You have just had your first taste of a distributed work force. How did that work out for you?
In most organizations the realization that “Yes, we can work remotely” will trigger a sea change in how we function going forward. In our quick reaction to being removed from the office and sheltered at home did we implement the right distributed work strategy for the long term? Chances are likely not. We now have the chance to evaluate our implementation and plan our future strategy. Let’s add some evaluation criteria to what we need to be ready for the new normal.
Working together in distributed teams may mean a new strategy for stability and reliability. Are you delivering your systems to your employees from the cloud? Do you have a cloud strategy for the long term? Maybe it is time to consider your cloud strategy and bring in some experts who can discuss options and help transition to this new environment.
Do you have the budget for this effort? Is a new digital road map on the near horizon? You may need to shift some resources for your IT work to build monitoring dashboards so you can monitor your system reliability. This is also an opportunity to budget for a cloud strategy
What about security? Are there new cloud phishing scams that came with the virus outbreak? Is your data secure? Is your customer data secure? What will you need to implement for your own security peace of mind? Security may be the biggest challenge to consider for organizations new to distributed work. This calls for some outside expertise to jump start your learning and avoid common pitfalls outside of your current experience set.
How about your newly distributed employees? Are their devices secure? Do any of them even know what a secure WiFi network means in their homes? Are they using personal devices for work or accessing your systems and networks from company-issued devices? There are a lot of security risks to be mitigated. Again, you may consider some outside expertise, as there are well-known ways to enforce policies and procedures that are easy to adopt but may be foreign to your current team.
While this all may sound a little daunting, I do not think the situation calls for a wholesale change in your business that would break the bank or your IT budget. There are little steps that can be taken here to put you on the path to post COVID-19 efficient organization. Consider this as an opportunity to rethink your IT strategy and garner more funding around cloud implementation and having an “everything as a service strategy” (XaaS). Let’s take the time now to plan and get organizationally ready for the new normal.