“And in the age of digital […], not adapting to new tech and communications can be the kiss of death. A smart audience development strategy is about forecasting tomorrow’s market and adapting to it – and that is simply good business strategy”.
Brigette Tasha Hyacinth,
Leading the Workforce of the Future
Remote Communications
Within military circles remote electronic communications have been standard since Morse code was introduced in the late 1800s. In the current information age, a flyaway pack consisting of a laptop, secure router and a communications bearer is a pretty standard piece of equipment for modern military communications globally. In general, the commercial world has not adopted the same level of secure remote communications as a standard. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing company employees to work from home who would normally be sat on a corporate network, this now becomes priority. A secure company supplied communications package for remote working is a critical component of your business continuity plans.

Secure Remote Worker (SRW)
With employees working from home or physically away from the company extending a secure IT network with the provision of an SRW communications pack is key. This should as a minimum consist of a company supplied laptop with a router to prevent employees using their personal home computers and thus potentially introducing malware and viruses onto the company network. Providing secure access into the company network remotely thereby enabling business continuity both internally and externally without impact to daily business and company reputation.
Video conferencing software and internet access can now be controlled by the IT department, reducing any virus or spyware programs being unwittingly placed onto the company intranet network. A secure encrypted communications link provided over a household broadband or other external Wi-Fi network allows the employee to continue their work as if they were sat in the company offices, essentially providing a virtual office vision to the customer.
Providing your employees with a SRW communications pack also provides external partners and customers with a level of confidence alike that any security or GDPR breaches are controlled.

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
Whether planning for a pandemic, environmental incident, natural disasters or any other event that would force your daily business to work remotely, communications are key to maintain your normal operational business. Without access to the company secure IT network, the impact to daily routine and customer engagement will be significant. Having the resources built into your BCP or even opting for a more flexible workforce post COVID-19 will greatly enhance your company’s day to day business with the ability to adapt and overcome any future catastrophic events.
If you would like an informal discussion on the above or any aspect of our Secure Remote Worker (SRW) communications package please contact Apella Solutions.
About the author
Gavin Smillie served with the Royal Signals, British Army for 24 years travelling the globe and providing communication links over long distances for both radio and IT networks from cosy operations rooms to dusty and self-contained remote operation rooms, from single link operations to large scale operation rooms during peace and conflict. He has now worked within the commercial communications arena for the last 10 years providing services and products for various Government, Military, Police and commercial markets.
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