Recommended Tools for Working Remote During COVID-19
Photo by Artem Beliaikin via Pexels
We're open for business! We have been remote workers since we started the company in 2003. Today, we have over ten employees who work remotely across 12 time zones. Over time, we have discovered cloud-based software tools and workflows that allow us to be just as productive as working in a local office.
If the Covid-19 virus is forcing your company to work remotely for the first time, here is a list of the tools that we use and some quick notes about how they fit into our workflow:
- Zoom: We use Zoom for video conferencing and some of our phone lines. They offer high-quality video meetings, and we rarely have problems with video stutter, etc. Zoom now offers a full-featured phone service too. With that service, we can answer business lines from anywhere in the world!
- Slack: This product provides an excellent chat and screen-sharing service that is used by our entire team. The screen-share feature has a neat feature that allows a participant to draw on top of the presentation to highlight something related to a question. Slack also integrates into many of our other cloud-based services for an all-in-one communication tool.
- Box: Box.com works great for shared cloud-based network folders. Their service allows administrators to control access to a folder by group permissions -- just like your office computer network. Employees will have access to relevant documents at the office, home, or in the field.
- Keybase: If you work with top-secret documents, take a look at Keybase. They offer secure messaging and file sharing. End-to-end encryption means that their employees cannot see your chats or files.
- 1Password for Business: This software allows you to share specific passwords with employees in a secure password vault. Browser plugins also make it easy for your team to create strong passwords and keep your valuable data safe.
During this crisis, the most important thing we can do as business people is to stay open for business! With the right communication tools, you can still get face time with your out-of-state clients and close deals.
Feel free to contact me with questions about our software or workflows. I am happy to help.
-- Brian Long