Community IT Webinar Series - Supporting Remote Workers
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This document summarizes a webinar presented by Community IT Innovators on supporting remote workers. The webinar covered scenarios for remote work, benefits, solutions including end user tools and enterprise systems, prerequisites, risks and best practices. Solutions discussed included VPN, desktop sharing, and cloud-based options. Factors to consider when choosing a remote work solution included organizational fit, costs, needs analysis and implementing a pilot program.
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Community IT Webinar Series - Supporting Remote Workers
- 1. Community IT Innovators Webinar Series Supporting Remote Workers September 24, 2014 presented by… Johanny Torrico Abdul Musa #RemoteWork
- 2. Webinar Tips • Ask questions Post questions via chat • Interact Engage with us on Twitter using #RemoteWork • Focus Avoid multitasking. You may just miss the best part of the presentation • Webinar PowerPoint & Recording PowerPoint and recording links will be shared after the webinar
- 3. About Community IT Community IT Innovators partners with nonprofits to help them solve their strategic & day-to-day IT challenges. Strategic Proactive approach so you can make IT decisions that support your mission and grow with you Collaborative Team of over 30 staff who empower you to make informed IT choices Invested We are committed to supporting your mission, and take care of your IT network as if it were our own Nonprofit focus Worked with over 900 nonprofits since 1993
- 4. About the Presenters Johanny Torrico Director of Ongoing Support jtorrico@communityit.com @communityit Abdul Musa Network Consultant amusa@communityit.com @communityit
- 5. Agenda • Scenarios • Benefits • Solutions • Prerequisites, Advantages and Disadvantages • Risks • Best practices • Solution selection • Q & A #remotewor k
- 6. Remote work categories • Someone working remotely… – Full time – Once, twice… a week – Occasionally • Field office staff • Virtual teams #remotework
- 7. Why remote work? • Staff satisfaction • Flexibility – Staff can work in multiple geographic locations – Accommodates different work schedules • Work-life balance – Allows for personal time, part-time work – Eliminates commute time – Enables work during inclement weather or minor illness #remotework
- 8. Why remote work? (2) • Productivity gains – Focus on projects without interruption – Work when most productive – Improved collaboration between field offices and headquarters • HR benefit – Increase recruitment and retention #remotework
- 9. Why remote work? (3) • Competitive advantage: – Start new programs and initiatives • Cost benefit – Reduce need for office space and equipment – Reduce travel costs • Environmental benefits – Can reduce environmental impact #remotework
- 10. What has made it possible? • Internet evolution – Reduced costs, faster bandwidth speeds – Increased adoption • 2000: 43.1% of the US population was using the internet • 2012: 81% of the US population was using the internet • Better remote access technology • Evolving organizational acceptance of remote work #remotework
- 11. Remote work: Global statistics • 4.6 billion global workforce – 20% telecommutes – 29% partial remote – 10% full time remote • Global remote work by region – Asia & Pacific 12% – EMEA 7% – Americas 5% Infographic: http://web.esna.com/blog/remote-worker-collaboration-infographic-2014 #remotework
- 12. Remote work: US statistics • 1 in 4 US workers work from home at least some of the time • 65% of US employees reported being more productive when working at home • 64% of US employees said they would sacrifice pay to work from home • Between 2005 and 2011, US teleworking grew 73% Infographic: http://web.esna.com/blog/remote-worker-collaboration-infographic-2014 #remotework
- 13. Solutions • End User: – Tools • Enterprise systems – Remote access – Communication – Remote support
- 14. Prerequisites: End user tools • Hardware • Software • Connectivity: Internet and Telephony • Remote access technology #remotework
- 15. Prerequisites: End user tools (2) Hardware Software Connectivity Remote Access technology Workstation - Laptop - Desktops External peripherals - Printer, scanner - Phone headsets - Monitors - Video/audio - Speakers Office productivity - MS Office etc. Enterprise applications - Accounting - Fundraising - CRM Security - Antivirus - Connection software e.g. VPN license Internet connection - Wired - Wireless Telephony - VOIP phone - Mobile phone VPN Terminal server Cloud #remotework
- 16. Prerequisites: Enterprise systems • Why allow for remote access? – Facilitate communication – Facilitate collaboration – Provide seamless experience #remotework
- 17. Prerequisites: Enterprise systems (2) Communication Collaboration Management #remotework
- 18. Remote access solutions • VPN • Desktop sharing • Cloud #remotework
- 19. VPN • Types: Hardware, Software, Enhanced tunneling Endpoint 1 Endpoint 2 #remotework
- 20. • Pros – Secure – Mature – Scalable VPN: Pros and Cons – Relatively low deployment cost • Cons – Setup can be complex – Cost: Licensing costs for large implementation – Connection issues • Blocked in some public locations • Can slow down end-user internet connection #remotework
- 22. Desktop sharing (2) • Native solutions – Built into operating system platform e.g. Windows Remote Desktop (Terminal Services), Apple Screen sharing • Third-party solutions – CITRIX XenServer, VNC, TeamViewer, PCAnywhere #remotework
