Managing devices securely in a remote working climate

25 Sep Managing devices securely in a remote working climate

Despite the government encouraging businesses to return to the office, many are still operating fully remote workforces. This is due, in part, to the growing realisation that working remotely has not had the negative effect on productivity that was initially feared back in March 2020, at the outset of the Covid-19 lockdown – in fact, many companies have reported an increase in productivity among their employees.

Some businesses are creating a hybrid model; enabling a combination of office and remote working. Social distancing requirements mean that few organisations can accommodate the full workforce at any one time, and some employees need to keep working remotely due to COVID-19 related issues.

A recently published BBC article outlines how “fifty of the biggest UK employers” have no plans to return to full office-based working, while a further 20 of the largest businesses have no current plan to bring any workers at all back into the office.

Some smaller firms are intending to do away with business premises altogether, acting on the positive reaction to home working from their employees. A survey carried out by Cardiff University and the University of Southampton reports nine out of ten employees that were catapulted into home working in March wanting to continue with remote working in some form, and organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of being able to offer this flexibility.

But in order to be able to do so, a business needs to ensure that their workforce has the technology to work productively, safely and securely, from wherever they’re based.

Intune is Microsoft’s cloud-based solution that enables just this, giving businesses the functionality to expertly manage mobile and desktop devices and applications from anywhere.

Supporting platforms like Windows, Windows Mobile, iOS, and Android, Intune offers businesses the ability to manage mobile apps on personal devices and does so without compromising employee privacy.

Intune offers users:

• A self-service portal for employees to register their devices and install applications.
• Remote control features including passcode reset, data encryption, and full device wipe; meaning the business is covered should a device be lost or stolen.
• Access control to block against specified applications or URLs.
• Protection for data, including Exchange email and OneDrive for Business documents.

Supporting mobile working is nothing new for many businesses employees who access company systems when out visiting clients, partners or suppliers. Intune can tidy up the process and provide complete peace of mind that devices are secure.

Whatever the future working model for your organisation, Microsoft Intune can keep your business and your employees safeguarded, wherever they’re working – whether your business is or will be:

• Fully office-based, and you’re empowering employees regularly out in the field.
• Moving to a hybrid model, with employees alternating between working from the office and being based from home.
• Continuing with every employee working remotely.

To learn more, call us today, and we can talk through any questions you might have about Intune. We can help you develop a solution that allows your entire workforce to access to your business’s applications, data, and resources, via virtually any device, from almost any location, with industry-leading security controls.