It has been over two years and a half when the pandemic hit. But unfortunately, companies, especially small businesses are still unable to set up a productive workplace.
The new working method has taken its birth, which is a hybrid work arrangement. But, the guidelines to make it productive still need improvement. A new wave (hybrid environment) gives out both, work-from-home, and work from the office, options.
With it, many companies plan to restore social connections among team members, which eventually bridges the gap between employees and employers. This is all because of technology and innovation. In other words, hybrid work culture is born because of adaptive technologies.
Here is how technology helps small businesses.
IT Support Helping Small Businesses to Grow
All these points will clarify how a small business can be more productive because of technology support and hybrid work culture.
- Hardware and Server Support for Reliable Working
It’s compulsory that computers, tablets, and other devices, which your employees use, are reliable. Irrespective of any industry, working from home has sprung cases of IT troubleshooting across the board.
Currently, raising a ticket for troubleshooting is a trend in companies. But, this trend brings a lot of troubles along. The ticket-raiser has to spend minutes to hours for the IT person to contact and get the solution. If the hardware or server problem is bigger, it can hamper the entire production. The IT support assistant may not reach out to the person in time. Such incidents can be a major setback to the incoming revenue of the company. Moreover, the employee’s frustration would be way greater.
For a small business, this problem can be bigger than you imagine. So, its IT team should plan ahead when the budgeting and policies are in the making. It should spend some valuable time, measuring current technology solutions and highlighting where it needs to change. Remote IT support for a small business can be powered if it communicates with a safe messaging app, like Cliq or Skype. A good combination of a ticketing system & messaging can fix this problem.
Let teams get in touch with it in real time, whether in the office or from home. These two IT supports can prove the best duo for a smooth hybrid environment. Above that, your teams would save hours and get less frustrated.
- Consider IT Security as a Priority
In October 2022, Meta Platforms Inc. noticed that one million Facebook users’ account credentials might be compromised. It’s because of security issues, especially when downloading apps from Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc.’s app stores. It identified 400+ malicious Android and iOS apps that are stealing login credentials in the guide of photo editors, mobile games, or health trackers.
This incident of a security breach is ages-old. Cybersecurity is frequently being challenged, irrespective of company size. Blaming malicious third parties’ intentions won’t be right. Human errors are equally responsible for it. The hybrid work culture has added more risks for companies, especially small enterprises.
To overcome this problem, IT leaders can get ahead of scammers. Instead of securing devices or systems, they should focus on cloud computing. Of course, this practice should be authenticated and fully secured. Each employee should be given remote access and guard it with stringent rules and regulations. This simple step can give great control remotely. Even, updating software and patches can be easily done remotely through active IT support. Small business owners can utilize a virtual private network (VPN) to ensure safe and encrypted data sharing with their networks and servers.
There is another point that should be at the top of the list. It is an IT security training for employees. Create a unique “security culture”. Let them learn about phishing, malware, ransomware, etc. This can help them mitigate security risks due to ignorance or negligence.
- Find Innovative Solutions
With diverse technologies, you can easily encourage innovation. There are multiple awe-inspiring solutions in the market that can actually simplify your struggle with security concerns. Even, your professional lives would be better. This is a necessity since you have officially stepped into a hybrid work culture. New apps, software, and secure devices can help in optimizing workflows and building connections among team members.
Virtual meetings can be a pain point for a few ones from your efficient workforce. The missing visibility may feel them crazy, and they might be thinking of just one among the crowd, but no special. You can help them overcome this thought and inspire them to work as a team.
This suggestion can help you to fix it all, motivating people in your small company. You may scan the gestures of every participant in the meeting and also, introduce a web-based user interface to break barriers.
This is indeed a challenging task to control hybrid culture, especially when it’s in a nascent stage. However, a bit of improvement is seen in this domain. The IT support structure has been improved. But, the sky is the limit. You need to opt for the right technology and understand how to make it more productive & competitive. Last but not least, foresee long-term IT security. It can help you drive long-term growth while moving ahead with hybrid culture.
Summary
IT Support is helping small businesses while managing productivity and operation remotely with complete security. It requires innovation, hardware and server support with reliability, and IT network security to give you full confidence in executing production with complete control and agility.
