Can hybrid working really work for us long term? A question on the minds of many business owners and senior managers.
As with many questions in life, the answer depends on a number of things: the culture you want to build in your business, preferred ways of working within your team, the physical office environment that you offer, and last but not least, the technology used within your business.
In this article, we are going to focus on technology. The heartbeat of hybrid working if you like. According to the Office for National Statistics ‘the proportion of people hybrid working has risen from 13% in early Feb 2022 to 24% in May 2022’. The question is, with hybrid working on the rise, what are the tech essentials that businesses need to make the hybrid life effective for all?
Devices that work on the move
Does your hybrid team have devices that work in any environment? At home, in a café, at the office.
Take the Microsoft Surface range for example, particularly the Surface Go 3 which has been described as one of the most portable tablets or laptops on the market. Perfect for members of your team who move between different locations.
When it comes to the devices that your team currently uses, is it easy for them to transition from environment to environment?
Access anywhere
How often do you review the day-to-day IT systems that your team is using? Does your current system make the lives of your hybrid workers easier or harder? For many businesses, Microsoft 365 is key to productivity for a hybrid workforce. Everything you need to be highly functioning in one place – email, OneDrive, SharePoint, the Office suite, Teams… the list goes on!
Not part of the Microsoft 365 family yet? If your team is starting to work more flexibly, now might be the time.
Make remote comms easy
In a recent work trend report from Microsoft, it was reported that there has been a ‘252% increase in weekly time spent in meetings for the average team user since February 2020’.
For businesses using Microsoft 365, Teams has proven essential over the last two years in keeping people together and productive, even when physically apart. Meetings made easy with video conferencing, calls at the touch of a button, chat functionality for comms throughout the day, and the ability to collaborate on project files all in one place.
Security, security, security
There are, of course, many benefits to having a hybrid team, but remote working also comes with threats to data security. With people working from more remote locations, over a variety of wireless networks, cyber crime has never been more of a concern to the business owners
of today.
If hybrid work is growing in your business, having robust cyber security is essential. Penetration testing and security audits are a great place to start if this is an area of your IT that hasn’t been reviewed recently. Training for your team can be a great way of reducing cyber threat risks as well.
A key area to be thinking about if your business is adopting the hybrid way of life.
Find out more by calling 01604 704000, email simonp@acs365.co.uk or visit www.acs365.co.uk
Head of Sales
ACS
