06/03/20

Coronavirus escalation posing questions for businesses

Coronavirus has spread rapidly across the world since the initial outbreak was confirmed in China and while we all hope the policy of containment will be successful, it looks likely that the situation will worsen in the weeks ahead.

Individuals catching the virus are being told to self-isolate if they start to exhibit symptoms and this could have a serious knock-on effect to companies. All of this means remote working is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition.

But there are other issues to consider.

At PC Net we believe in being prepared, and want to suggest a few steps you might want to consider taking to prepare for problems which might occur if Coronavirus affects your business.

Preparation is key

Review – Now is a good time to review the list of people who have the ability to work remotely. If your office needed to be closed for two weeks or more, it might be worth making sure that everyone who needs remote access has it.

Test – If any of your staff work remotely, have them test their remote connectivity.

Equipment – If your employees don’t have laptops but may be expected to work from home, consider getting them company-issued laptops. Be careful not to compromise security by letting employees use personal computers that bypass company cybersecurity measures.

Planning – With Chinese supply lines disrupted, we may start to see shortages of technology items. Please bear this in mind when planning technology purchases in 2020.

Beware – As with any world news, there are already Coronavirus phishing messages making the rounds. Remind your staff to be extra careful about clicking on links or opening attachments in emails about Coronavirus, even if they appear to come from inside the company.

It’s not just Coronavirus that has highlighted the need for consideration to be given to remote working. There are a range of benefits to be had ranging from the logistical to the necessary – like the recent flooding crisis which has meant difficulties for some getting into work.

We would encourage business owners to seriously consider looking at the implementation of such a policy now and if you’d like to discuss how to structure your IT infrastructure to allow for safe remote working, just let us know: we’re here to help!