Since the pandemic, work-from-home opportunities exploded more out of necessity than convenience. What began as “will this work-from-home thing really work?” has turned into a permanent situation for many employees, which means network support for remote work has to be a focus for many employers.

A recent survey of more than 300 IT professionals reveals enterprise networks must evolve. The survey, published in Enterprise Management Associates, found that the percentage of work-from-home individuals jumped from 14% prior to the pandemic to 64% recently. And among those, more than 50% said they would make the work-from-home scenario permanent.

Essential Technologies

Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) has been a go-to technology for managing the complexities associated with network support for remote work. Another technology getting attention today is secure access service edge (SASE). Both of these are considered essential technologies.

SD-WAN is a front runner because of its secure site-to-site connectivity, which adds a layer of protection that organizations are wise to adopt given the number of risks posed by cyber criminals. In the survey, nearly 85% of the respondents said they were using SD-WAN to support their newfound work-from-home situation.

SASE’s position in network support for remote work is still developing, but it is showing promise as a cloud-based integration feature that will work well in conjunction with SD-WAN. In fact, the vast majority of IT professionals asked said SASE is entirely capable of supporting business continuity as more and more workers manage their daily tasks remotely.

Prioritizing Operations

While most IT personnel were aware of and using Zoom prior to the pandemic, the typical office worker was not. In an effort to keep employees connected, Zoom calls are now the norm. This creates a monitoring issue for most IT teams because, while most organizations had various monitoring safeguards in place, a renewed interest in application health, security, and performance must be established in light of the number of people using applications they didn’t use before the pandemic.

From finding the right safeguards to adopting technologies that will enhance your remote workers, most organizations need some third party assistance in adopting solutions that will work for their unique needs. At Access Tech, we’re assisting IT teams with a variety of technologies that will boost productivity and improve security. We have found that many companies haven’t done enough to protect their networks and their data. That’s where we can help. Contact us and learn more about what we can do to assist your organization in managing the new normal.