How Small Businesses Can Quickly and Economically Move Into Productive Remote Work

How Small Businesses Can Quickly and Economically Move Into Productive Remote Work

The current pandemic has changed our lives and many businesses. As the global economy suffers unprecedented difficulties for decades, small and medium-sized businesses are particularly affected. There were approximately 5.8 million small businesses in the UK in 2019, and approximately 29 million businesses with fewer than 500 employees in the US in 2017, representing 99.7% of all US businesses and close to half of employment. the entire private sector. Small businesses are the cornerstone of any economy, but many operate on low margins and without the resources of large organizations. One in five small businesses in the UK fell into overdraft to manage cash flow in 2019, from 14% in March 2019 to 18% in January 2020. According to a recent study, 36% of small businesses reported financial difficulties as their first stumbling block in 2020, highlighting pricing and cash flow as their top two concerns. And that was before a global pandemic occurred. Today, small businesses are not only struggling with the closure of their physical presence, but also need to re-evaluate how to enable safe and productive remote work for their employees. Governments around the world are unveiling measures to help business owners, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledging to support businesses through a €330bn financial aid package for the UK. Digital solutions can bring relief to small businesses struggling to adjust to the new remote work environment. In fact, a growing number of software packages and digital solutions are available for free, and businesses can start using them today. Small businesses have the clear advantage of not being bothered by the legacy technology systems that are prevalent in large companies, allowing them to quickly adopt digital solutions and reap the benefits immediately. However, taking advantage of new tools can be overwhelming, especially in times of crisis. Business owners not only need to research and evaluate the solutions that work best for their business, but they also need to train their employees, who are still adjusting to telecommuting. Open for Business Hub is an initiative launched by a number of technology companies, providing resources for small businesses working to ensure business continuity in the coming months. The project helps small businesses by offering free services at a reduced price to enable remote work during this period. They include video conferencing, password management, cybersecurity, as well as team collaboration, creativity and productivity, and even help from parents. They are designed to enable companies to maintain business continuity safely and productively. Most importantly, the tools represent enterprise-grade offerings, services that will stand their ground when needed. For example, many companies underestimate the importance of secure file sharing, which is mission-critical, even in times of crisis. Other offerings include single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions, which allow teams to securely access critical resources, such as cloud applications or VPNs, from any device. the location. Also, if a company hosts self-managed applications, such as running Jira or Atlassian Confluence behind a firewall, the company's virtual private network (VPN) could be overwhelmed by the number of requests made by employees who work at home Fortunately, there are tools that enable safe and efficient remote work to meet growing demand. This is just a selection of what's available at a greatly reduced price or free, and the list grows every day to meet demand. At a time when small businesses are struggling, the Internet will be essential for them to continue their activities. Among other initiatives, technology companies represent a phenomenal resource for accessing cutting-edge software and services for remote work, at significantly reduced cost.