The appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic has provided organizations with an opportunity to redefine their business continuity plans, centering on disaster recovery. In the face of the pandemic, it has become clear that a large scale emergency can bring many unexpected variables and implications.
These unknowns have reignited the idea that IT management cannot ignore the need for new business continuity (BC) ideas, and that business continuity plans (BCPs) will require collaboration technology to ensure agility and resilience.
While pre-pandemic BCP/DR plans have been mostly centered around data backup, data recovery, and mitigating damages in the event of a probable natural disaster, the current situation has demonstrated a clear need to plan for the actual continuation of business in the face of uncertainty.
Under the circumstances akin to the COVID-19 where physical interactions are to be minimized, the need for integrating collaboration technologies into BCPs has become readily apparent. Given the uncertainty from the pandemic continues to plague businesses, check out four ways an open communications platform and the right suite of collaboration tools can support work from anywhere and ensure agility in times of crisis.
Maintaining Communication is Key
The current pandemic continues to be a rigorous test of everyone’s BCP/DR plans and has crystallized the concept that keeping in touch is crucial to having a business move forward.
By not having multiple layers of accessible collaboration technologies, companies take the risk that even the simplest of operations will fall apart.
If mass remote work is required, there need to be options for seamless interactions between co-workers normally used to in-person working environments. Ways for maintaining connection security must be considered as well when employees are all suddenly working on home systems with unsecured networks.
Clients, partners, or customers who previously would interact with a business in face-to-face meetings will need an appropriate alternative that can facilitate achieving the same goals as before. Similarly, delays in projects or from suppliers must be communicated to interested parties in a way that allays fears about unfulfilled obligations.
These and other forms of interactions simply cannot be accomplished by phone calls and email alone but must rely on a network of alternative communication technologies.
Learn More: 7 Ways to Build an Effective Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan
Keeping Things Secure
One of the major concerns lurking in the background of remote work is whether connections and business-sensitive information can remain secure. After all, home computers aren’t exactly known for being the online equivalent of Fort Knox. Even if employees are using dedicated work computers, the vulnerability of home networks may be exploited and put company data at risk.
Thankfully, there are a number of ways communication technologies can both provide collaboration and also keep things safe. Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are a good start to prevent information theft by encrypting internet traffic and also disguising where your device is even located while online. Since the VPN has access to your internet traffic, it’s important to be selective of what VPN you use; avoid free services and carefully research the reputations of paid options. Some of the top VPN services include ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and ProtonVPN.
Sometimes employees need to be able to have home access of computers that can’t be removed from the worksite. This is where remote desktop software comes into play: being able to use a home computer to effectively port into a work system remotely. As you might guess, however, remote desktop software is another area that’s rife with possible security vulnerabilities, so it’s important to find secure options to keep projects moving without sacrificing good information safety practices. RemotePC and TeamViewer both are secure options recommended by PC Magazine for providing remote access services.
Another perk of having remote desktop options is that they provide a route for shared desktop workspaces, which can be useful for simultaneous collaborative project work within a single desktop.
Learn More: Choosing the Best VPN: 5 Tips for First-Time Users
Progress Tracking and Project Management
With the appropriate network security in place for employees’ home offices, there need to be options for keeping in touch as everyone resumes project work. Using just email and phone calls can be a clunky way to ask brief questions and result in wasted time. Implement collaborative chat applications into a BCP/DR to make employee interactions as seamless and quick as possible.
Work chat programs provide a space for people to ask and answer questions without interrupting workflow. Cloud-based tools like Slack and Twist not only simplify communications but also provide integration with other services like Dropbox and Google Drive for file sharing.
One of the fundamental difficulties faced by companies without well-rounded BC plans lies in simply keeping track of a project’s progress. Being able to track progress and effectively manage it can help organizations address this.
Video Alternatives to In-Person Meetings
Although emails, phone calls, and workplace chat apps can generally keep projects moving, at some point the face-to-face meeting may be necessary. When a physical in-person meeting may not be possible, having a BC plan with a viable alternative in place will help to push things along and avoid stalling. This can be especially true with partners and customers who may not be connected to your workplace chat apps and therefore are relegated to using the more mature, if not clunkier, technologies of phone calls and email. Video conferencing provides an opportunity to look people in the eye and convey facial expressions, both of which are crucial for communication, even if their usefulness is often forgotten.
While Zoom has become ubiquitous as the go-to video call program, there have been security issues with Zoom that should not be overlooked. Thankfully, video chat alternatives to Zoom do exist and can avoid the vulnerability pitfalls in Zoom. Microsoft Teams has emerged recently as a major player in this arena, with its end-to-end encryption and integration with Microsoft Office products and chat features making Teams an attractive video conferencing option. For an inexpensive video chat option, consider the free encrypted video chat platform 8×8, which can generate private virtual meetings in one step.
Do you think organizations should work cloud collaboration into business continuity and disaster and recovery programs? Let us know on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
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