- 23. Desktop sharing (3) • Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) – Hosts desktop environments on remote servers – Provides access to the same desktop from any location – Relatively expensive – Often used in call centers and in sales teams #remotework
- 24. Desktop sharing: Pros and Cons • Pros – Easy to use – Mature – Low maintenance • Cons – Setup can be complex – Costs: Hardware, licensing and support costs – Bandwidth intensive: screen refresh eats up bandwidth #remotework
- 26. Cloud (2) • Often browser-based and cross-platform • Common cloud info Systems – Email: Office 365, Google Apps – Files: Box, Google Apps, Office 365 – CRM/Databases: Salesforce, Zoho #remotework
- 27. • Pros Cloud: Pros and Cons – Easy to use – Easy to setup – Scalable – Lower costs • Low deployment costs • No hardware support costs • Cons – Evolving technology – Recurring cost model – Multiple credentials – Connection challenges for international staff #remotework
- 28. Communication solutions • Chat: Gchat, iChat, Lync • Telephony – Simple: Forward calls, remote voicemail retrieval – Advanced: VOIP handsets, Voicemail to email transcription etc. • Videoconferencing – Desktop-based: Skype, Lync, Google hangouts – Dedicated system: Polycom, Cisco, BlueJeans • more expensive, require A/V hardware such as TV screens, cameras, speakers, conference room speakerphones • Cloud videoconferencing solutions such as WebEx and BlueJeans are making dedicated videoconferencing more affordable #remotework
- 29. Remote support tools • Platforms that will require remote support – Operating systems: Windows, OS X, Linux – Mobile devices: iOS, Android, Windows Mobile – Applications: Productivity apps, custom apps • Remote support tools – Native tools: Windows Remote Desktop Services, Windows Remote Assistance, Apple Screen sharing – Third-party tools: GoToAssist, TeamViewer – Browser-based: Chrome remote desktop, LogMeIn, join.me #remotework
- 30. Risks • What are some of the remote work risks? • How do we manage these risks?
- 31. Risks • Data security risks – Increased data loss risks – Increased potential hacking targets • Compliance and Privacy risks • Increased costs: – With massive adoption, support and ongoing costs (hardware and licensing) also increase #remotework
- 32. Managing Risks • Security – Two factor authentication – Network access control systems • Screen device for updated virus definitions and operating system patches before allowing access to the network – Password policy: length and expiration – Prevent cached credentials – Restrict access from multiple devices – Monitor remote access #remotework
- 33. Managing risks (2) • Standardization – Provide prerequisite equipment and software for easier management and better control – Automate patching and maintenance • Remote management – Wipe data off devices when necessary – Set data to expire #remotework
- 34. Best practices What are some best practices for remote work solutions?
- 35. Best practices • General – Provide help/how-to documents for remote access – Bandwidth management strategies – Avoid caching credentials – Use complex passwords and change them regularly • VPN solutions – Beware of DNS changes that can slow down end-user web traffic – Subnet configuration #remotework
- 36. Best practices (2) • Desktop sharing solutions – Set remote session display settings for low bandwidth environment – Use wildcard SSL certificates • Cloud and browser-based solutions – Customize url for signing on to applications – Use Single Sign-On systems to reduce multiple credentials when possible #remotework
- 37. How to choose a solution #remotework
- 38. How to choose a solution • Organizational fit – Does operating environment allow it? – Policies: • What are the current HR policies regarding remote work? Will they need to change? • How does it fit into your other IT policies such as acceptable use and BYOD policies? #remotework
- 39. How to choose a solution (2) • Costs: – Do you pay for the internal infrastructure only? – End-user equipment • Analyze needs: What systems need to be accessed remotely? – Access information systems from outside the office? – Connect field offices? – Facilitate collaboration? – Provide new service or enable new programs/initiatives? #remotework
- 40. How to choose a solution (3) • Pick 3 potential solutions based on criteria • Identified needs • Budget • Cost benefit analysis #remotework
- 41. How to choose a solution (4) • Present to decision makers – Develop budget • Deployment costs (year 1) as well ongoing costs for licensing, subscriptions and support (years 2 to 5) – Outline the benefits for the organization • Competitive advantage • Productivity boost • Staff satisfaction • Recruitment and retention tool: – Outline risks: financial and IT security risks #remotework
- 42. How to choose a solution (5) • Implementation plan – Beta test solution: vendor demo or trial – How soon can it be implemented? – When do you roll it out to reduce disruption? • Schedule full deployment for a “slow” time of the year • Re-evaluate solution after a couple of years #remotework
- 44. Community IT Innovators Webinar Series IT Security New and Emerging Best Practices October 23, 2014 presented by… Steve Longenecker Matthew Eshleman
- 45. After the webinar • Connect with us • Provide feedback Short survey after you exit the webinar. Be sure to include any questions that were not answered. • Missed anything? Link to slides & recording will be emailed to you.
