2020 really has been a bit of a year.

We all looked forward to new year full of potential. A new decade, Olympics, Euro 2020, family events, holidays and personal milestones. Some might say even clarity with the Brexit issues although that was always going to be stretch.

But all that changed in March. Something we had never seen before in a lifetime, a global pandemic.

COVID-19 has brought massive changes in the way we live. How we interact with our friends, families, and our own personal routines. It has also curtailed travel, disrupted everything from eating out to how we shop for groceries and educate our children. None of it in comparison with the premature personal loss felt by some families dealing with the virus. It’s not over yet as a great part of the central belit of Scotland moves to Level 4 lockdown.

The New Normal

Business has seen a seismic change. Companies that were flying before have had to make major changes to business models and reduce workforces. Some are now just staying afloat. Millions now work from home. We have all become experts in Zoom, Webex, Teams to name a few. We have all mastered new skills in collaborating with online work and comfortable having colleagues and customers gaze at some of our dodgy home decorating decisions. They have all now met some of our dearest family members, the pets. Fluffy has her own Instagram following with more followers than anyone.

At the beginning this all seemed like a bit of a novelty. It was new, and we got to really experience trying to achieve a work life balance. Now eight months on this has become the weary routine, a new normal as its universally known. We are constantly adapting to new restrictions, other demands on our way of living and working. We are all feeling a little video chat weary, wishing we could go for a coffee with a client or have a chat around the break room table. Some even miss the commute.

Team Challenges

We thought this was for the short term, but what if this is the new way we live and work? Are all organisations fully ready to embrace a remote workforce and reduced office time? IT teams across the country have been adapting and trying to find new solutions. How will they keep everyone fully connected, engaged and productive? All this and keeping company data secure and accessible to everyone that needs it. Studies have shown almost 48% of employees abandon safe practices online when working remotely. That figure is higher when using different devices. Virus and phishing attacks can now come from more access points and through public networks. Challenges with onboarding new hires and restricting access to departing team members are also prevalent. It’s tougher to set up accounts securely and more difficult to drop off the laptop or phone with offices closed.

Compliance

Secure Mobile Device Management has never been so important. Remote working was seen by some as a nice to do, these days it is now a necessity. Business needs to review strategies now and going forward to keep data secure and teams happy. Compliance to industry standards has never been more important but has become harder to achieve and maintain

 Remote Working Readiness

DARE are experts in Apple Mobile Device Management. Gold Partners with Jamf, DARE provides the industry leading Enterprise Management platform for Apple. DARE offer initial consultancy, pre and post implementation with full ongoing support and update services. Jamf Connect,Pro and Protect is used by thousands of leading companies around the world. Jamf manages over 17m Apple devices providing a zero-touch onboarding experience for employees and securing company data and devices when offboarding. Jamf Nation has 60,000 members with a 95% customer retention rate.

DARE also has a sister company, Opal IT. Opal provides professional IT services and has partners including Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and Fortinet.

DARE is offering members a free Remote Working Readiness review. Over the next 30 days, DARE can consult with organisations on current provisions, pain points, compliance requirements and offer solutions. To qualify for the review, organisations need to have minimum of 25 devices in use.

To find out more contact DARE and prepare for what’s to come. www.dare.tech

Robert Stewart

Client Relationship Manager