Remote Workforce

Managing remote employees has been a mainstream option for businesses in some form or another for 20 years. Many businesses have had the option to leverage the tools that make this possible but were often held back by the unknown variables. Questions about being able to keep a team productive, connected, and cohesive usually top the list of concerns. COVID-19 has caused a paradigm shift to a remote workforce forcing many businesses to face the unknown challenges. This has been largely successful due to the maturity of the tools available and it is safe to say, a remote workforce is now a de facto standard in the workplace. There is an ongoing trend in cloud services to provide better management of a remote workforce and delivery of services. But how exactly can a remote workforce be managed in the cloud? Manage the Cloud and the Required Tools First With the help of the cloud, your remote employees can become more collaborative. The cloud can provide opportunities for real-time file sharing and working. However, this may require the management of space. Effective management of a remote workforce is easier when the cloud only has necessary applications. It is important for you to only keep the business applications that you require. Unnecessary clutter can also increase the risk of data getting copied. Recognizing tools with the correct fit is an important step because each tool has different features. Not every tool will provide the same security and privacy options in the cloud. These should align with your business workflow. Typically, due to the nature of remote working, the same baseline set of tools is required. Project management, video conferencing, content collaboration and team messaging tools are essentials. Using IAM Tools for Tight Security and Management Identity access management (IAM) tools have become necessary in the post-COVID-19 world. IAM tools are used to manage authentication in the cloud. With employees working far away, access and authentication are only digitally possible. Cybersecurity is one of the aspects of managing remote employees. You need to utilize IAM tools to tighten security to make sure no hacker gets access to the apps. It doesn’t stop there, the apps also need to be managed and the corporate data inside them that is always at risk. Hence, with the help of IAM tools, a lot can be accomplished. IAM tools can help you tweak the following for managing your remote employees in the cloud: Managing passwords Security and policy enforcement Monitoring apps Maintaining a repository of identities And much more. With the help of IAM tools, you can manage settings like: Allowing remote employees to reset the password on their own Self-Service Password Reset, (SSPR). SSPR is a major component as security is dependent upon it. IAM also allows for risk-based authentication (RBA), which can enable two-factor authentication. Preventing Data from Getting Leaked Some companies provide applications that can help you monitor activity on the cloud. One such example is that of Boxshield. It is a unique service that not only monitors cloud activity but can also educate your employees. It can provide a basic overview of internal and external security policies. Monitoring apps can look over the user’s sessions. Moreover, the activity performed during the session and so on. Rework Your Business Policies Remember that working on the cloud is different from in-office working. This means that you will have to revisit and revise your policies. Business policies that you would have to rework include the availability hours. Since everything would be happening on the cloud, therefore the workforce and data will be available at all times. However, good management means providing balance. With the help of technology, you can even set up time checkpoints and attendance, for instance. Once your business policies and job roles are in place, you can effectively manage your workforce in the cloud. You can even define shared passwords for similar job roles on a single tier in the cloud. A multi-tier cloud can help you manage roles and identities much better than a single cloud. Recognizing the tiers will put you on the path to a better remote workforce management using cloud services. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you manage your workforce in the clouds.

Managing Your Remote Employees in the Cloud

Managing Your Remote Employees in the Cloud