As remote work becomes more common, companies must ensure their networks can support distributed teams. With employees working from home or other locations, network reliability is crucial for maintaining productivity. As a business leader, you need to evaluate your infrastructure and implement strategies to maximise uptime and performance for off-site workers. This article explores best practices for network management, collaboration tools, and policies to keep your virtual teams connected and productive.

The Challenges of Supporting Remote Employees

When employees work remotely, they rely heavily on your network infrastructure to do their jobs. Without reliable access to applications, data, and collaboration software, they may struggle to complete tasks efficiently. Here are some of the top challenges of supporting a distributed workforce:

• Slower network performance due to increased usage of VPNs, video calls, and cloud apps

• Difficulty troubleshooting and resolving technical issues remotely

• Lack of support for critical systems like phone services and databases

• Security risks from employees using home networks and unmanaged devices

• Inability to access key resources due to network disruptions

Careful planning and proactive management are necessary to overcome these hurdles. The solutions below can help you empower your remote teams with a high-performing network.

Improving Network Reliability

Providing excellent network reliability starts with the right infrastructure. Evaluate whether your existing network has the capacity, speed, and redundancy to handle increased remote access. Important components to assess include:

• Internet bandwidth - Increase broadband speeds to support concurrent usage.

• VPN capacity - Scale VPN servers to handle a growing remote workforce.

• Wi-Fi capabilities - Upgrade wireless access points and Wi-Fi as needed.

• Firewalls and security tools - Ensure these can manage expanded remote access.

• Network monitoring - Track performance metrics and identify problems proactively.

In addition to infrastructure upgrades, optimising network traffic and connections can improve reliability. Some best practices include enabling Quality of Service (QoS) to prioritise key applications, directing traffic through efficient routes, and fine-tuning VPN settings for optimal performance. Proactive monitoring, strong security policies, and regular maintenance are also essential for minimising disruptions.

Choosing Reliable Collaboration Tools

The right collaboration software is critical for teams to coordinate and work together from any location. Evaluate solutions that are cloud-based, secure, mobile-friendly, and provide these essential features:

• Instant messaging and presence indicators - Enable employees to connect and communicate in real-time.

• Screen sharing and remote desktop access – Allow collaboration as if in the same room.

• Video/audio conferencing - Hold meetings with screen sharing and face-to-face conversations.

• File sharing and cloud storage - Easily distribute files and collaborate on documents.

• Project management - Track tasks, schedules, and team progress.

• Knowledge management - Share knowledge via wikis, folders, tags and search.

Leading choices like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Workspace and Zoom offer reliability with enterprise-grade security, extensive integrations, administrative controls, and options to customise your setup. Training your team on new tools is also key to driving adoption and realising the full benefits.

Setting Policies to Support Productivity

With a distributed workforce, clearly communicating expectations and policies is vital. Set guidelines regarding:

• Core hours for availability - Establish standard windows when teams should be online for meetings and collaboration.

• Access needs - Specify what resources employees need access to and how to securely connect remotely.

• Communication norms - Share preferences for different modes of communication and response times.

• Technology support - Provide instructions for troubleshooting common tech issues and getting IT help when needed.

• Home office setup - Give recommendations for an optimal remote workspace to maintain productivity.

• Cybersecurity - Educate employees on protecting company data and properly handling sensitive information.

By aligning your team on effective remote work policies, you empower them with the clarity and guidelines needed to stay productive. Regularly evaluate arrangements and be flexible to adjust based on evolving needs.

Ensuring Network Reliability for Seamless Collaboration

With the right infrastructure, tools, and policies, ensuring network reliability as you scale remote work is easy. Critical focus areas include:

• Investing in high-speed, redundant internet connectivity

• Deploying VPN infrastructure to securely connect remote users

• Leveraging cloud-based apps to support distributed teams

• Monitoring network performance and troubleshooting issues quickly

• Establishing communication norms and online availability expectations

• Training employees on remote access, cybersecurity, and collaboration tools.

Providing reliable network access ensures your virtual teams have seamless experiences when collaborating across locations. Staying ahead of performance issues and aligning on strong policies also keeps everyone productive. With deliberate planning and proactive management, your company can thrive with a distributed workforce.

Additional Considerations for Network Reliability

Here are some additional factors to consider as you optimise networks for remote employees:

• Implement SD-WAN to intelligently route traffic for better performance

• Provide corporate laptops or desktops to give employees reliable hardware

• Enable multi-factor authentication for VPNs and cloud apps to strengthen security

• Offer a stipend for employees to upgrade home internet speeds if needed

• Conduct speed tests and connection checks to troubleshoot issues

• Schedule IT maintenance windows outside core collaboration times

• Create redundancy for critical servers to minimise downtime risks

• Document network configurations and document troubleshooting procedures

Supporting productive remote employees requires ensuring excellent network reliability and performance. By upgrading infrastructure, optimising network traffic, choosing collaborative tools strategically, and setting clear policies, companies can keep distributed teams connected and performing at their best. With the right technological foundation and management strategies, businesses can adopt remote work successfully while maintaining strong productivity.