How do deal with these remote management challenges

A huge number of agencies have been working remotely since the beginning of lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Remote work has been an essential measure of stopping the spread of the virus by avoiding contact between people as much as possible. However, this new regimen of working exclusively from home was rushed in by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, and in many cases, agencies were forced to improvise when it came to implementing this way of working.

A challenge that many agencies have to deal with in this new situation is a lack of experience when putting remote work into practice. They have neither the knowledge nor the tools to be able to monitor their employees’ IT devices, which could lead to a loss of control, as well as a decrease in productivity.

Recommendations to ensure the correct management and use of your systems

In order to have the entire workforce remote working securely, it is vital to be able to manage certain tasks remotely. The following are some of the most important, which your RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) tool must comply with:

Installation and configuration of the VPN. Employees must use a VPN in order to securely access the corporate network. To ensure that it is correctly configured, the IT manager must be able to install it remotely.
Centralized deployment of essential software. This software includes applications such as Microsoft Office 365 and file-sharing tools.
Deployment of critical security updates. System vulnerabilities and outdated applications can pose a threat to the user’s and the business’s security. However, it is often the case that users don’t apply patches on time. This is why it is vital to be able to launch these updates centrally.
Remote control and support. If there is an incident, it is vital to have the capacity to resolve it without having to physically attend to the problem, since this is not an option at the moment.
Automation of maintenance tasks. Automating maintenance and management tasks saves time, as well as reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Having a ticketing system. This kind of system reduces response time. What’s more, it allows technicians to share knowledge, optimizing how the IT department works.
Centralized management of the whole system. It is important to have an inventory of hardware, software, logs of system changes, as well as control of licenses and detailed reports on all of this.