"With 46% of companies implementing remote work strategies to offset the impacts of COVID-19 and preserve their employees’ health, the quick pivot is putting new pressures on IT departments worldwide. As that percentage continues to rise, those departments are being asked to deliver remote IT services continuously and securely both within and outside of their four walls."
Managing the “New Normal” Remote Workforce with ITaaS
The rush to mobilize work-from-home labor forces puts new strains and pressures on companies’ IT departments. Here’s how IT as a Service helps organizations manage in this “new normal” cost-effectively, securely, and efficiently.
With 46% of companies implementing remote work strategies to offset the impacts of COVID-19 and preserve their employees’ health, the quick pivot is putting new pressures on IT departments worldwide. As that percentage continues to rise, those departments are being asked to deliver remote IT services continuously and securely both within and outside of their four walls.
Now an official “pandemic,” COVID-19 is affecting almost all facets of life. To help lessen the financial impact on individuals and organizations, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires most companies with up to 500 employees to provide paid emergency sick leave up to 100% of regular pay (restrictions apply) for Coronavirus-related issues, up to a total limit of $5,110. And while tax credits are available to offset these expenses, many companies are implementing work-from-home policies to help keep their operations running during this difficult time.
IT with Benefits
The new and unexpected work-from-home movement presents unique challenges for IT teams. It’s especially challenging for small to midsized firms (SMBs) that lack the internal IT resources needed to mobilize, support, and monitor a mostly-remote workforce. A technology delivery method that treats IT as a commodity, IT as a Service (ITaaS) enhances existing IT organizations by providing the hardware, software, and support they need in exchange for a monthly fee.
By factoring in both organizational and IT consumption needs, ITaaS provides a whole host of benefits for companies that are struggling to wrap their arms around the pandemic-driven work-from-home movement. Key benefits include:
Cost savings. With ITaaS, pricing is stabilized and predictable, and you only pay for what you need at any given time. Other financial “wins” include improved capacity planning, better use of existing resources, and equipment maintenance.
Improve security and lower risk. There’s never been a more important time for companies to improve security and lower risk with their remote workforces. “ITaaS can stabilize what otherwise might be a volatile and chaotic environment if your IT department tried to keep up with all the ever-changing demands placed
Leverage core legacy business functions. There is no need to completely walk away from the “old” way of doing IT, or from those legacy systems or functions. ITaaS fully leverages the systems that you already have in place.
Scalability. Provision and pay for only the IT capacity needed in the on-premises data center — and adapt if requirements or demand fluctuates.
Transparency. Using a consumption-based IT model provides greater insight into where, when, and how IT services are used.
Expert technical support. ITaaS providers have industry expertise and technical knowledge to support IT organizations where need is greatest (i.e., software updates and patching).
Simplicity. Working with the ITaaS provider, companies can pinpoint their biggest capacity concerns and then shift those workloads or services to a consumption-based model.
Illness-Proof, Vacation-Proof, Recession-Proof
In Forbes, Adrian Bridgwater calls the Coronavirus pandemic a “big driver for cloud infrastructure and platform technologies (IaaS and PaaS) that support business-specific applications run within public cloud environments that staff will access from home.”
With COVID-19 expected to impact business operations over the coming months, the top questions that companies mobilizing remote workforces right now should be asking themselves are:
Is our IT department staffed and prepared to handle the additional workload of more remote users within the company?
Does our IT department understand the processes for walking people through the remote connection process and can it effectively troubleshoot issues?
What software tools will our users need to be able to work and function remotely?
Can people access the software tools they need for remote access via external websites?
How much will virtual private network (VPN) licenses per-user cost, based on the size of our remote workforce?
Will our remote employees use company-owned PCs/laptops or their personal computers and devices?
How long will it take to setup and provide the hardware that our remote workforce needs?
If there’s a temporary plan in place to utilize personal PCs, what is the plan around anti-virus software?
Will we use instant messaging tools and videoconferencing to help bridge the gap between workers when they’re not in close proximity to one another?
How will employees adjust to working from home and dealing with many distractions (dogs, lawnmower noise, door bells, etc.)?
In a world where working remotely is rapidly becoming a way of life, ITaaS can save companies money, time, hassle, and headaches. Illness-proof, vacation-proof, and resignation-proof, GSI’s ITaaS is helping companies around the world effectively cope with the new demands being placed on their IT infrastructures. As you focus on keeping your production floor, plants, offices, and other operations running smoothly in a time of crisis, GSI ensures that your critical systems are up, running, maintained, and available 24/7/365.
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