Remote work has been getting some bad press in the news lately, and while I’m sure that some employees take advantage of being at home during the day to do some non-work-related tasks, there are plenty of examples of remote work capability being an asset for the business owner. If an employee wants or needs to work from home on any given day, the goal should allow them to work effectively and securely without spending a bunch of time and money to set everything up. The good news is that by making just a few adjustments to your infrastructure, you should be able to allow employees to access all their data, devices, and information in an efficient, productive manner when working remotely.
Securing Remote Connections with Virtual Private Networks
Literally millions of companies use VPN’s as part of their business, and most of us have seen or heard an advertisement for VPN’s, promising both security and privacy with their products. But what exactly is a VPN? Good question. A Virtual Private Network creates a secure, private connection across a public network and enables users to send and receive data as if they were directly connected in the office. Meaning any user with a VPN setup can quickly connect to their office, access all their files and devices on their network, even print checks or documents from anywhere in the world.
Affordable Options
Creating secure remote access for your remote workers can be affordable. In fact, if you have already invested in a business class router for your office, chances are good that you already have a VPN solution available to you, since most business-class router will have some form of remote capability already built in. This off-the-shelf VPN solution allows the user to connect to when working remotely using any PC, laptop, tablet, or even their phone. No business-class router? I would recommend investing in one anyway, since they provide an added layer of protection against cyber criminals.
Secondary Options
What if a VPN connection to your office does not make sense for your business model? While a lot of businesses still access data in a central, on-site location, many are turning to the cloud for storage, security, even virtualization of hardware and networks. This model makes it easy to access your information from anywhere, using any platform. Cloud computing usually includes a secure method to access data, so in most cases a direct VPN connection is not even necessary. The user can simply log in to their secure cloud location and start working, again from any device, anywhere in the world.
Do you have questions about secure remote access? Do you need something safe, fast, and easy to manage for your employees? We are always happy to give tips, expert advice, or start a project to update your business in this ever-changing world. You can always give us a call or schedule a free consultation with me to talk about how we can get your team set up with a secure, remote networking capability.
