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

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

If 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, your customers happy and productivity at a constant level, and your workers employed, you need to enable remote network access for your employees.

What you need to know: remote access solutions
Telecommuting not only helps companies reduce overhead and allows employees to combine work with personal commitments at their own pace, but also facilitates a more productive “work on your own schedule” situation.

There are several ways to set up remote work opportunities for your company. You could:

• Choose a complete Virtual Private Network.
• Implement remote desktop access.
• Set up a cloud computing network and share files between home offices to develop a virtual office setup.

virtual private network

advantages

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

Cons

• Unprotected PCs could 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 off when they’re done.
• These are more difficult to configure than remote desktop access.

Remote desktop access solutions

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

• remote access software
• enterprise remote desktop
• direct remote access

Remote access software solutions are less secure at their most basic level, with limited centralized control of remote employee login and 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.

Enterprise remote desktop solutions are more scalable but more difficult to configure. They offer a seamless experience and operate through hosted solutions, which comes at a higher cost; however, the ease of setup is better than having to set up this infrastructure on your own.

Direct remote access requires that proper security protocols be followed to ensure that 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.

Cloud network remote work
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’s hard to control what employees do with their hardware at home.

what to consider
Check out these factors to consider when deciding on a type and provider of remote access and work 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 easily use this solution?
• Cost: How much does each solution cost vs. How much will it save your company?
• Security: How safe is the option you are considering? How dependent is it on the ability of users to follow established protocols?

Contact Monmouth Computer Associates

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