One of the most frustrating challenges facing remote workers today is having inconsistent or slow access to business files and networks. While there are a multitude of ways to connect to your business network, not all of them are as reliable or fast. Below is a list of the three most common problems facing users that depend on remote access to do work.
Speed
The first and most common challenge faced by remote workers is inconsistent or regular slow connection speeds. The main reason is many remote connections have minimal bandwidth so if the user is trying to work inside of a large application like Quickbooks, it is difficult and time consuming for the information to get through to the end user.
The best way to work around this potential hurdle is to use a cloud-based solution like Microsoft Azure. The single sign-on feature coupled with more dedicated bandwidth offered in the cloud makes it very easy to directly access your network and applications without being bottlenecked through slow network connections.
Reliability
The next issue that users face is more focused on reliability. Due to the same reasons that speed and performance is slowed, connectivity and reliability are also a challenge. This can really be a problem for people that need consistent access to their files. Getting kicked off or dropped from the network could be very frustrating as files and adjustments could be lost without being properly saved and updated.
Cloud based solutions can be set up and formatted to make sure that users have consistent access and reliable security features. However, the best way to manage these applications and platforms is with a certified and trained partner. Since all businesses operate in their own unique way, it takes specialized and nuanced expertise to maximize the value and efficiency of these platforms.
Design Limitations
Lastly, it is important to understand and appreciate that not all remote access platforms are designed for large file transfers or simultaneous multiple users. Since much of the working landscape has changed so rapidly in the last year, it is not unusual to see some businesses struggling to find solutions that allow them to work to their full operational potential.
What is important is identifying what is most important for your business.
Do you work with financial or confidential information?
If so, you may put security as your highest priority.
Do you have a large company and need hundreds of users to have reliable access to your network?
In that case you may need a solution that is more focused on single sign-on access with a large amount of bandwidth to support your workforce
Are you getting disconnected from the network all the time?
This could be as simple as bandwidth or dated software. This could be quickly fixed by moving to a cloud based network.
These are just a few of the potential questions that someone might consider when thinking about ways to improve access and performance for remote users. However, there are many more variable and details to consider so if you are dealing with problems or headaches accessing your business network, give us a call to set up a network audit!