Business Technology Insights

If you are like the vast majority of businesses in Canada, then 2020 has probably seen your organization transition to a work-from-home model in which your workforce is largely operating remotely.

This way of working is becoming the norm for many organizations, and is set to continue long into the future. In fact, a study from Regus Canada found that nearly half (47 percent) of Canadian employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for at least half the week.

Cybersecurity and data backups should be a priority for your company’s IT strategy, but do you still need to focus on this when working with a cloud subscription service?

One of the most common questions we receive here at OT Group is: ‘Do I need to secure and backup my data when using Office 365, surely Microsoft takes care of this on behalf of my company?

The loss of information can mean the end of your business. That may sound dramatic, but it’s true. In fact, three out of four businesses that suffered a major data loss closed their doors in the last 10 years. 

That is why data protection is critical to your business. It not only provides peace of mind (and helps you keep your stability if a loss does occur) – it could be what makes or breaks your business’ success. And data protection isn’t just for large businesses. Even small home businesses with less information on the line can suffer from data losses. 

That is why we want to share which data protection and recovery solutions your business should be looking at based on its size. 

The huge increase in remote work since the start of the pandemic has meant “the office of the future has arrived” early, according to a new whitepaper from New York-based IT firm Electric, yet small to medium-sized businesses need to do more to prevent cybercrime.

This year has seen huge changes in where, when and how employees work. Working remotely is now widespread across Canada, and many companies aim to keep it that way.

In fact, a study from Regus Canada back in 2017 found that nearly half (47 percent) of all Canadian employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for half the week or more. With remote work only growing in popularity in 2020, it’s likely that figure is significantly higher today. 

There are a range of benefits that come with remote work, including a better work-life balance, less commute stress, increased productivity and money savings. Perhaps one of the most popular benefits though, is the ability to work from home and, in turn, the opportunity to completely customize your own office space. 

When it comes to designing a professional home office space, however, many people have no idea where to start.

An increasing amount of the work that we do as small and medium-sized businesses is performed over the internet, particularly with the increase in teams working remotely. Whether it’s sending an email to a client, selling a product online or talking to employees, we are constantly communicating with both individuals and organizations online.

This reliance on the internet, without proper precautions, has opened organizations up to the threat of cybercrime, and in particular phishing scams.

Working remotely has been a crucial aspect of flattening the curve during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this measure is temporary for some businesses, for others it is here to stay. 

In a recent article published on BBC Worklife, “How offices will change after the coronavirus”, Jessica Mudditt describes how offices in the future might evolve to new rules for workplace hygiene.

“Experts suggest this could involve a combination of short-term fixes aimed at boosting worker confidence, reducing the number of staff in the office at any one time and longer-term design upgrades and modifications that put hygiene at the heart of workplace planning. “

In a previous blog, we looked at an article published in BBC Worklife, “How offices will change after the coronavirus.”  One of the experts interviewed, Albert De Plazaola, global strategy director at Unispace, spoke about the new mobile workforce, and how firms may start subsidizing home offices.