Tips for IT Managers Dealing with Increased Telecommuting

by Seth Noble |  Blog |  Mar 23, 2020

While our expertise is focused on data transfer, we have helped customers through a wide variety of IT challenges over the years.  Improving data transfer efficiency is just one component of a strategy to support dispersed workers.  Here are some tips based on our long experience and recent conversations with customers:

• Make Sure Remote Services Have Enough Licenses
  VPNs, teleconferencing, and other services may have a limit on the number of participants that is far below "everyone."  Do not assume that you'll be able to increase capacity "when needed," as there may be delays in what would normally be a click-to-upgrade procedure.
• Know Your Limits
  Make sure you know the actual speeds of all your WAN links and how much bandwidth is normally used.  Infrastructure documentation is often out of date, especially for remote offices.  Do not assume you will be able to easily upgrade; check with your telecom provider about which options will be available if you need more bandwidth and how long it will take to deploy.
• Communicate Resources
  Let everyone know where to find essential links and connection procedures.  Documentation on how to work remotely doesn't help if it can't be accessed from outside the corporate firewall.
• Communicate Best Practices
  A lot of workers will be looking for ad hoc solutions and workarounds as they try to just get things done any way they can.  This can be made a lot easier, and a lot more secure, by establishing and communicating recommendations for things like teleconferencing, file transfer, document sharing, etc.

We will post more tips in the coming days, but reach out now if you have questions or need help.  Stay safe and stay well!