At the start of the pandemic, the sudden jump a lot of us made to remote working was thought of as a temporary makeshift solution. However, as we know, it soon became the status quo as the uncertainty over COVID-19 continued. This situation not only challenged employees’ ability to be adaptable and productive, but it also tested companies’ capability to support and run their teams and business operations in a virtual capacity. 

After almost two years, a large proportion of the working world is familiar with the realities of remote working and, more recently, hybrid working as offices around Europe maintain an open door. Some aspects of the new normal have brought advantages to the working world, for example allowing people to have more flexible arrangements and getting back time to themselves that was previously spent on commuting. 

However, there have also been several challenges associated with these shifts, which will need to be remedied as the future of work unfolds and technology plays a key role in this transition. The new future of work demands agile, easy-to-manage, and secure technology solutions to safeguard operations. This article provides an overview of the scenarios companies are faced with within the new world of work and offers insight on the cost-effective and fit-for-purpose technology that can help businesses design their future. 

Expansion of the virtual office as permanent and secure 
Bold it may sound, though virtual and remote working is here to stay. As a result, businesses must continue to rise to the challenge of rethinking how they conduct business and manage teams in the long run. What do they want it to look like? A key part in bringing this new vision to life will be investing in new network management technology that supports seamless connectivity, as well as providing oversight and control over those connected to their network. 

As we venture further into the remote and hybrid working future, scalability is also an important consideration. With expanding business and growing teams, it only makes sense that it should be easy and simple to do the same with a business network. Nuclias Cloud, for example, allows you to add as many access points or switches as your business needs - thanks to its pay-as-you-grow subscription model. No large up-front costs and the ability to align your subscription to suit your requirements allow businesses to be agile in a time of change. 

Delivering a seamless experience and enabling productivity 
From small businesses to large enterprises, most if not all employees have encountered
disruption of some form as they work remotely. Disruption to the working day not only causes frustration and stress but also breaks concentration and productivity stopping people short of their ability to get on with tasks. For bigger organisations, network management teams are mostly on side to help iron out any issues but for those businesses who perhaps don’t have a huge network management team, this can be a struggle. 

For the businesses who ‘just want things to work’ and don’t want the hassle of spending time and effort on sorting out the technical side of things, there are a few cloud-based network management solutions to choose from like D-Link’s Nuclias Cloud for example. Technology providers know that any design must be simple and easily accessible from anywhere. That’s why products like Nuclias have an intuitive and user-friendly interface from any PC, laptop, or mobile through the cloud portal or app.

Addressing technical issues and connectivity fallouts 
Wi-Fi dropouts, interrupted calls and trouble accessing remote desktops have plagued those working remotely. Although technical issues are unavoidable at the best of times, remote working does make them a little more complicated - especially when everyone is so dispersed. Luckily, there are several ways businesses can tackle these issues. They can make the most of network management solutions that offer features like advanced traffic reporting and data analysis which can help figure out where issues are cropping up, not to mention automatic monitoring and alerts which signals to them when they do. 

Nuclias allows businesses to watch over their network by using the Nuclias Cloud app for easy remote access, or through a web browser, from anywhere in the world. This allows for an instant overview of live usage and a network’s health, whilst also providing the ability to delegate access to other staff members, see maps that show device location, and create Wi-Fi access log-in pages as well. 

It is no secret that the new ways of working demand agile, easy-to-manage, and secure technology solutions to not only safeguard operations but make them more flexible. As the world changes around us businesses must stay on top of their game when it comes to their technology set up, whether in-person or virtual. 

Implementing network management solutions such as Nuclias allows for all necessary information to be at one’s fingertips, enabling more accurate decision-making and the ability to manage a network from anywhere. 

The future of remote and hybrid working is becoming clearer than it was. As it becomes a little more established, it makes sense that companies should invest in cloud-based systems. Especially as these tools not only provide cutting edge solutions from an operational perspective but also a lot more flexibility and in these times of change, visibility and adaptability are key.