Over the past several years, quite a few companies around the world have been steadily enabling higher volumes of remote work with cloud services and collaborative tools. However, the current coronavirus, or COVID-19, crisis is driving many more organizations toward entirely remote work environments in a hurry. With governments’ increasingly enforcing strict guidelines to stop the spread, mandating that residents stay and work from home, there's a surge in demand for reliable remote business solutions.
Microsoft has been at the forefront of enabling remote, cloud-based operations for a while now. At Columbus, we’re proud to partner with Microsoft given the brand’s reliability, security, progressive and customer-focused nature.
To help you make an informed decision in a timely manner, here’s a quick and comprehensive look at building a remote work environment with Microsoft tools.
The following remote working tools will help you to communicate and collaborate with your remote staff, so that they can remain connected, productive and informed. With these in place, you’ll have a more successful transition, your employees will feel supported, and your organization will experience minimal disruption.
You need a convenient and useful tool for communicating and working with your team members. In some instances, these functions may consist of several applications, such as a video application and a separate chat application.
However, Microsoft Teams is an option that combines these features. Microsoft Teams enables your remote workforce to:
If your company already has Microsoft Office 365, then Microsoft Teams is already a part of your solution. However, if you don’t currently use Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft is offering several free trial options to help organizations at this uncertain time. Learn more in Microsoft’s commitment to its customers during COVID-19.
Need support using Microsoft Teams? Check out these videos from Microsoft with tips and tricks for using Teams. Videos include: How to use the command box; how to start chats and make calls; How to add tools with tabs; how to work in channels; how to manage meetings; and more.
To go fully remote, you will need to use cloud services that enable your employees to perform essential functions, access and store files, and collaborate from anywhere. Microsoft Office 365 is primarily cloud-based, and there are several product options within the suite that will allow you to perform these functions.
Need OneDrive support or to learn how to get started? Here are the basics, outlined by Microsoft, in a series of videos, including how to get started, the basics, setting up your mobile device for OneDrive and managing your files. Or check out Microsoft’s OneDrive help and learning website. Microsoft also offers more how-tos on OneDrive on their YouTube channel.
It’s important to ensure that, as your company moves toward remote solutions, you have the right security measures in place to maintain data integrity and protect your organization from cyber threats. Microsoft Office 365 has several built-in security methods and add-ons to serve these purposes.
User education is as important as your security software. You must set your employees up for success in their new remote work environments. Create guidelines for how they use their devices, network and programs so they can better protect themselves from attacks and scams.
Want tips on getting employee buy-in and compliance? In Microsoft’s recent blog, Work remotely, stay secure – guidance for CISOs, you’ll find further actionable advice on this topic.
Microsoft Whiteboard App: Having a whiteboard for collaborating, brainstorming or displaying ideas is a feature that many teams find productive and invaluable in meetings. Microsoft Whiteboard integrates with Microsoft Teams, so you don’t have to sacrifice the momentum that comes with such collaborative meetings. We've written a blog where we discuss some tips on how to run a great virtual meeting with Teams and Whiteboard.
Crisis Communication Power App: For critical times like these, it helps to have a single, reliable location for news and information related specifically to immediate crises and emergencies. Microsoft built the Crisis Communication app using their Power Platform so that companies can support and inform their workforces as conditions change.
Microsoft Remote Desktop: Using a remote desktop, you can grant yourself access to your work computer so that you can essentially “use” your desktop from other devices. Learn how to use Microsoft Remote Desktop.
As a third-party provider of Microsoft products, we're knowledgeable about (and experienced with using) Microsoft tools that enable remote capabilities. We can answer your questions about running a company remotely and making the move quickly, securely and successfully.
Microsoft has a lot to offer, even beyond the products featured in this article, and we can help you find and implement the right tools for your business operations.