5 Technology Tools for Managing Remote Employees

Managing remote employees requires a proper mix of the right people, the right management, and the right technology. Few managers would imagine letting their employees do remote work without the right tools to get the job done, and today there are better tools to foster workplace collaboration outside of the walls of the office.

Managers say that the five main tech challenges with managing remote employees are:

• Communication
• Tracking Productivity
• Sharing Resources
• Security
• Data loss

Fortunately, there is an IT solution (sometimes several IT solutions) to match each of these challenges. Workplace mobility is the workplace trend of the future – get ready for it with these five tools.

1. Secure Video Conferencing and Real Time Email Communication

One of the greatest complaints about managing remote employees is the lack of face-to-face communication. This problem is easily fixed with the right IT solution. Video conferencing allows managers to immediately communicate with their remote employees, regardless of their location. However, your business needs to use a videoconferencing software that is as secure as it is convenient. Check with your videoconferencing provider to see what security measures they have in place to protect your private conversations.

Another form of communication that connects managers and remote employees is (still) email. Although email feels like a no-brainer, secure work emails are still one of the most effective ways to delegate tasks, obtain information, and inquire about updates in project status. Even more importantly, remote employees should be responsible for answering their emails promptly from a mobile device.

2. Virtualization Lets Them Take the Best of Work with Them

Virtualization is a technology that separates a computer’s software layer from its hardware layer, allowing that software to act independently of a physical hardware. In other words, if you virtualize your employee’s desktops or applications, they can download a client onto their personal at-home or mobile device and run the same software they would at the office. Virtualization allows even remote employees to deliver their work at the same standards as in-house employees. In fact, virtualizing your entire environment allows remote employees to securely access company files and software from their own laptops and computers.

3. MDM Strategy for Businesses On-the-Go

Managing remote employees becomes a technical issue when you’re trying to decide how to give them the tools they need without compromising your business’s secure assets. You’ve probably already heard about BYOD, or bring-your-own-device, changes coming to the workplace, and the challenge is even more apparent for employees who do remote work. MDM, or mobile device management, gives your remote employees both the freedom and security they need to optimize the way they work without compromising your information security. Cloud-based device management solutions offer permission-based security to regulate remote access while letting your employees use their own devices. In addition to the technical tools you need to have in place, a good MDM strategy requires you to put specific governance and ownership practices in place as well.

4. Secure File Sharing in the Cloud

Users can securely sync, access, and share files both inside and outside the building, from any device, with the cloud. Businesses have many options, and cloud file sync providers often give you the choice to deploy from a hybrid cloud, private cloud, or on-premises. When you adopt a secure, enterprise-class file share system, you save your employees the burden of saving files to their hard drive and transferring files via unsecured means like email or flash drive.

5. Cloud Backup to Rescue Their Data

Another topic of concern for employees with remote work is their ability to preserve it. If they damage or lose their device, the might lose the entirety of their data. One of the best tools you can use to manage remote employees is to offer them a cloud backup and restore service. However, in light of very recent cloud hacking scandals, you should pick a cloud backup service with enterprise level security to protect your business’s assets.

Gets the Tools to Manage Remote Employees

Managing remote employees should feel like a benefit, not a burden. If you need to get the right tools to manage your remote employees, contact Centre Technologies to speak with an IT solutions expert.

For additional information, download the whitepaper, Enterprise Mobility Management: Why Size Doesn't Matter. You'll learn more about a secure and scalable mobile IT solution that can help you manage remote employees, no matter how many of them you have,