How to set up an IT infrastructure that supports remote and hybrid work

Given the magnitude of the shift, IT and users alike adapted fast. So, businesses were able to continue conducting business reasonably smoothly. Furthermore, across the board, employee productivity increased – and stayed that way long after the first adrenaline rush had worn off.

For years, management gurus predicted that a dispersed workforce would become the new normal, and now it has. Despite the fact that the epidemic is still ongoing, the contours of the post-pandemic workplace are beginning to emerge.

They have significant consequences for employees as well as IT, which will need to modify user-supporting procedures. Also to work more closely with HR on the rules and methods that underpin them.

On the surface, this hybrid work model appears to be the best of both worlds. However, there are several significant challenges for IT teams trying to support this type of environment.

When it's time to get back to work, 78 percent of employees say they'd like to be partially or totally remote. Only 43% of companies have a long-term strategy for remote work. According to research, it's critical to start thinking about your workplace's future now.

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Setting up your IT infrastructure that supports remote and hybrid work

Provide hybrid working for all of your employees with these devices. Therefore, you can enable all of your employees to be productive from anywhere. A modern device, such as a Surface laptop with Windows 10, has the features, security, and performance to access Microsoft 365 cloud apps and services directly over the web.

Create a dedicated security staff.

Hire or assign IT staff members solely to security if your budget allows. If your budget won't allow it, try enlisting the help of a reputable managed IT services provider to handle security for you.

Employee awareness training should be increased.

Employees in other departments may become an extension of IT with the right training. Equip them with the information they need to prevent phishing scams, particularly those that target people returning to work; detect dangerous links and harmful email attachments; understand common risks and how they get in, and raise the alert if they make a mistake.

Ensure that your software and patches are up to date.

One of the most efficient methods to avoid a data breach is to keep patches and software upgrades current. While automating updates might help relieve some of the strain on IT to get everything done, it's critical to make sure patches are installed on all devices connected to the company's network as soon as possible.

Continuity and catastrophe recovery strategies should be updated.

If your company is transitioning to a hybrid work environment, it's important to evaluate and update your business continuity and disaster recovery plans as soon as possible to account for the changes in operations, IT procedures, and policies. If a crisis strikes, an out-of-date business continuity strategy might be disastrous.

Divide the network into segments.

Hackers are limited in what data they can access. So, they can possibly steal or encrypt by segmenting the network. This keeps your most precious assets and information separate from less-important apps and files.

Because VPN and RDP are the most popular ransomware attack routes, companies can be setting up a separate VPN for remote employees to limit data access in the case of a breach.

When used as part of complete business continuity and disaster recovery plan, investing in an integrated cybersecurity and data protection solution can help minimize some of the risks. These all-in-one systems detect and eliminate threats while keeping backups safe and secure.

IT workers must adapt to the changing face of the workplace. So, they can develop data protection methods that are up to the task as organizations navigate what comes next.

The bottom line

Consider allowing existing and future workers to choose how often they want to come into the office. You can proceed with assigning an allocated desk, enabling hot-desking, or supporting an at-home arrangement, depending on their preferences.

IT might hand over the training funding and responsibility to the business units, who could then conduct their own training. Better yet, the company might form training teams made up of power users and IT support personnel to produce job-specific training together. All this, allowing employees to learn greater technical knowledge while IT develops subject matter expertise.

For all this, you can entrust all your questions to Conwotec, who understand your need to adapt to these new times. Your company will be better prepared for remote work and give your employees the tools they need.