Why do all companies need remote network access for their employees?

Website design By BotEap.comDue to the pandemic, all non-essential businesses have continued to close their doors, a situation that could drag on for several more weeks. If these recent developments have taught us anything, it is that we must be prepared for any eventuality.

Website design By BotEap.comIf you own a business, what steps are you taking to transition your employees to a work-from-home environment? Remote network access is critical, pandemic or not, especially if most or all of your workforce conducts business from home. To keep your business afloat, customers happy, productivity steady, and workers employed, you must enable remote network access for your employees.

Website design By BotEap.comWhat you need to know: remote access solutions

Telecommuting not only helps companies reduce overhead and allows employees to juggle work with personal commitments at their own pace, but it also facilitates a more productive “work your own schedule” situation.

Website design By BotEap.comThere are several ways to establish remote job opportunities for your company. You could:

• Website design By BotEap.comChoose a full virtual private network.
• Website design By BotEap.comImplement remote desktop access.
• Website design By BotEap.comSet up a cloud computing network and share files between home offices to develop a virtual office setup.

Website design By BotEap.comVirtual private network

Pros

• Website design By BotEap.comGood option for companies that want to offer intermittent access or full-time access to remote work solutions; however, remote devices must be properly secured and protocols must be followed.
• Website design By BotEap.comThe encryption protocols make the transfer of information between the VPN and the end users quite secure.
• Website design By BotEap.comThe VPN itself is not vulnerable to a direct attack.

Website design By BotEap.comCons

• Website design By BotEap.comPCs that are not protected can transfer viruses and malware to the VPN if they are not secure. Connecting to a VPN can make the system vulnerable if employees don’t log out when they’re done.
• Website design By BotEap.comThese are more difficult to configure than remote desktop access.

Website design By BotEap.comRemote desktop access solutions

You can enable remote desktop access in one of three ways:

• Website design By BotEap.comRemote access software
• Website design By BotEap.comEnterprise remote desktop
• Website design By BotEap.comDirect remote access

Website design By BotEap.comRemote access software solutions are less secure at their most basic level, with limited centralized control of employee login and remote access. This solution has a higher cost, while direct remote access is free. Still, this is a solid option for smaller businesses with intermittent work-from-home needs.

Website design By BotEap.comEnterprise remote desktop solutions are more scalable but more difficult to configure. They offer a seamless experience and operate through hosted solutions, which has a higher cost; however, the ease of configuration is better than having to set up this infrastructure on your own.

Website design By BotEap.comDirect remote access requires proper security protocols to be followed to ensure the system is not vulnerable to attack. It can be difficult to remotely restart a computer that has frozen. Additionally, many hardware issues will need to be addressed on-site.

Website design By BotEap.comRemote network work in the cloud

This is a good option if you choose to work from a full virtual office, as these solutions offer additional flexibility and cost benefits. They have some risks because it is difficult to control what employees do with their hardware at home.

Website design By BotEap.comWhat to consider

Check out these factors to consider when deciding on a type and provider of remote access and working solutions:

• Ease of installation: How long are you involved? How much effort will it cause downtime in operations as the transition occurs?
• Easy to use: Can your employees and IT department easily use this solution?
• Cost: How much does each solution cost vs. How much will it save your business?
• Security: How safe is the option you are considering? To what extent does it depend on the ability of users to follow established protocols?

Website design By BotEap.comContact Monmouth Computer Associates

For help deciding which solution is best for your needs or configuring your remote access solution infrastructure, contact us today.