Editor's Notes
- We will examine - scenarios for remote work - benefits - Solutions including advantages and disadvantages - Risks - Best practices We will wrap up with Q and A. We will touch on some of the telephony and videoconferencing solutions but not in great detail.
- For the purposes of this meeting, we have broken down remote work into the following categories
- Staff satisfaction: This is usually the most common reason for remote work use. According to a Survey by ESNA communications, 64% of US employees would sacrifice pay to work from home. Flexibility: reduces restriction on where and when one can work. Allows personal time for family needs such as doctor visits etc. Work life balance: flexibility afforded by remote work improves work-life balance
- 1. Increased Productivity: Remote work also allows employees to work when they are most productive. 2. HR: More attractive for potential employees staff can continue working for the same organization even if they move.
- Competitive advantage: - it could you an edge, for example you can provide a new service or start a new program or initiative that would not have been possible or that would have been cost-prohibitive. Costs: - you don’t need a large office space, you don’t have to purchase as much equipment in some instances Environmental benefits: less pollution from reduced commuting, less power used in smaller office spaces.
- Source for internet adoption statistic: http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls
- Statistics compiled from ESNA.com, a cloud communications and collaboration vendor.
- We have seen the benefits of working remotely… what do we need to make it work??!! We will review next: What does the end user needs to connect remotely? what tools do they need?? What does your organization need to provide to facilitate this?? You will need to allow for remote access to your network And we will review the 3 most common ones here, you will need to tools to allow your users to communicate easily with you, and be ready to support Them.
- Okay… Remote workers need the following tools in order to work remotely
- Here are some examples of the end user tools that organizations might need to provide in order for end users to be able to access information resources remotely. This is not an exhaustive list but merely illustrates some common options
- Now what about the organization? To allow for remote working is an important decision and there are a lot of moving pieces to make it happen… but There are 3 key things you will need to keep in mind when implementing your solution. You need to have a solution that helps facilitate communication among all Your staff regardless of location. You need a solution that encourage and facilitates collaboration And you need to make sure this solution provides a seamless experience to your user. What you want to achieve is for your user to have the same Experience as if he or she is working on-site.
- Here are some examples of the enterprise systems that organizations might need to provide in order for end users to be able to access information resources remotely. This is not an exhaustive list but merely illustrates some common options.
- Let’s look at the different remote access solution. We have categorized remote access solutions into 3 categories
- What is a VPN?? VPN Stands for Virtual Private Network. It provides private connectivity, through a public Internet connection and it is usually referred to as a tunnel There are different types: hardware based meaning you create a VPN tunnel using your firewalls, software based, for example himachi VPN from Logmein is a Software based example of a VPN and enhanced tunneling… So how does it work?? - Uses two endpoints to encrypt/decrypt traffic - The end points share a key or certificate which serves as the encryption algorithm - Can be used to connect remote PCs to a central office (remote access VPN) or even whole networks (site to site VPN) - Creates a secured connection over the public internet without the need for dedicated (expensive) point to point links
- VPN Pros Secure technology, uses encryption Mature: has been around for a while Low deployment VPN Cons initial setup can be difficult if you are deploying an advanced VPN solution. It can also be expensive in terms of deployment costs and ongoing license and subscription costs for some advanced VPN solutions and for large user base. Connection issues VPN traffic is blocked in some public locations such as hotels and libraries to limit bandwidth usage by their patrons If DNS setting is not correctly configured in VPN software, it can slow down the end-user’s internet connection
- Desktop sharing solutions: provides remote access either to an end-user’s desktop. a remote desktop server or a published application. Also, allows you to print locally and copy/paste between local and remote computers. For end user solutions: you can remotely access the user’s workstation For server based-solutions: you connect to a remote desktop environment where you can access network resources as if you are in the office.
