Nearly all businesses are currently evaluating or re-evaluating their business continuity plans in the face of the expanding global outbreak. They need to understand how they will continue to do business, communicate, complete projects and make decisions in rapidly de-centralized social and business environments.
Compunetix has been solving these exact challenges for over 50 years. Our collaboration technology, recently inducted into the Space Foundation Technology Hall of Fame, has been remotely connecting workers, businesses and governments across the globe for decades.
The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted their list of interim guidance for all businesses and employers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Among those recommendations are suggestions to:
- Actively encourage sick workers to stay home
- Separate sick employees
- Emphasize good hygiene, respiratory etiquette and ‘social distancing’
- Perform routine environmental cleaning
- Advise traveling employees to follow CDC travel guidelines
- Assess workers with sick family members to prevent potential exposure
- Inform fellow employees of possible exposure should a co-worker be confirmed with the virus
Separation of team members, staying at home, and social distancing can all take a toll on business productivity. We encourage all organizations to maintain an updated business continuity plan of action, and that the plan should detail remote worker connectivity. Knowing where to re-group, how to access information and data and how to effectively communicate at a distance are all important concepts when considering the future impact of this outbreak or other future crisis.
While some jobs do require physical presence, much work, including team reviews or divisional meetings, can be done remotely. Using tools such as audio and video conferencing, data sharing, desktop sharing and session recordings can greatly replace the need to be physically present. Video conferencing in particular, is a great alternative to traveling everyone to a centralize facility and risking exposure in face to face get togethers.
Many current Compunetix customers are Chinese companies hit hard by this most growing global crisis. They have leveraged all aspects of remote collaboration to move forward with engineering, financial, construction and healthcare related projects, even as they were limited in their physical travel.
Audio conferencing, desktop sharing and video collaboration can all assist a team or an organization to quickly re-assess, re-form and remotely work together to keep your business operating smoothly. Cloud-based storage, mobile device capabilities and the explosion of integrated digital cameras have combined with traditional collaboration services to allow and empower knowledge workers.