In the years before the coronavirus pandemic upended business trends and revealed how effective work-at-home employees can be, it seemed that only the most progressive business leaders understood the value of the cloud. Now, it’s a vital part of business.

At its peak, an estimated two-thirds of white-collar workers worked from home either part of the time or exclusively, according to a Gallup poll in October 2021. Now that many employees are vaccinated and the virus variants have reduced time spent in hospitals, employers have started to request that workers return to the office.

For better or worse, times have clearly changed, and data center management now must meet the needs of workers who understand they bring value to the company no matter where they log their hours. Regardless of whether companies return to an office-only working environment, businesses need to be adaptive in their approach to managed network services. They need cloud services.

What are Cloud Services?

As an integrated part of any professionally managed IT solutions network, cloud computing allows businesses to communicate, track, and oversee data, products, and services from a secured, off-site server. Instead of having to store data under the same roof where the business is located, now everything can be stored in the cloud and accessed from everywhere and anywhere business takes place.

Accessibility to your data is a huge benefit. But there are many more. Cloud services can lower your costs and save you money on hardware and software. It can fix your costs and reduce your capital expenditures. It can limit your maintenance requirements. And it is virtually unlimited in scalability. Cloud services are highly reliable, extremely flexible, and offer more control over resources and privacy. Working with a cloud services provider comes with other benefits as well:

• Creation of cybersecurity policies
• Implementation of controls to keep data safe and secure
• Services that provide data and applications
• New infrastructure plans for networks of all kinds
• Small business IT support
• Disaster recovery in the case of a crisis
• Managed IT solutions

How Can an Employer Prepare for New Work Environments?

Employers have big decisions to make as companies from many different industries encourage workers to return to the office. Employees have gotten used to flexible schedules and virtual offices, calling into question whether it is necessary to go back to a pre-pandemic business model.

Many businesses are keeping a physical space for certain business needs like in-person meetings with partners and clients, but now most of today’s work takes place in a hybrid environment with time being split between office space, remote space, and at-home space. Businesses need more flexibility than ever before. This is all being accommodated with the help of cloud computing.

Working with cloud services allows businesses to:

• Foster collaboration with employees no matter where (or when) they work
• Attract and keep valuable talent, including many employees who expect remote opportunities
• Stop  cybersecurity hacking attempts with superior network security
• Reduce the need for in-house data management systems, which are expensive
• Create a virtual office that allows for scalability and growth

Cloud services make businesses safer from increasingly common cyberattacks while facilitating the transition to post-pandemic ways of working. Cyber security for businesses is easier when documents and data are stored on the cloud, where hackers are unable to access them.

Whether it’s a natural disaster or a cybersecurity attack, businesses can be proactively prepared.

Factors to Consider for Post-Pandemic Work

Professional lives have changed for much of the modern-day workforce, and business owners and managers must adapt. Cloud services are crucial for post-pandemic business models:

Communication Habits

The main complaint of remote workers is the friction that comes with collaboration among team members. Employers can use cloud services to integrate technological solutions that make it easier to share documents and ideas throughout the organization.

Productivity Levels

Some employers remain concerned that employees are not producing the same level of work at home as they do in the office. However, with cloud-based computing, remote workers can juggle the responsibilities of their personal lives with their professional responsibilities.

They can be encouraged to log on at times that work best for them since they can access the needed documents from anywhere, and at any time.

Security for Data and Documents

It doesn’t matter where your employees log in, whether in the office, at home, or at their favorite coffee shop. Business owners must have commercial-grade internet tools that protect the information of the clients and the company. Working with professionals who specialize in cloud security services can eliminate this concern.

Upgrade IT Systems for Post-Pandemic Times

For business owners ready to make the transition to post-pandemic professional environments, Global IP Network can help. Our team of cloud experts makes it easy for businesses to stay on the cloud even as workers return to the office. We provide excellent customization, complete scalability, and personalized support. With the right tools and team, your business can grow and thrive.