FINAL WORD
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Overcoming the
challenges of
remote working
Remote working has many challenges and it is essential to
choose an approach which ensures secure and simple access
to the tools employees need. Lorna Hardie, Regional Director
VMware Sub Saharan Africa, explains what the top five priorities
should be for businesses to ensure continued operations.
as usual’ is no longer
an option. As the COVID-19
‘Business
pandemic has aggressively spread
across the world and across Africa, we are all
attempting to adapt and adjust to what is
a continually evolving situation. As schools
and places of work shut and self-isolation
becomes the preferred, and in the case of
South Africa, mandated option, continuing
operations is challenging, yet necessary to
power through the pandemic.
We need to prepare for the here and now
but also look ahead towards the other side
of this, where organisations of all sizes and
sectors can carry on.
For many businesses, the last couple of
weeks have been chaotic. Continuing to
meet the needs of customers, while fulfilling
their duty of care to staff, many have been
embracing remote working en masse. But
even that isn’t enough for some companies
that are having to undergo a total re-think of
what their business’ operating model must
look like if it is going to survive.
It can feel hugely overwhelming. And even
more so when businesses and their IT teams
are having to make decisions in hours, days
and weeks that might in other circumstances
take a year in the planning.
Day one: The foundation of the
new normal
Each organisation will have its own starting
point but the security and well-being of staff
will, and should be, the priority. For those
who are accustomed to and appreciative
of conventional office life and a steady
rate of social interactions at the office, the
shift to remote work as a result of social
distancing might cause a surprising, even if
relatively mild, impact on mental well-being.
Communication is key, so encouraging
‘virtual coffee breaks’ during work hours will
help foster collaboration and create a more
comfortable work environment or a specific
‘watercooler’ channel to encourage breaktime
chatter will be vital now and in the
months ahead.
Then it’s all about access to your work tools.
Being able to provide a totally easy way to
provide access to applications and services
and ensure that users can do so on whatever
computer they own; securely. That means
choosing an approach which ensures secure
and simple access to the tools employees
need, irrespective of device. This needs to be
able to evolve as the overall situation does;
when it comes to technology that means
no lock-in with the ability to evolve as the
first fortnight turns into the first month and
beyond. Put simply, this is only achievable
through software.
Businesses that can adapt quickly are the
ones that will continue to operate effectively,
and that means realising that they don’t
need to be perfect. It’s more important that
once they have their digital workspace, they
identify their critical staff and the tools they
need as quickly as possible. Once they’re
in place, the rest of the business and less
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