The remote workforce is becoming a norm, with more than 40% of Australia’s employed population working remotely as of December 2021.
With Microsoft 365, you can work anywhere – and with greater cybersecurity features to keep your business’ private data more secure than ever.
Remote work is important for companies to stay efficient and productive. But, as with any new technology, there are going to be some hurdles along the way.
Productivity boost
Microsoft 365 was designed to help people complete their daily tasks more efficiently and effectively. The suite can be used on any device, in any location with internet access, making it easier for your employees to access the information they need, and work seamlessly together with their colleagues in real time.
With Microsoft 365, it’s easy to create apps that allow remote workers to stay productive. For example, Microsoft Teams has a chat feature that allows you to quickly communicate and collaborate with team members.
In addition, there is an integrated online video conferencing feature that allows for real-time collaboration and feedback.
Communication and collaboration
This can be a problem for employees who are away from their teams, but also for the social company. If your people are spread across multiple locations and you don’t have a good way to connect them, it could lead those employees to feel isolated and disconnected from their colleagues.
With Microsoft app Teams, you have the ability to set up meetings for your team wherever and whenever you want them. This includes the option for teleconferences when necessary. Teams also has a chat feature for individuals or multiple people to talk.
OneDrive and Teams can be used to allow teammates to collaborate on documents together in real time. All employees in the project can make changes, corrections, suggestions, and comments on the doc at the same time, while also voice or video talking. It’s almost the same as being in office together.
Performance management
It can be difficult to hold remote employees accountable without someone on-site making sure they do their jobs correctly. Without this level of oversight and accountability, there’s no way to know whether they’re doing what they need to do or not.
However, Microsoft 365 helps you manage remote workers’ performance with integrated tools, including Microsoft Teams and Outlook. This gives managers the ability to oversee remote workers from any location.
The software also boosts productivity by improving communication between team members, and provides a platform that can be used for collaboration.
Sharing information
The first issue that remote workers face is the lack of communication with others. You can’t be physically in a room every day with your team members to help with any decision-making or brainstorming, which can lead to miscommunication and missed deadlines.
With Microsoft 365 collaboration tools OneDrive and SharePoint, you will have access to your files with the click of a button, anywhere you are in the world. With this, even when you’re on the go, you’ll have access to your important documents and other information, no matter where you are.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 provides email and chat capabilities, so you can communicate efficiently and effectively.
Cybersecurity concerns
Security is of utmost importance for remote workers. Working remotely increases security risks, both with your company’s servers or network equipment at home. With no way to quickly react and take preventative measures, there are many opportunities for threats to arise and go unnoticed for long periods of time before you notice what is happening.
One of the challenges for businesses is finding the right solution to meet their security needs. In order to ensure that a company has a secure system, they will need to evaluate different solutions like Microsoft 365, Office 365, and SharePoint.
All three of these types of tools can help companies improve their security. They all come with different features that could address your needs, so it’s important to evaluate each one on its own merit before deciding which one to implement.
Microsoft 365 also provides end-to-end encryption for all communication over their services, including chat and file sharing. Data privacy is enhanced with robust features like Azure Information Protection, and Advanced Threat Protection.
The ability to encrypt data helps keep your sensitive information safe from hackers and unauthorised people who could use it against you.
Talk to the Microsoft experts
Remote work has its fair share of problems, but with Microsoft 365, remote workers can finally get the work life balance they deserve.
Microsoft Gold Partner Linktech Australia can help you plan and implement the Microsoft 365 solutions your business needs to maximise productivity and customer service while working remotely.