11 Jun 3 Keys to Cloud-Based Remote Work Solutions
Due to COVID-19, most businesses are having to adapt to a remote setup for their employees. For some businesses, it was a simple switch, while others are struggling due to poor architecture planning. As more businesses look to remote work solutions, it’s important to understand that a remote set up requires a new set of design requirements to allow your employees to work remotely. The companies that are finding the transition difficult, most likely do not have cloud capabilities for remote work solution. Here are three keys to having a cloud-based remote work solution.
KEY ONE: SET UP YOUR DESIGN AROUND THE CLOUD
A cloud-based work environment is designed to deliver infrastructure and hosting services to anywhere in the country with low latency and high availability. The cloud is your central location, which simplifies your design and ease of access; it is also highly resilient and geographically diverse, without the design overhead of distributed networks.
Standard network designs still apply with the cloud with Active Directory servers, file servers, and business-critical application servers that will all still exist. Additionally, a cloud-based network allows for secure off-site storage of data.
KEY TWO: PROVISION YOUR ENVIRONMENT BASED ON USER
It’s essential to set up your remote work infrastructure with the needs of your users in mind. This may be with a remote desktop architecture, which allows users to connect to a specific computer from a remote location over a VPN connection. Once the connection is established, users can perform a wide range of tasks as if they are using the computer in person.
Another option is with DaaS (Desktops-as-a-Service), which is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). The user can essentially work from any device and log into your virtual computer.
KEY THREE: CONNECT YOUR USERS WITH THE APPROPRIATE NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
After designing and deploying the cloud-based remote work environment, the final step is to make sure our users can actually connect to the network. It’s important to strike a balance between usability and security.
There are a few options for connectivity, with the first being IPSEC VPNs, which is a secure network with high performance. However, it does require a full enterprise firewall at each end of the connection. Most users will need to connect via a home router or a cell phone hotspot.
Another option is with SSL VPNs. Its connection is established from a single firewall to a software client, rather than requiring a firewall at each end. This means that hosting a firewall in the cloud allows each user to install the VPN client and connect to their work environment locally.
The last option is with the SSL protocol. It can also be applied to an application rather than a dedicated VPN. DaaS is one such application that establishes a secure connection to a remote environment. This option allows for the best flexibility, and the application can be installed on a range of devices than SSL VPN clients. As long as the user has a reliable WAN connection, they can connect from a wide range of devices to their work environment.
It’s important to remember that working remotely is requires its own network solution. A cloud-based remote work solution allows for better connectivity and productivity for your remote workers while providing the security needed. You can contact our team to get a free assessment to see what cloud solution would work best for your organization.