IT Lessons We’ve Learned During the Pandemic

It’s been quite a year! As we pass the first anniversary of the coronavirus-related lockdowns, we’ve realized that life has changed and that we’ll need to adjust to a “new normal,” (at least for the foreseeable future), as we move forward.

So, what has the past year taught us about IT after 12 months of working remotely? We bet the answer is… a lot!

Here are the five top IT lessons we learned by working remotely during the global pandemic.

Number 1: The Importance of Workplace Connectivity

Whether you’re tech-savvy or a novice, you’ve learned how to use a number of new tools working remotely. Zoom use (and its stock price!) skyrocketed worldwide as employees settled into remote work. This speaks to our dependence on technology at home, and our ability to adapt in order to stay connected.

Number 2: What is a VPN?

Most of us weren’t familiar with a VPN, or virtual private network before COVID-19. But we learned quickly how important a VPN is to personal and company security. VPN is a private, secure connection between your device and your office network that encrypts data as it’s sent.

Number 3: But What About Printing?

If you needed to print, then chances are you learned about connecting to your company’s VPN to make your computer behave like it’s connected to the remote network. This made your locally shared printers as well as network resources accessible.

Number 4: Backing Up Critical Data

We all learned the importance of investing in quality hard drives or cloud storage when you are in control of your own data. If you don’t have access to IT services or tech support, if something goes wrong you have no one else to blame! The cost of redundant back-ups is a cheap insurance policy against losing a client’s data.

Number 5: We Can Do That?

For many of us, we discovered that we’ve been using 50% or less of the tools our company offers for collaboration and communication. During video calls ask your team if they’ve learned anything new, and have them share it with your team.

Out of necessity, we can often learn new skills. Working from home gave us all, management and employees, the chance to learn new ways to work creatively with our co-workers and clients. Remember, we’re all in this together so experiment, stay connected, and share the lessons you’ve learned!

You knew your business technology was important before the pandemic. Now it’s more important than ever. Download our free 2021 Technology Survival Guide and learn about the most common tech challenges businesses are facing today, plus solutions to help your business thrive!