Forward-thinking organisations are now supporting remote workers across the globe. Flexible working enables organisations to obtain the best talent, allow staff to work on remote devices to maximise productivity and conduct meetings via video, rather than travelling into an office.

Organisations are suddenly needing to support their entire workforce remotely and their existing collaboration platforms are being tested to their limits.

IT departments should be asking for some basic requirements if they are looking to deploy a new collaboration platform and some tips on approaching either changing or upgrading their collaboration environment remotely.

Questions to ask when changing or upgrading your collaboration environment

It is critical not to rush into a quick collaboration platform purchase, even if there is limited time to support remote workers of varying IT competency levels. Many collaboration platforms offer basic applications for free, and for some, that may be a good solution. However, it is crucial to consider your business’ requirements before opting for a selection. Below is a list of questions organisations should be asking to find the best secure collaboration platform:

1 – What platforms do your clients, partners, investors or suppliers use?

Choose a platform that can be used together with the other various video conferencing systems your users will try to connect to.

2 – What are your employee’s familiar workflows?

What is their familiarity with various software?

Investing in a feature-rich platform can lead to low user adoption if it is unfamiliar and difficult for users. Over time, the business will see a lower ROI compared to if they have opted for a more expensive, but more familiar platform. 

3 – Will this solution work on the various types of devices and operating systems my users have at home?

Ensure your chosen video collaboration solution supports multiple devices, including mobile. Most do but be on the lookout for what the software or plugin requirements are.

4 – How do I keep my users secure or trust them to keep themselves safe?

First, check the critical security credentials of the platforms you are considering. Do they provide end-to-end AES encryption? Ask to see their Data Privacy policies. Organisations should be provided adequate explanations of:

• How data is protected – at rest and in transit?
• Where data is held?
• What 3rd parties have access to the data?
• How long is the data kept?
• Is data ever sold or transferred?

Check policies for disclosing data breaches and if they push regular security updates. Additionally, it’s an excellent baseline to remind your users of basic rules of online securities such as secure passwords, using VPN, etc.

5 – What happens when all the staff return to the office?

It’s hard to see far into the future, but when an organisation decides to return to the office and the new cloud-based collaboration platform you’ve subscribed to for another year comes with you, make sure you consider the following questions before adopting a new platform:

• How will it work with your existing meeting rooms & legacy hardware?
• Is the platform scalable for those use cases?
• How will you support it going forward when it becomes the de-facto platform for your boardroom meetings?

Conclusion

Technology is ahead of the game—it’s people that have to update their processes to adapt to this new way of working. There are many excellent platform choices on the market. New Era Technology can help you choose the right solution and design and deploy (remotely if needed) while supporting you at the level your organisation desires.

To learn more about how New Era can assist you in keeping remote workers and your business secure, please contact our team.