12 dic. 2024
How remote connectivity drives today's transitional workplace
Our Americas Vice President Georg Beyschlag shares some best practices for security and efficiency in the age of flexible work.
While work-from-home levels may have dipped in 2024, they’re still more than triple what they were before the pandemic, when only 7% of paid workdays were remote. This shift implies a lasting change in work across organizations today.
Employers are exploring fully remote, hybrid, and mandatory in-office arrangements, with flexibility emerging as the key trend. In fact, 70% of US employers have now adopted hybrid work models. When it comes to flexible work, it looks like there’s no going back.
Expanding the digital ecosystem
For many, a workplace where all employees are on site is a thing of the past. The insurance company Allstate, for example, “has about 57,000 employees and 82% of those in the US work remotely.”
To support remote workers and the many connected devices they rely on—such as point-of-sale devices, self-service kiosks, and operational machinery—businesses are expanding their digital ecosystems. And this shift applies to companies of all sizes.
With this, remote connectivity has become a cornerstone for modern enterprises. Organizations are using advanced technology to expand connectivity across locations, time zones, and devices.
As a result, a centralized support and device management platform has become vital. Companies are looking to efficiently service their entire company from a single console and provide remote support to workers anywhere.
Even for local companies, this can have a significant impact as IT teams don’t need to walk from building to building on large properties to resolve issues.
When implemented effectively, these technologies connect workers, devices, and IT systems while reducing real estate and travel costs. For example, Dell Technologies says its remote employees reduce their travel by 136 million miles a year.
With more hybrid workplaces, it becomes increasingly critical to stay organized and prepared by maintaining IT and operational technology (OT) infrastructure reliably and securely. Proactive management of these systems is crucial to ensure smooth and secure operations.
Read more: Remote and hybrid work: Good for your employees, the environment, and your business
Handling security threats
While connectivity technology and the expansion of digital enterprises offer significant benefits—such as increased productivity, peace of mind, and convenience—they also come with the risks of accidental human errors and potential security challenges.
Statista shows that the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices worldwide is forecast to almost double from 15.9 billion in 2023 to more than 32.1 billion IoT devices in 2030.
Without proper visibility into these remote devices, organizations are blind to their potential problems. This means they’re unable to ensure that all security measures are functioning as intended. And this can bring serious consequences.
Since November 2023, there have been more than 2,700 publicly disclosed data breach incidents. And these incidents can have huge financial impact: IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report found that data breaches cost on average USD 4.88 million in 2024—a 10 % increase on 2023.
With increased device diversity, it’s vital to establish a company-wide security posture. This posture should be able to set, maintain, and monitor rules and policies to facilitate remote access across the entire IT estate, including all laptops, point-of-sale terminals, and kiosk systems.
Read more: What is device diversity? The advantages and disadvantages of device diversity for your business
Gaining visibility of the network
To address the human threat and deliver secure remote connectivity, transparency across the entire ecosystem is vital. Organizations need to have visibility into their connected remote and network devices. This allows them to ensure their employees can stay productive in a secure and scalable manner, no matter where they are.
For a smooth integration of a remote management solution with existing tools, they can start by creating a comprehensive inventory of all devices, detailing their types, operating systems and approved applications.
Then, develop a company plan with policies for device use and protection. Technology leaders should discuss visibility needs with IT, security, and operations teams. They should provide ongoing training on security protocols, user authentication, and automated monitoring solutions to maintain visibility and security across all devices.
Take the example of BKW, one of the largest energy and infrastructure companies in Switzerland and beyond. The company has around 140 subsidiaries spread across 327 locations, shareholdings in ten countries, and over 11,500 employees. Delivering efficient and secure IT support across this vast network is non-negotiable.
Growing all the time, BKW was looking for a secure solution to standardize IT operations across its many diverse parts. With TeamViewer Tensor, BKW found a scalable solution that could deliver remote monitoring and support to thousands of workplaces worldwide.
Read more: BKW relies on TeamViewer Tensor for the transformation of Corporate IT
Setting up for success
As companies trial experiment with new work models and navigate the evolving landscape of in-office, remote, or hybrid policies, we’re in a period of significant workplace transition.
By making sure that IT teams are equipped to handle the demands of remote work, organizations can reduce uncertainties, secure their organizations and be better prepared for whatever changes the future may hold—giving them one less thing to worry about as the workplace evolves.
Want to make sure your company gets the most from flexible work?
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