With the rising concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak now categorized as a pandemic, many people are forced to stay home as a precaution if feeling ill or have the responsibility of taking care of the sick and young ones. As a business, you can support your employees during this uncertain time by encouraging them to work remotely while still having efficient work days and projects completed. Yes- It’s possible to work from home! Luckily, we are in the day and age where many of us can continue to work remotely with just two simple things:
1) A laptop or computer.
2) A secure and stable internet connection.
But besides those two crucial components, here are a few additional applications and services TechOnSite recommends to help make the transition to working from home be more productive and effective:
Virtual Meetings
Instead of meeting face-to-face or having to cancel an important meeting, people can have meetings and conferences through the following free and paid services:
Slack (free & paid services)
Free version: Allows 1:1 voice & video calls between teammates
Paid version: Allows up to 15 teammates for group voice & video calls including screen sharing.
Link: slack.com
Microsoft Teams (free & paid services)
Free version: Allows 1:1 voice & video calls including screen sharing.
Paid Version: Allows up to 250 teammates for group voice & video calls.
Link: teams.microsoft.com/downloads
Zoom (free & paid services)
Free version: Allows 1:1 meetings and up to 100 participants for group meetings with 40 minutes time limit.
Paid version: Unlimited group meeting time.
Link: zoom.us
Communication
Colleagues who used to communicate in the same space can have discussions through instant messaging and online calls while utilizing following applications:
Skype (free)
Skype also allows the option to make calls to landlines and mobiles for a fee.
Link: skype.com
Google Hangouts (free)
Available on the web and as an app for your cellular device to direct message, instant video call and voice with a Google account.
Link: gsuite.google.com/products/meet/
Slack (free & paid)
Capability for direct messages and post messages to a channel of team members.
Link: slack.com
Microsoft Teams (free & paid)
Communication through direct message and group messages in teams available for any Office 365 Business essentials account.
Link: teams.microsoft.com/downloads
Remote Access
Users can still access their workstations at the office location and the corporate network remotely with the following software:
VPN [Virtual Private Network]
Requires set-up and maintenance; Contact TechOnSite for assistance
TeamViewer (paid service)
Application for remote control, desktop sharing and file transfers between computers.
Link: teamviewer.com
Splashtop (free trial and paid service)
Remote desktop software to connect and control computers from desktop and mobile devices.
Link: splashtop.com
Project Management
Departments and teams can collaborate on projects and meet goals in real-time while having a space to keep things organized with the following softwares:
Trello (free & paid service)
Free version: Up to 10 team boards, and 10MB file attachment limit.
Paid version: Unlimited team boards and up to 250 MB file attachment.
Link: trello.com
Asana (free & paid service)
Free version: Collaborate with up to 15 teammates
Paid version: Additional features and private teams option
Microsoft Teams (free & paid service)
Free version: 2GB file storage limit.
Paid version: Calendar and scheduled meeting feature available. 1TB File storage.
Monday (paid service)
Ability to allow teams to run processes, workflows and projects in one visual tool.
Link: monday.com
Time Tracking
Without the ability to card punch in physically to track attendance, here are a few applications available for employees to still track their work time:
TSheets (free trial and paid service)
Capability to track time on any devices and schedule employees.
Link: tsheets.com
Monday
Allows app integrations that have time-tracking functionality.
Link: monday.com
Trello (paid service)
Time tracking capability for all Trello tasks and projects.
Link: trello.com
File Sharing
Store and access files remotely by uploading to the cloud. Share content with colleagues and collaborate in real time. Here are a few file sharing apps offering free and paid services.
Dropbox (free & paid)
Free version: 2 GB storage, sync across 3 devices, shared folders and links.
Paid version: 2 TB+ storage, sync across unlimited devices & Dropbox Smart Sync.
Google Drive (free & paid)
Free version: 15 GB storage, share files, folders and links with other users.
Paid version: 100 GB+ storage including free version features.
Microsoft One Drive (free & paid)
Free version: 5 GB storage, ability to sync files between computers and MS Office web version available.
Paid version: 100 GB+ storage including free version features.
*Office 365 Business Premium license includes One Drive.
Box (free & paid)
Free version: 10 GB storage with 250 MB file upload limit.
Paid version: 100 GB+ storage with 2GB+ file upload limit. Addition of security features & more.
The solutions and possibilities to make working remotely a success are endless and TechOnSite is here to make it happen for your business. Incorporate the technology you have available to help your business succeed and most importantly, be able to look out for the safety and health of your valued employees.
