Let Freedom Ring!

Are you feeling cooped up in your office, wishing you could be enjoying the summer sun?  This month we celebrated the 4^th of July: Independence Day.  We reminisced about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and freedom!  Here are ways to free you from your office setting and still get work done!

Whether you want work outside at the local park or find a quiet corner in a coffee shop, here are some things to consider when working remotely.

• Ensure that you have a good working laptop with a reliable power source.  You will want the same speed and capability that you get at your office while you’re out.  You may also want to invest in a good headset for hands free calling while you work.
• Know your Wi-Fi safety.  It is great when you go to a public place that has free Wi-Fi, but is it secure?  Keep yourself safe with these tips:
• Turn off sharing – you don’t want people accessing your data and files from the public Wi-Fi.  It may say it’s secure, but there are still ways for people to get into your network and hack your computer.
• Make sure your firewall is turned on.  This is generally always enabled, but double check it before using free Wi-Fi.
• When surfing the internet, use https and SSL websites as much as possible.   Sites with this type of address are more secure than a regular http site.
• If possible, use a VPN (virtual private network) to login to your accounts.  This will let you route all your activity through a separate network that is private and secure.
• If you’re not using Wi-Fi, turn it off on your device.  This will protect you from having other people access your information.
• Be sure that you have a game plan.  It may seem great that you can work from your beach house in your pajamas, but that may also lead to distractions and loss of productivity.  Prioritize your day and stick to your agenda.  Have everything you need to do your job in one central, quiet, location (cell phone and charger, water bottle, note pad, your calendar, etc.) to minimize your need to leave the “remote office.”

Contact us today so we can help you create a secure remote connectivity/telecommuting solution that makes sense for your business. 

Business Continuity – Working with Snow

Do you have a business continuity plan?  Does your current technology allow for continued operations, not only if disaster strikes, but also, if your office location is inaccessible?  With the snow storm that just hit the York and Baltimore areas people spent days digging out.  It was impossible to travel on the roads that were covered with 2 feet of snow which meant people could not get to work.  

Shoveling over 2 feet of snow is never fun!

Having the ability to work remotely by securely connecting into your office from another location not only increases productivity but also ensures business continuity.  There are many different options for accessing your corporate information remotely.  Some businesses have moved their information into the cloud which allows access to company data from anywhere.  Others have the ability to securely connect to their office networks utilizing a virtual private network (VPN) which grants them access to company data as well as their office workstations.  

What is your setup like today?  You may want to reevaluate your current infrastructure to ensure you have access to your data and systems whenever and wherever you are working.