With people working from home in large numbers, there is growing speculation about the future of the modern workplace in terms of remote, on-premise, and hybrid staff. With experts predicting that a vaccine may arrive in 2021, many business owners are assessing their options and planning for the future now. As a trusted IT advisor, Imagine Technology Group is helping companies develop solutions to address this new workplace reality.
The data regarding employee sentiment about working from home (WFH) is clear. According to a survey from the New York Times and Morning Consult, “In a survey of 1,123 remote workers…86% said they were satisfied with the current arrangements – even when that sometimes meant working from their bedrooms or closets.” Furthermore, 47% of those surveyed reported being “very satisfied” with their current work setup. This is not surprising, given the freedom, flexibility, and productivity gains often seen with WFH. However, business owners still face questions such as, “How do I effectively manage my team? How do I keep our network secure with everyone working remotely? Which employees need to remain in-person versus remote? How do we foster collaboration and maintain company culture?”
The pandemic is forcing companies to answer these questions sooner than they might have planned, particularly before lease renewals. “Unfortunately, due to health concerns, the ‘open floorplan’ concept is no longer going to be an option for most companies,” said Mark Lasinis, CIO/Vice President of Technology of Imagine Technology Group. “As a result, we’ll see two major trends. Some businesses will downsize their office space and redirect those savings to improve their IT infrastructure for a fully remote workforce. Others that reinvest in commercial real estate will need more space due to social distancing requirements.”
Some workers will move to “50/50” offices, splitting their time between the office and home, such as working in-office for three days and remotely for two. Additionally, as employers explore geographic arbitrage—hiring remote workers from areas with lower costs of living while paying them less than they would in high-cost cities like San Francisco—WFH could expand to 4-5 days per week for most employees.
These shifts come with added complexity. As WFH becomes the standard, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) must address the demands it places on IT. “Business owners need to understand that if you have 30 employees and one main office, you now need to treat that situation as if you have 31 distinct offices,” said Lasinis. “Each employee will require a dedicated internet network, firewall, access to the private company network, and thorough cybersecurity measures.”
Currently, 45% of home networks are already infected with malware, including keyloggers that capture passwords and send them to hackers. Historically, IT departments have not been tasked with securing home offices because of the inherent complexity, including multiple users on the same network. The network is only as secure as its weakest link. For instance, if someone’s child is playing online video games, this could expose the network to threats. The challenge for IT departments becomes deciding how to manage those risks.
Imagine Technology Group is leading the charge in consulting with businesses to create a clear transition plan to whichever version of WFH suits their needs. “Fortunately, the technology that Imagine Technology Group deploys enables our customers’ employees to be just as productive at home,” Lasinis added. “We work with our customers to customize solutions that support their WFH objectives.”
Success Story: ITG Helps Accounting Firm with Virtualization (itgarizona.com)
ABOUT IMAGINE TECHNOLOGY GROUP
Imagine Technology Group (ITG) is an Arizona-owned and operated company that offers a single point of contact for all office technology needs. ITG provides a wide variety of document management solutions, workflow improvements, multi-function devices, VoIP phone systems, digital signage, managed network services, and IT solutions. With our manufacturers’ National Programs, we can provide service and support anywhere in the world. Our goal is to be our customer’s “ONE SOURCE” for any office technology solution they might need. Through top-notch customer service provided by well-trained employees, ITG manages your technology so you don’t have to. To learn more about our products, services, and support, please submit an inquiry at itgarizona.com/contact-us.
With people working from home in droves, there is plenty of speculation as to where the modern business is headed in terms of remote staff, on-premise staff and hybrid staff. With some experts expecting the earliest vaccine to arrive sometime in 2021, most business owners are assessing their options and planning for their futures, now. As a trusted IT advisor, Imagine Technology Group is helping companies to map out solutions to address the new workplace reality.
The data is crystal-clear when it comes to employee sentiment about the brave, new world of work-from-home (WFH). According to the New York Times and Morning Consult, “In a survey of 1,123 remote workers…86% said they were satisfied with the current arrangements – even when that sometimes meant working from their bedrooms or closets.” Furthermore, more than half of that number, 47% reported they were “very satisfied with the current arrangements.” This isn’t a surprise because of the obvious increases in freedom, flexibility, and productivity spikes which are all natural byproducts of WFH. However, many business owners are still asking themselves questions like, “How do I effectively manage my team? How do I keep our network secure with everyone working-from-home? Which portion of my workers will need to remain in-person vs. remote? How do we foster collaboration and strengthen the company culture?”
While the answers to those questions are still moving targets, the pandemic is forcing companies to make these decisions before their lease renews. “Unfortunately, due to health concerns, the ‘open floorplan’ concept is no longer going to be an option for most companies,” stated Mark Lasinis, CIO/Vice President of Technology of Imagine Technology Group. “As a result of this shift, we’ll see two major movements. First, some businesses will opt to downsize their office space and to reallocate their reduction in cost to strengthen their IT infrastructure as they go full bore into a remote workforce. For companies who double-down and reinvest in commercial real estate, their space demands will grow dramatically, because of the social distancing recommendations.”
Some workers will return to “50/50” offices, where they’re in-the-office for 3 days, but out for 2 days, or any variation thereof. Additionally, once employers learn how to take advantage of geological arbitrage, the cost savings that occur when a company budgets a San Francisco salary to hire someone with similar talent from the Midwest, at a much more affordable rate, WFH could likely expand to 4-5 days per week for most workers.
These shifts don’t come without complexity, though. As WFH grows into the new standard, SMBs need to consider the rigorous demands that will place on IT. “Business owners need to understand that if you have 30 employees and one main office, you now need to treat that situation like you have 31 distinct offices. Each one will require a dedicated internet network, firewall, access to private company network and of course, cybersecurity must be thoroughly considered, as well,” added Mr. Lasinis.
While 45% of home networks are already infected with malware, like keyloggers, a type of malware which records your keystrokes and sends your passwords back to the hacker. Historically, IT departments have never tackled the home office before because of its inherent complexity and the multiple users that utilize the network. The network is only as secure as its weakest link, and if someone’s child is playing online video games and exposing the network to potential threats, there’s a question of where to draw the line. Does the IT department block your child from playing video games? Can your teenager download apps that will make their TikTok videos more likely to “go viral”, when it could affect your company network?
Imagine Technology Group is leading the way and consulting with business to create a clear transition plan to whichever version of WFH suits them. “Fortunately, the technology that Imagine Technology Group deploys enables our customer’ employees to be just as productive at home. We work with our customers to customize solutions that support their WFH objectives,” commented Lasinis
Success Story: ITG Helps Accounting Firm with Virtualization (itgarizona.com)
ABOUT IMAGINE TECHNOLOGY GROUP
Imagine Technology Group (ITG), an Arizona owned and operated company offering our customers a single point of contact for all their office technology needs. ITG provides a wide variety of document management solutions, workflow improvements, Multi-function devices, VoIP phone systems, digital signage, managed network services and IT Solutions. With our manufactures’ National Programs, we can provide service and support anywhere in the world. Our goal is to be our customer’s “ONE SOURCE” for any office technology solution they might need. Through top-notch customer service, provided by well-trained employees, ITG manages your technology so you do not have to. To learn more about our products, services and support please contact ITG at 602-454-0720 or visit www.itgarizona.com.
