How tech can help Indian companies for the WFH world

With the Covid-19 induced lockdown in place, most companies have been forced to embrace the work from home option. But what initially looked like an inconvenience is now turning to offer a clutch of benefits to many organizations.

Companies can cut overhead costs related to real estate, rent and utilities, with some opting to abandon physical spaces altogether. Plus, companies are learning that people are more productive when choosing their work location and schedules.

Many companies seem to have adapted to the change and may attempt to make the shift permanent. Some others, however, would want to go back to the old ways of carrying out work.

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Tech companies show the way with tech

Technology companies, understandably, are setting the examples. They are doing this in two ways. One, incorporating technological tools in their own offices. Two, rolling out products and services that would come in handy for other companies to take advantage of.

Dinesh Sharma, Business Head, Smartphone Division, System Business Group, ASUS India, says “Covid – 19 has set up unprecedented challenges but acted as a great catalyst to adapt and learn many new ways. The old belief systems that work can only happen from offices, meetings are most effective in person have been shattered in the last few months. Tech has been the fundamental enabler for driving many activities despite impairment of physical movement."

Social media giant Twitter was one of the first organizations to phase employees into working from home. Soon other biggies like Google, Facebook followed suit. These companies have told the companies that they have the choice to continue to WFH even when the situation returns to previous levels of normalcy.  

In India, no big company has given such a blanket extension to its employees so far. But things will get there soon, says R Sudharshan, the CEO of a Bengaluru-based startup. "Since WFH offers flexibility to both the employer and the employee, it is only a matter of time before this becomes mainstream culture," he says.

Along with the shift to full-time remote work, many tech companies have offered resources to make the transition easier. 

For instance, Dell has had a longstanding culture of work from home, what it calls ‘Connected workplace’ that allows its team members the infrastructure, automation, monitoring tools, and network topology. 

"Our experience of more than a decade of doing this supports our customers to enable and support a diverse workforce. What is important for any organisation to evaluate is a combination of technology, security, facilities, and human resource management helps in the effective management of remote working," says Indrajit Belgundi, Sr. Director and General Manager, Client Solutions Group, Dell Technologies, India.

He adds: "Dell coined work personas – these are worker profiles basis which Dell is able to advise customers on which form factor is suited to which persona. Not all employees use the same apps or require the same devices. Understanding the different mobility needs for each type of worker is critical for success."

Critical tools

But any company's ability to go remote is only as good as the tools that it is provided with.

The challenges also include scaling up the IT infrastructure, managing information security, and of course managing employees, their productivity and fostering a culture of remote collaboration.

In the event, the onus is on the respective IT teams in companies to choose what fits their company, and work from the varied tools on offer.

Having a reliable arsenal of tools is key to keep the work flow seamlessly in place. Team collaboration tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, video conferencing tools like Google Meets, Zoom and WebEx, productivity tools like Trello and Asana, document sharing tools like G Suite or Office 365, Email collaboration tools like Hiver have all beome very popular across companies.

Dinesh Sharma says, smart devices, mainly PC and smartphones are the three main pillars. "Cloud-based connectivity apps/platform, especially the ones enabling online video meetings and collaborated working such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meets and Zoom, and High-speed wireless and wired broadband networks are the go-to things for all companies."

Companies are also finding the evolving situation to establish new work protocols and norms. Says Sudharshan, "this is a good time for IT teams to understand the importance and put in place a process of documentation. Document everything, create how-to guides for workforce, document security policies, create a fair usage policy for work devices and networks."

Security is key

One of the major pitfalls of work from home situation is: security. A rapid transition to remote work puts pressure on security of both systems and data.

Belgundi concurs, "as many organizations enable remote working today, it is critical they have the security tools and knowledge to work safely and securely." 

The Dell SafeBIOS Events & Indicators of Attack (IoA) protects all commercial PCs at the BIOS level, to detect advanced endpoint threats. Detection at this level allows organizations to respond to advanced threats quickly and successfully, interrupting the attack chain before it’s able to do more damage, he adds. 

"It’s a good idea to make sure managed devices have the right policies for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and virtual private network (VPN) access, as well as network certificates," Anuja Pawar, a Chennai-based IT infrastructure advisor. 

She adds: "Since companies can't have the same level of control as in a physical office, they may need to implement endpoint protection for remote workers. Companies have to consider using password managers to create unique, strong passwords and avoid shared logins for an added layer of security."

For Sudharshan the  other challenge is how to communicate and collaborate effectively across teams to protect company culture and meet the larger company goals. "We in the leadership teams have to show the way to ensure that there are protocols for employees to connect, stay social, and stay productive."

What of future?

Interestingly, many companies say this work from home, thrust on them, has been revealing. 

Says Dinesh Sharma, "many of us are finding this period even more productive as we save on travel time and stress, encounter less distractions of unplanned meetings, and spend less time travelling to other cities to achieve an objective. The psychological importance given to somebody travelling from far to meet you is abolished and productivity has increased. 

Dinesh Sharma, who handles Asus smartphones, does not feel his business will be hurt post-lockdown. "Smartphones have become essential product, so there is no significant mid to long term negative impact expected. In the limited easing post lockdown, the demand has been very robust. In the short term, restoring production in India and streamlining global component supply chains may be a bit of a challenge for some players.'

Companies have scrambled to adapt to telecommuting. While some are sure to switch back as soon as they can, it’s clear that many companies are finding silver linings in flexible work arrangements. 

Thanks to technology, once this new normal works for more industries, it will be difficult to turn back.

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