Organizations are beginning to develop plans for bringing workers back into the office as COVID-19 infection rates decrease and more people are vaccinated. However, just 21 percent of employers expect workers to be in the office five days a week, according to a recent PwC survey. Almost half (47 percent) believe employees should come in three or four days a week to meet with clients, collaborate with other staff and maintain the company culture.
The return to work doesn’t have to be a mad scramble. While organizations were required to shift to remote work strategies virtually overnight, they can now take time to be more strategic. Business leaders should consider the successes and failures of remote work, and whether operational processes will need further modifications in a hybrid work environment.
It’s also important to evaluate technology tools. Most organizations implemented technologies to support remote work — often on the fly. Additionally, many employees have been using consumer-grade collaboration tools and cloud apps to help them get the job done. Some of these will still be needed going forward, while others can be eliminated, consolidated or right-sized. Organizations should also evaluate new technologies that can help them better serve customers and take advantage of emerging opportunities.
As users split their time between in-office and remote work, WAN demands will likely change and may spike unpredictably. Organizations should assess their Internet speed, reliability and bandwidth to ensure the WAN provides a high-quality user experience. The WAN must also have the ability to scale as more users and devices are added. Of course, there must be strong security controls to protect against unauthorized access and compromised devices.
Collaboration tools have enabled remote workers to connect with team members, colleagues, managers and customers, but the technology has definite drawbacks. In recent studies, remote workers reported a high level of frustration and fatigue related to inadequate collaboration tools. Virtual meetings will be required in the hybrid workplace, so now is a good time to evaluate what tools are in use, identify any gaps and develop a plan for optimizing the collaboration environment to meet business objectives.
Organizations quickly implemented cloud applications and services to help employees get work done outside the office. However, cloud sprawl has become a problem causing budget overruns, wasted resources and increased security threats. Organizations should conduct a thorough inventory of their cloud solutions with an eye toward eliminating redundant and unused resources, right-sizing cloud instances, and taking advantage of any available discounts.
Technologent has developed a suite of remote workforce solutions that deliver the performance, reliability and security you need to take your organization into the future. We’ve helped many customers accelerate their remote access strategies and develop a business-driven framework for communication and collaboration. Our cloud experts have also helped customers migrate workloads to the cloud and optimize their public cloud environments.
Now, as we move to the next phase of the hybrid workplace, it’s more important than ever to have a forward-looking plan. However, many organizations lack the in-house IT resources to conduct assessments, evaluate solutions and develop a strategic approach. Through its Resource Consulting services, Technologent can provide experienced IT staff with the expertise to help you make this transition.