Remote work is all the rage these days. Why wouldn’t it? Instead of commuting to your office, you can work on your couch while eating popcorn without pants on.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m actually finishing up the report right now.”

But remote work isn’t all fun and games. You have to make sure employees are in sync with their teams, have a secure internet connection, and have all the tools they need to do their jobs.

Team collaboration tools

Most people prefer to use their emails to communicate with others, but no one wants to sift through hundreds of messages to follow a long thread. Team collaboration tools, like Microsoft Teams or Slack, allow you and your employees to set up specific channels to chat about work or send each other overused internet memes.

These tools are great for keeping teams in sync, especially for long-term projects that require a lot of coordination. And if your ideas don’t read well over text, you can always initiate a VoIP or video chat to get more out of team meetings.

What’s more, team collaboration tools have plenty of useful bots and add-ons that cut down emails and make your remote workers more productive.

Cloud productivity suite

If you want remote employees to get things done, you need a cloud productivity suite. There are many options in the market, but you can’t go wrong with Office 365, which allows users to collaborate on cloud versions of the apps they already know and love like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

The best part is files are centralized and can be accessed with any device that has an internet connection. Users don’t have to worry about hardware requirements -- because the app is technically running in Microsoft’s servers -- and you have to pay only a small subscription fee to use it.

Project management software

When people work from home, their worst problem isn’t learning to take breaks every once in a while; it’s actually getting the motivation to work. Fear of judgment and warning keep employees working, but if you’re not there to provide that, you always have project management software.

Project management software lets you plan and assign tasks and deadlines for each member of your team. They can even be used to track timesheets and analyze key performance indicators, so you can justifiably call someone out for abusing their remote work privileges.

“Okay, I didn’t do any work last week, but I did beat Doom.”

Security systems

Cybersecurity is a major concern when it comes to remote work, especially because it’s extremely difficult to babysit your employees when they’re several miles away.

For all you know, they could be connecting to an airport’s free WiFi, which is a huge no-no. What most people don’t know is that cybercriminals hack these networks to intercept sensitive information like passwords and company secrets.

Two great solutions for protecting your company are Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and mobile device management (MDM) software. The former encrypts the data traveling through a network so hackers can’t read it, while the latter allows you to secure employee devices from a centralized console. For example, if employees are behind on their software updates, you can roll out patches to their devices instantly.

Also, if they lose their smartphones or tablets, there’s a function in MDM software that allows you to track the device’s location and wipe its contents so your data never ends up in the wrong hands.

If your company despises small talk and pants, then these remote working tools are non-negotiable. Call Red Key Solutions today to support your ever growing mobile workforce.

Red Key is a leading Managed IT firm that is bringing AI to companies in New York City, Westchester County, Fairfield County Connecticut, California & beyond.