so they’re able to overcome productivity and distraction issues if they know there is a deadline to meet. Your remote team should also be using lists and organisational tactics to keep on track of their work while working from home. 

Using a tool like Trello, a kanban style collaborative board can help your team with moving projects along at a structured pace. 

Set out expectations early

There will be a lot of confusion and misinformation about a myriad of things when you suddenly take your team remote. It’s important to brief your team about all expectations you and the company has for your team from the outset. 

It’s generally a good idea to create a shared document with all information laid out, working hours, meeting schedule, technology that is needed and support networks you may have taken on.

Use the same collaboration apps

Nothing will cause confusion and lost time in productivity than a fractured team using different collaboration and storage tools. It’s essential you get your team all using the same communication and cloud platform, one such platform is Microsoft Teams, which allows multi-channel communication, voice/video meetings and file sharing, something we can help set up for you for free. 

Set regular meetings and catch ups

Make sure you’re getting your team together with a regular time specific slot, this kind of consistency can be good team morale and productivity and allows you to check in targets and goals you set earlier. Again, try to use a platform like Microsoft Teams, which will allow for multi-party video conferencing, allowing that needed face to face time with your team. 

Prepare for emergencies and sudden changes

The past two weeks have felt like a year and with the rate of changes throwing us all off guard it’s important you expect the worst and prepare for it. Whether it’s understanding the skills and role each member will play and whether you’re able to spread the workload if someone was to become sick, or to prepare for the unfortunate possibility of layoffs. It’s important you have all your bases covered during this time. 

Foster a collaborative and inquisitive mindset

Keep communication open at all times, allow your team members to send you direct messages over team, or to call with queries. Some of your team is isolating alone will begin to feel very lonely, so it’s important to be there to support and encourage and the days go on.

And, the same goes for encouraging each of your team members to discuss and ask questions to each other, collaboration tools like Teams can make that process very easy. One suggestion may be to break the day up with a quick remote team game, or non-businesses related chat, asking everyone how they’re holding up can go a long way. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the sheer amount of planning and disruption caused by suddenly transitioning your team to work from home, then allow us to help with the burden of collaboration, set-up and ongoing support. We’re offering free Microsoft Team’s set-up and training sessions for your team to get them onboarded straight away, as well as offering 24/7 ongoing support for your team remotely. 

Simply fill in the form below to get in touch, or read more here:

With schools closing this week and further measured expected for COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear now that many companies need to transition their force into a remote working team while people self-isolate at their homes.

But, if a business has not properly prepared for the impact of a full remote team, the sudden change can cause faults in collaboration, productivity, and connectivity, especially when it comes to IT.

In this article, we’ll outline 5 suggestions you’ll need to bear in mind when it comes to deploying a fully remote team of workers.

1: Collaboration and Communication through Microsoft Teams

It’s important to retain the same high level of communication which is usually shared between teams, from meetings to queries it’s essential that productivity is not lost through waiting for emails or relaying complex information between multiple calls. Microsoft Teams can solve and empower collaboration between remote teams.

This is why we at DHTS have partnered with Microsoft Teams. Teams allow communication not only through direct messaging but through sophisticated team calls via voice or video as well as the ability to share files, documents, spreadsheets and more seamlessly to co-workers or online teams, allowing for collaboration, discussion, and productivity.

We’re able to deploy Teams to your team instantaneously while providing consultation to getting the right architecture for a roll-out of this kind. We’re able to understand how your business can best use this software and help with adoption, planning, support and training, all remotely.

2: Implementing Cloud Storage with One Drive

If your company still has not embraced cloud storage then taking your team remote may be the best excuse to begin the migration. Using cloud software like Microsoft’s OneDrive and Sharepoint will allow you to keep one secure online source for all your files, allowing team members to access and edit; empowering collaboration with your work-from-home team.

If you’re looking to transfer your storage needs to the cloud we’re able to advise and support you while you make the transition.

3: Support & Training Network

Losing your team from the office and allowing them to set-up in an environment that may not be designed for work can lead to issues. Whether it’s connectivity, setting up or hardware issues, It’s important to put in place contingency plans and steps to anticipate common issues that may creep up.

Some common issues you may face:

• Printer problems. Connecting, installing, replacing catridges.
• Some households may have poor internet or router issues. Are router upgrades or dongles needed?
• Are your work from home team equipped with the right hardware to do their jobs correctly at home?
• Is the remote worker able to install and set-up necessary programs and software?

Again, if you’re concerned about these issues our award-winning team of IT experts can assist you in getting remote workers set-up. We’re also able to provide around the clock 24/7 support helping deal with all issues, from procuring new tech to fixing IT issues that will arise.

4: Security for Remote Teams

Working from home can potentially open your remote staff up to a myriad of security issues, especially if they’re deciding to use their own hardware. It’s essential that you put in place stringent cyber security measures, from multi-factor authentication when using accessing sensitive information, to setting up VPNs and firewalls.

If you’re concerned about a potential attack or ransomware striking while your team is remote, then it is imperative that you seek the support of cybersecurity experts, like us, to put in place the correct measures to protect your people.

We’ve chosen to partner with reputable companies that enable us to provide a complete and broad offering of protection for every device. As a certified Microsoft solutions provider, we have systems in place to notify us of new patches immediately upon release which enables us to monitor and enforce their installation in a controlled manner.