By now, I’m sure you are all aware of the Corona virus that is doing the rounds.

It’s a serious threat to a lot of people’s health, this can be seen with the number of countries where the infection has surfaced, this includes Ireland.

Currently, the amount of confirmed infections here is quite low, but this little bug has shown that it can pop up all over the place extremely rapidly!

With this in mind, we are going to look at this from a business standpoint.

An expanding number of businesses in Ireland have instructed their staff to work from home, quite notable in this was Google.

The logic here is that they can still operate almost seamlessly while their staff are safe at home.

Modern technology has progressed to the point whereby many jobs can be performed remotely, not all of course, but quite a few.

With the advent of VOIP phone systems and remote access to office computers, the ability to work from home has really taken hold.

I suspect there are many employers who aren’t aware of this however, it’s only when extraordinary scenarios like this viral outbreak or extremely bad weather rear their ugly heads that the need for this ability becomes apparent.

We have some customers who use what’s called a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to connect into their office computer while out and about or at home.

This allows them to essentially work on their office computer as if they were sitting in front of it, which is a major boon to staff. It also provides peace of mind to management during these times of uncertainty regarding staff availability in the office.

GDPR Considerations

It should be noted, to get the most secure connection with a VPN, you will need to have a physical firewall installed and configured correctly.

Since the implementation of GDPR, having a firewall has become mandatory for businesses.

We recommend the Dell SonicWALL series of firewalls, however, a VPN and be configured almost any brand of firewall.

Considering how hefty the EU fines are in relation to GDPR infractions, which can result in a fine of up to €20,000,000 or up to 4% of the annual worldwide turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is greater.

Looking at those numbers, I’d say it’s well worth picking up a firewall, assuming you don’t already have one.

Why a VPN is important during COVID-19 outbreak

This may seem obvious, but if you are unfortunate enough to encounter a scenario where one of your staff contracts the disease, then, of course, you don’t want them to visit the office and infect others.

This is where the abilities of the VPN shine, it will allow staff to connect to their office computer remotely and use it as if they were sitting in front of the machine.

It will also allow users to access the work data which is stored on their office server. They can access their shared drives and applications directly from their laptop remotely.

VOIP Telephony

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) has become much more commonplace in recent years.

It will allow staff to facilitate phone calls over the internet, either to a desk phone or to their mobile.

This can be configured in such a way as to allow staff to essentially use their office phone anywhere.

With the outbreak of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) the ability to work from home is almost a must.

Through a combination of a VOIP telephone system and the use of a VPN to allow remote access to your office-based computers then you and your staff should be able to circumnavigate these Corona virus woes.

Cloud based users

One notable exception to this situation is users who primarily access cloud based systems.

So, for users who have their files stored on the cloud on systems such as OneDrive or Dropbox, they will experience far less disruption.

The VPN solution is primarily for users whose files are stored on a server in their office.

Corona Virus outbreak scenario

Here, we will present a scenario of how your business can face the challenge of a COVID-19 Corona Virus outbreak.

In this scenario, let's assume that one of your colleagues has been unfortunate enough to become infected with the virus, forcing you to work from home.

If you have a VPN configured, you can connect into your work network from home and work remotely.

Also, if you have VOIP in your workplace you should be able to make and receive calls as if you were sitting in your office.

This could be done on your mobile phone or alternatively via a software phone installed on your laptop.

So in a scenario such as this, you will be able to work from home, access your files & data and handle phone calls.

This is an extremely useful ability, especially with the Corona Virus outbreak and all the uncertainty that goes along with it.

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup and advise if your business is prepared to handle this Corona Virus outbreak.

So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.