Will B2B company staff continue to work from home?

Remote work after the pandemic

Even though it is still a little difficult to tell precisely when the current pandemic will end, what will remote work look like for B2B businesses when it finally ends? Many people will conclude that remote working will persist for a long time from the look of things. The majority of business owners and executives already have plans in place to maintain remote working modules. Besides, most workers have also responded pretty well to work from home options, with most of them believing that it helps them be more productive. Furthermore, most (if not all) of these workers prefer to remain in their current working state and capacity.

The challenges of remote working

Despite these positives, several business owners have reported experiencing numerous challenges with establishing remoting working strategies. For most of these business owners, the problem has little to do with will or preference but with technology limitations - and these remain their biggest hurdles even now. Some of these limitations include weak or unstable internet connectivity, which significantly disables business productivity. Most business owners also report that meeting business deadlines is even more difficult with unreliable internet supply. 

Is your connection secure?

Another hurdle that has to do with internet issues is online security. While a weak and unreliable internet supply will reduce productivity, the poor internet security can send a business falling to its knees. Since the rise in remote working strategies, several companies have experienced different forms of cyberattacks. Most of such attacks come in RDP or VDI, phishing attempts, and VPN vulnerabilities. 

The silver lining here is that some businesses have been able to put preventive measures to help boost their online security and prevent or reduce the risk of cybercrimes. However, there are still more businesses that remain at the mercy of such online attacks. Furthermore, although remote working aims at boosting productivity and keeping businesses going through this uncertain time, the tools are not always easy to use. That is especially true when it comes to clunky VPNs and some remote access software. Also, not all resources may be readily available to access when working remotely.  

But these should not be enough reasons to ignore the numerous benefits of remote working. It is important to remember that the coronavirus pandemic did not create remoting working; it only sped up the process. And as technology continues to evolve to help the process, you can only expect remote working to remain long after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

The role of the internet in remote working

We have already mentioned how important the internet is to working remotely and productively. But any flexible work revolution needs a reliable, fast, and secure internet service to match. 

What does the future hold for remote working?

Everything currently points towards a future business world with a solid remote working culture. As already mentioned, experts expect a majority of Americans to be working from home by 2025 - a trend that is sure to follow in the UK. There seems to be a strong appreciation for remote working benefits from business owners to business executives, especially with new tech solutions emerging to solve a lot more remote working problems. 

Today, internet service is more widespread than it used to be, and businesses can expect better services in the future as service providers compete to attract clients. Companies are beginning to come up with ways to tackle cybercrime issues. Plus, managed IT services are also growing in their numbers. Internet speed is also expected to increase, with the prospects of 5G speed.

Overcoming the obstacles

Three main things are essential when it comes to getting rid of remote working obstacles.

• Simplifying connectivity: Businesses can achieve this by removing unnecessary hardware and lowering administrative costs.
• Faster networking: Businesses can increase network reliability and optimize network routes and protocols.
• Delivering stronger security: businesses can achieve this by ensuring zero-trust network access and promoting complete visibility.