How to Make the Move from a Physical Office to a Virtual Company with Confidence
Since everyone is going online these days, we decided to write up an office IT checklist guide so you can have an easy and successful transition.
Remote Office IT Checklist
Move a Physical Server to the Cloud
If your team is going to be working remotely, you’ll need to move your physical server to an online cloud setting. Here are the benefits of a cloud server:
- Better security
- Lower operating costs
- More flexibility
- Scale as needed
- Prevents data loss
- Enterprise-level backup and disaster recovery solutions
Data Storage and Sharing
Data storage should also be cloud-based, whether they are switched over to Dropbox, Google Drive or Sharepoint. We’ve come to notice that people often are paying for one service, like Microsoft Office which includes Sharepoint, but are also paying for Dropbox at the same time. To help this, we help them migrate their data storage to Sharepoint instead so they are saving money.
Establish a VPN
A VPN is a “virtual private network,” and is a secure and encrypted connection over the internet. VPNs protect your business by encrypting your data so it can’t be hacked or taken for granted.
Here are the benefits of a VPN:
- They securely support a remote workforce where you have employees working from home and also have freelancers where you need to secure communications and browsing on non-secure (HTTP vs HTTPS) websites.
- They upports a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy which reduces infrastructure costs but increases the risk if not connected through a secure network.
- They are also surprisingly cost-effective for the security they provide. Once you have set-up a VPN, you can mandate that it is kept on and all business work must be conducted over the Internet through the VPN.
Establish a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy
A BYOD policy makes it possible so you have to spend less on infrastructure. With a VPN, your employees can use their own devices with ease and with security.
In your BYOD policy, this is what you should include:
- Password Provisions: Password protection is so important, so you should have your team change their passwords every 30 or 90 days. We’d also recommend a 2-factor authentication.
- Approved Applications: You should make sure your team is only downloading approved applications.
- Date Transfer Provisions: Data should only be transferred on approved applications and through nothing else.
- Maintenance/Updates: These devices need to be updated so they can’t be taken advantage of and don’t have vulnerabilities.
- Termination: There needs to be a clear statement saying that when an employee is terminated that all applications and information be wiped off of their personal devices.
Move Your Phone System to a VoIP
You can actually also move your phone systems to a VoIP as well. One option for this is Microsoft Voice, especially if your business is already utilizing Microsoft 365 because it can be seamless.
Move Payroll and Accounting Entirely to the Cloud
Much like everything else, we suggest moving your accounting and payroll system to the cloud as well. Here are the benefits of cloud-based accounting and human resources:
- Going Paperless
- Accessing Data Anytime from Anywhere
- Real-Time Data
- Automating and Saving Time
- Improving Collaboration
- No Installing or Updates
For payroll, many SMBs like Gusto or Paycom ADP offer cloud-based programs for payroll and human resources as well.
Set-Up a Lock Box Service with Your Bank
For any physical papers, like checks sent to your office, you should have a lock box service set up with your bank. Banks can even collect payments, capture information for your bookkeeping and even deposit money into your account.
We hope this remote office IT checklist guide really helps you. If you need any more help, give MyTek a call today.