If there’s a silver lining to the global pandemic for small business owners, it might be that being forced to work from home has shown many of us just how effective it can be. Even as lockdown restrictions ease across the state, many Orange County small businesses are choosing to continue partially or completely teleworking, at least for a while. Some have discovered the added advantages of using previously untapped VoIP features while working from home. Some have even chosen to take advantage of the reduced costs of remote working by closing their offices permanently.
But these facts don’t mean telecommuting is a perfected science—nor does it mean we won’t experience IT issues. Although the Wall Street Journal reports our nation’s Internet infrastructure has held up well overall considering the increased demands placed on it, when things do go wrong with our network and VoIP systems, teleworking can add a complicated layer to the troubleshooting process. Let’s discuss a few of these common issues and how you can troubleshoot and resolve them effectively.
Inconsistent Connectivity
If “working from home” simply meant you sent all your employees home to work using their own WiFi, chances are you’ve experienced one or more connectivity issues on a Zoom call. Everyone may be able to log in to whatever online collaborative platforms you’re using, but that doesn’t speak to any broadband, hardware, or software issues people are experiencing. And when everyone’s got a different Internet provider with different quality connections—not to mention maintaining communication over multiple networks—it’s an invitation for problems to happen.
Solutions: If you’re planning to telecommute long-term, it might be worth the investment to get all your employees on the same Internet provider with consistent equipment so when a breakdown occurs, you only have to troubleshoot a predefined set of parameters and VoIP equipment. Another (and possibly coinciding) solution is to hire a third-party managed IT provider to coordinate the home connections for all employees. Even if they aren’t on the same network, having a third-party IT service involved will simplify the troubleshooting process.
Cybersecurity Issues at the Office
If you’ve kept your office IT infrastructure active but no one’s “minding the store,” so to speak, that situation can be a playground for hackers who are banking on you not being present to check on things. If you’re not running consistent updates and diagnostics simply because no one is in the office to run them, you could be opening yourself up to system crashes and security breaches.
Solutions: If you’re keeping your office online, make sure you check your system regularly. Update software and firmware regularly, run antivirus programs, and continue to change passwords periodically. For a stronger layer of protection, secure a managed IT plan for 24-7 monitoring of your network while you’re away.
NetServ can equip you and your team with all the tools you need for a consistent VoIP and network experience, even while working from home. For a free consultation, call us today at 1-877-NetServ.