Due to the current pandemic, many businesses have had to adapt quickly to working from home. Your at-home workspace likely looks and feels a lot different than being in the office. It’s not just the physical space that has changed – the way you communicate, schedule meetings and file paperwork, must now be done online. If you have a smaller business, this adjustment may have been unanticipated, and you might not have the right resources to make the transition smooth. That’s why Melbourne based IT Support company, Discover are here to help your team acquire the best IT Managed Services and tools!
With an effectively managed service, you can make working from home as easy as possible. By investing in a managed services provider, you can increase operational efficiency, and rest easy knowing your online tools for employees can be securely and efficiently run. Here’s an overview of some helpful tools to get you started:
- Business Remote Working Tools and Systems
- Microsoft Office 365 & Cloud Solutions
- How We Can Help With Your Remote Working Needs
Business Remote Working Tools and Systems
But what kind of tools do you need? There are tons of managed service provider options, cybersecurity, remote monitoring, cloud services, and more out there. You may not know where you need to start, or what tools will integrate with your infrastructure and business goals best. That’s why we’ve outlined some of the most common problems working from home, and their technological solutions, below.
Remote Working Communication Tools
Communicating effectively with your team is a vital and key part to be able to transition to at-home working. If you are unable to speak to your employees and see how they are doing, it’s unlikely your business IT services and work will flow smoothly.
If you don’t have a proper communication method in place for remote working, we can help! Discover Managed IT Services Melbourne has narrowed down the best tools to talk to your team online. All platforms are free to use and can be used on multiple different devices (For example, Mac or PC.)
- Zoom – There are paid upgrade plans available with Zoom allowing you to video chat with up to 100 simultaneously, use a chatbox, schedule meetings in different time zones. The free account allows you to have calls with more than two people for up to 45-minutes
- Team Viewer – Allows the user to control another person’s computer remotely, can be used to assist in fixing an issue with the computer or if a team member needs help with their computer or program. Good for remote monitoring.
- Google Hangouts Meet – All you need is a Google account to use this software, it is free and can allow up to 100 people for a 60-minute maximum meeting.
Work From Home File Management Tools
Keeping your files organized and having a place for your team to keep their work organized is important. Since you are working remotely there is no filing cabinet or your boss’s desk to leave your completed work on. Downloading these easy-to-use IT Services will help you as a business owner and your team stay organized and up to date. These cloud computing platforms are available across multiple devices, have great security, and are free with paid plans available with more functions that can be used.
- Google Drive – Easy and user friendly, share documents with anyone with a Google account, lots of storage.
- Microsoft SharePoint – Access and share files within OneDrive, Teams, and more, find documents quickly and easily, highlight and edit files.
- Microsoft OneDrive – One Drive is a file management feature that falls under Microsoft 365.
Business Online Collaboration Tools
It is important to have one place where all your employees can go and talk to each other, ask questions, and see what is going on during the workday. That way there is always an open line of communication and collaboration, which is important when working from home! Since there are no more 5-minute beginning of the day meetings in person, these tools can help employees stay on track and in touch. Here are some user friendly and free programs you can download to meet your business needs:
- Slack – A direct communication business platform, allows direct and group messaging and posting public announcements that can be commented on. Can even be added to a mobile device.
- Microsoft Teams – Teams is a business communication and organisation platform in the Microsoft Office 365 suite that allows messaging, video chatting, and file sharing.
- Trello – A visual communication tool that creates lists, reminders, and keeps track of all your progress and work on specific projects.
Task Management (Project Management) Tools
Introducing task management software to your team is a smart, as it allows you to keep everyone on track whether they’re in the office or working remotely. It allows your team to collaborate without you setting up a meeting, and is great for organising and prioritising tasks. Here are a couple popular task management tools.
- Microsoft Outlook – User friendly tool within the Office 365 suite which gives you much more than just email and calendar!
- ClickUp – Tons of features including a calendar, reminders, templates, set targets, goals, and more.
- Todoist – This is a list program, helps organize and prioritize tasks and easy to navigate.
- Trello – A software where you can view and create a board of online post-it notes.
Discover Microsoft Office 365 & Cloud Solutions
At Discover, we strive to bring you the best IT Managed Services available, which is why we strongly recommend bringing Microsoft Office 365 and Cloud Solutions into your business. Microsoft Office 365 is an amazing piece of business technology, providing a scalable solution for your business which enables you to seamlessly move from working in the office and remotely.
The new technology tools offered with Office 365 cover all the important areas we mentioned above, making it a single solution to a multitude of work-from-home problems. Having these tools under your belt will allow you to focus on running your business rather than be running around figuring out the best technology to use. Microsoft Office 365 and Cloud Solutions make sure the technology side of your business is successful. We promise you’ll be a satisfied client no matter where you are working from.
How We Can Help With Your Remote Working Needs
As a small or medium sized business, it is extremely important to make the change to remote software now and keep up with your Managed IT Services. The future is here, and you must invest in information technology and adapt to stay successful. Setting up your business with Microsoft Office 365 or The Cloud is a smart and efficient way to stay successful and organized when working from home.
Your competitors are already shifting gears fast, and tools like these are a staple in most large businesses and corporations today. As a business owner, you need to stay on top of communicating with your team and make it as easy as possible for them to access work and properly complete it on time.
Hiring a specialist IT Services company like Discover can help you get these systems up and running to the benefit of your business. This way you can focus on running your business as you know best, with someone with the right expertise handling the tech side of things. While you may worry about cost, this is more than worth the investment. By outsourcing someone to manage your network, offer remote support, and build the custom solution you need, you can propel your business into the online-focused future.