Working from home presents a different set of challenges to employees and employers, small- to medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. SMBs, in particular, are having to be reactive when it comes to moving all employees from a local office to their respective home offices. Here’s how to make sure your employees are operating at full capacity with business intelligence and corporate performance management tools remotely during this sudden shift.
Set up a VPN
Most businesses set up BI and CPM tools mainly to work within their on-premise network but not outside on the cloud, meaning it won’t work outside the local network of the company and without any type of framework developed to operate outside of the office. Your IT team will need to set up a virtual private network to connect remote users or regional offices to a company’s private, internal network safely and securely. Depending on your type of business, it may need to be compliant with the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or EU General Data Protection Regulation.
Rely on the cloud
A lot of SMBs rely on on-premise tools for storing files and data, which isn’t exactly helpful when everyone is working from home. Even the greatest VPN won’t be helpful if it’s not backed by a cloud-supported web service. Employees need to be able to access information from their BI and CPM tools online from a server that is not on your local network. Data can be uploaded and updated with the backing of security protocol managed by the service provider.
Stay in touch
With no in-person meetings anymore, employers are relying on Zoom, UberConference, and GoToMeeting for video streaming. However, not all employees are equipped with high-speed internet at home to keep the pace with a video conference. Employers should strongly consider a reimbursement program to cover the difference in cost and make sure all staff is literally up to speed. Not only is it important for employees to be able to participate in work-related conversations, but there’s also something to be said for keeping tabs on coworkers during those all-important “water cooler” meetings to check in on everyone’s well-beings.