COIVD-19 has been declared a global pandemic, cities are shutting down, people are social distancing but your business must go on. Now what?

In our last post, we discussed how to prepare for working remotely. Successful remote work environments require little disruption in workflow and open, accessible communication. In part two, we’re going to outline two key technology tools to help improve remote working.

Remote Desktop Gateway

Imagine accessing your work desktop as though you’re in the office, even though you’re not there. Remote Desktop Services (RDS) allows a system administrator to set up a shared server for remote users to log into and run a separate Windows environment. The problem is that setting up such a server for many users can be expensive both in terms of hardware requirements and licensing.

What many organizations are not aware of is another component in Microsoft’s remote desktop technology stack called Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG). In an emergency situation as we are in now, RDG can allow users access to their own office desktop computers from the comfort of their homes.

A Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG) can be viewed almost like a concierge service. There is no need to grant every user a unique IP address to their computer. Instead, one server is set up using RDG and users are then presented with a list of services they can access on your company’s private network. The RDG receives the request and it then authorizes the users, giving them the appropriate internal machine they’re requesting. RDG also saves on Windows licensing since the user is logging into a Windows computer already assigned to them.

VoIP Phone

Are phone calls an integral part of your business? While tools like Microsoft Teams allow for internal team calls and video conferencing, they may not be the right choice for external calls and conferencing if you haven’t already subscribed to these features. A VoIP phone allows you to make phone calls through the internet as opposed to depending on a physical phone line. For users that need to shift to remote work, this means you can unplug your phone, take it back home with you, plug it in with an internet connection and it’s back to business as usual. This gives your business flexibility to shift to remote work in case of an emergency such as the one we are experiencing now.

Versature is one example of a VoIP phone system. As with many other VoIP systems, Versature allows you to take your physical phone home and plug it in. Many VoIP systems also have apps that you can run on your cell phone and web portals that you can access through the internet on your laptop so that you don’t have to take your phone set home with you. These options additionally grant you access to all your saved contacts and call history.

Internet-based communication technologies such as Remote Desktop, Microsoft Teams and VOIP phone systems are critical in allowing businesses and workers to shift to remote work without too much disruption.

Would remote work be an option for your business? Call us for a free consultation here.