When employees are working from home, they still need access to your company networks and data. In fact, they need more access than they do when they are in the office. If they cannot get to files, company networks or data that they need to do their job, they are stuck on hold.
Making the shift to a distributed workforce, including employees working at home, requires businesses to conduct more business activities online. This means more conference calls, video calls and collaboration. It means more data being uploaded and extending the workplace to home offices.
It all requires business-class internet to power your business internet and business phone.
Reliability
Any discussion of business-class internet should start with reliability. If you do not have a reliable connection, nothing else will matter. Downtime costs money.
LOGIX Fiber Networks provides the most reliable business internet available, with more than 300,000 fiber miles powering 10,000 businesses, and a network operations center that’s monitored 24/7 year-round.
Mobility
Business internet with synchronous speeds – the same speeds for downloads and uploads – is essential with a mobile workforce. Since anyone outside the office is accessing data online, your employees will do more uploading, which requires a robust business internet that does not throttle your upload speeds like cable or residential internet.
With business-class internet, you can also extend Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business phone service to include your remote workers. Customers will see no difference when connecting to your employees, whether they are in the office, on the road or working from home.
Streamline Platforms
For efficiency, remote workers need to use company-authorized software and platforms. Yet when people start working remotely, they often use “shadow” hardware or software. Some might use Zoom for videoconferencing, while others use Skype, Google Hangouts or FaceTime. It can get messy fast, as each solution has its own learning curve.
Remote workers will benefit from a single platform that provides access to everything they need. Using a hosted private branch exchange (PBX), along with unified communication (UC) and complete unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) platforms, integrates communication channels into a single platform.
What does it take to make this happen? Robust business-class internet.
Collaboration
Communication and collaboration are the two biggest things remote workers say they struggle with the most.
With multiple users in different locations, you are using more capacity. When mixing video calls, business phone and apps, you cannot afford to overload your internet and slow everyone down.
With collaboration tools together on one platform, employees will not have to move back and forth between devices or apps. For example, if an employee needs a quick answer to a question, they might use the presence feature to find a co-worker who is online and available. They could then use chat, voice or video calling to connect with the click of a button. This level of functionality creates an efficient – and productive – workplace for remote employees.
File sharing enables users to view and share presentations, documents, spreadsheets, images and videos from any location – all within your company’s secure environment.
Business Phone
Business phone service powered by business-class internet for VoIP provides a platform for communication and collaboration no matter where employees are working. Using a hosted PBX provides remote and at-home employees the same level of functionality they would have as if they were sitting in the office.
Whether they are using a company laptop, their personal computer, a cellphone or a tablet, employees can take advantage of your business VoIP phone service. When a customer calls an office phone, remote employees can answer it on the device they are using at that moment. While invisible to callers, the call will be instantly forwarded to employees regardless of where they are.
Secure Environment
Because employees are working within your environment, it is possible to create a secure connection between web browsers and servers. For example, Business Voice from LOGIX uses the Transport Layer Security 1.2 protocol, which enables devices to communicate over the internet without the transmission being vulnerable to intruders on your business phone service.
Business-Class Internet for Remote Workers
When searching for a business-class internet provider, make sure that they have the level of service you need to keep your remote workers productive and your data secure. You need to connect your team regardless of location and give them access to the same tools they have in the office to maximize their productivity.
This level of access requires robust business-class internet to create a collaborative environment and help reduce the challenges of working from home.
LOGIX Fiber Networks is Texas’ leading business internet company. LOGIX provides lightning-fast and reliable business-class internet for today’s distributed workforce. Contact LOGIX today for a quote.