Hybrid working models offer peak flexibility for your business and gives your workforce the opportunity to have more control over their work-life balance. But empowering remote workers requires additional, sometimes more complex business technology.
This article will discuss how effective outsourced IT support can optimize a hybrid work setup and maximize its benefits for your company.
Enhanced cybersecurity to cover remote risks
One of the biggest concerns in a hybrid environment is data security. Home and public Wi-Fi networks and personal devices don’t come with the same protections as your office systems, so you have to bridge the gap. A good IT support team provides cybersecurity measures tailored for your distributed teams so you don’t have to spend the extra resources.
Key areas of protection needed for hybrid work include:
- Endpoint security for all devices
- Multifactor authentication (MFA)
- Regular patching and software updates
- Network monitoring for all inbound traffic
- Data encryption across devices and communication channels (VPNs, etc.)
IT support providers can also implement mobile device management (MDM) to secure laptops, tablets, and phones used outside the office.
Support for bring your own device (BYOD) programs
If you’re like most hybrid-enabled businesses, you allow employees to use their own devices for work purposes. This eliminates the need to purchase and distribute company devices and improves productivity by letting workers use their preferred devices, but this can create more problems.
In a hybrid setting, employees often use a mix of company-issued and personal devices, complicating support and compatibility issues. You can easily address this by having your outsourced IT support team standardize how devices are set up, secured, and maintained, and provide fast troubleshooting when something breaks. Outsourced IT services providers work with all manner of devices, so no matter what your team is using, they can help.
Maintenance and optimization of your communications
Hybrid work thrives on effective communication, so you need multiple channels that are configured correctly, integrated into daily workflows, and supported when things go wrong. This is a tall order for an in-house team with a whole network to worry about, but not for an outsourced IT support team.
An outsourced team ensures communication platforms are:
- Properly synced across devices
- Configured with permissions and access levels
- Integrated with calendars and file sharing systems
- Secure from intrusions, spying, spam, and scams
- Always available when you need them most
Smooth collaboration depends on these tools functioning flawlessly, and a managed IT provider helps make that possible.
A stable network that’s always available
Your hybrid teams rely on consistent, high-quality access to systems and data. If your staff struggles to connect to cloud applications or your VPN is slow and unstable, productivity suffers. Outsourced IT support helps by setting up secure, scalable infrastructure that ensures everyone, no matter where they are, can access the tools they need without lag or disruptions.
Maybe you need someone to manage VPN configurations for secure remote access or support your cloud-based platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. For less than the cost of keeping one permanent IT support employee, you get all this and more, and you can get it 24/7/365 depending on your provider and SLA.
So, no matter when your network has a problem, you can count on swift support when you need it most. Outsourced IT support not only provides fast troubleshooting, but also monitors network performance remotely to prevent problems before they occur.
USWired provides expert IT support for your business and all your hybrid and remote workers, wherever they may be. We can implement, manage, and support the IT systems your hybrid workforce needs to reach peak productivity.
Contact USWired today for free consultation, and we’ll discuss a customized IT support plan that enables you to quickly and cost-effectively achieve hybrid work success.