- Native solutions are part of the operating system platform and can provide remote access either to an end-users physical desktop, a remote desktop server or a published application. A published application platform provides remote access to a single application rather than the entire remote desktop. For example, a timesheet application could be published to allow remote users to access it without viewing the entire desktop. This makes the application run faster. 3rd-party solutions such as CITRIX XenServer provide access
- Another way to allow for remote work is to provide your users with a VDI a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. So how this work? You will create virtual environment… you will have a server that will be host your virtual desktops. Vmware and Hyperv are examples of this virtual environments. Your users will connect remotely to this virtual desktops Expensive to setup Often used in call ctrs….
- Desktop sharing: CONS initial setup can be difficult if you are deploying an advanced solution. It can also be expensive depending again on the setup you choose It can be bandwidth intensive: Refreshing the screen can eat up bandwidth. This can limit the its usage in rural areas where the maximum available bandwidth isn’t very much. It can also consume the bandwidth in the head office if there is heavy usage of the desktop sharing solution. This makes less attractive if either the end users or the head office networks don’t have fast internet connections.
- Nowadays you have… People working anywhere… From difference devices… At different times… This has made using the different cloud options and applications very appealing to the users.
- Cloud -- one of the key selling points of cloud infrastructure is that they can be used from anywhere. These cloud applications can be launched from any browser… all you need is a device and internet connection -- some of the common cloud systems are….
- Cloud Cons: Cloud technology continues to evolve… not as mature as established remote access technologies although big players like Office 365 have mature in the past year or two….. Supporting now different platforms… for example… There is a Recurring cost model and it can become expensive There is the challenge of Multiple credentials for users You have some Connection challenges: if the vendor does not have geographically-redundant servers overseas, access can be slow in countries where bandwidth speeds are low
- These communication solutions are used to facilitate collaboration between offices and with remote staff Chat: Some of these are free or built into the underlying platform while others are groupware tools that allow chat between members of the organization. Telephony: Simple PBX phone systems allow calls to be forwarded and voicemails to be retrieved. Advanced telephony systems such as VOIP allow handsets to be plugged into any internet connection and also include voicemail to email transcription among other features. Desktop-based solutions such as Skype, Lync use a webcam on a computer or mobile device. Dedicated solutions such as Cisco Telepresence platform and Polycom’s real presence solutions are more advanced and include more features
- Once you have remote users who access your network, you may also have to provide technical support when they are outside the office. This section provides some options for providing technical support for remote staff. You want to be ready to support different platforms. Different OS, different mobile devices, different applications… You will need some remote support tools… (read) All of them allow you to connect to the users desktop and control it for easy troubleshooting
- We have reviewed different solutions and their features… what are the risks of remote work and how do we manage them?
- Risk is inherent in all IT systems. However, remote access increases some risks to an organizations resources. Data loss: since data is cached on multiple devices, data loss risks are increased Hacking risks: increases overall data security since data can be targeted at different locations Compliance and privacy: Some industries such as healthcare restrict access to client data. Remote access increases the chances that compliance and privacy guidelines will be broken. Costs: If the remote access solution becomes more successful than planned, there could be increased costs associated with supporting more remote users and providing them with tools for remote access
- Some ways to mitigate these risks… Around security: Implement a 2 factor authentication. Cloud providers like Office 365 and Google apps allow for users to setup a 2 FA. This means when you sign in a PIN is sent to your phone and you will need to enter that PIN or code to log in Establish some network access control systems. Screen devices regularly for updated virus definitions and patches before allowing access Enforce password policy… that is complex Prevent cached credentials Restrict access from multiple devices Monitor remote access regularly
- Standardize your environment! Provide equipment to your remote users if possible. This will allow for better control and management. Have a remote management system in place. This will allow you to wipe data off devices if necessary
- In this section, we review some of the best practices to consider for remote work solutions.
- General Bandwidth management: Consider using firewall policies to throttle traffic and segment traffic. For example, you can set the maximum bandwidth used by each remote connection or the maximum available for remote connections. If you have multiple internet connections, you can direct web browsing to a high latency, high bandwidth connection such as cable while the remote connections could use the Fibre or Ethernet over Copper connection which has a lower latency. VPN: - Subnet configuration: Do not use LAN subnets such as 192.168.0.x, 192.168.1.x or 10.1.10.x because those are the default for most home networking equipment
- You sat in on the webinar and you are ready to drive the remote work initiative at your organization. What specific steps do you need to follow?
- 1. Organizational fit: Are there compliance policies that restrict access to certain information systems due to industry standards? 2. Policies - HR: Do you make it available for all employees or specific employees based on their roles? - IT policies: decision has to be made in context of other IT policies
- End-user equipment: Do you pay for access devices such as hotspots, laptops (loaners), mobile phones, VOIP
- Schedule full deployment for a slow period: not before annual conference, annual board meeting or other stressful event Why re-evaluate: more funding, better solution, growth