The rapid spread of COVID-19 worldwide and growing concerns have escalated quickly due to our interconnected world. This is a challenging and emotional time, and we are grateful for the support of caregivers and healthcare personnel around the globe who are working tirelessly to stem the tide of this brutal virus and support the many people who are in need. At 2nd Watch, we have instituted similar mitigation efforts as many other companies regarding travel, social distancing and deep cleaning of offices. We are fortunate the very nature of our cloud business allows us to maintain business continuity for our clients because we are already largely setup for working remotely and telecommuting. We are sharing a recent customer use case in the event businesses are having issues setting up remote operations. Maybe you haven’t felt the extremes of the effects yet, but many have. Imagine this scenario:
Friday 8:00AM
You receive a call and mandate; your Westcoast office has been shut down suddenly and immediately. All 400 employees are sent home. Many didn’t even have the opportunity to collect their laptops or other items in their workspace. First and foremost, you hope all are healthy and safe. Their wellbeing is paramount.
Now the questions start, “How will I do my job and remain in a safe environment?”
Saturday & Sunday
Over the weekend you deploy desktop-as-a-service (DaaS). It is secure, compliant, and more importantly, ready to go with the tools the workforce needs.
Monday 8:00AM
Your company is ready to serve the needs of your business and customers. You can continue under the new “normal” we are experiencing.
2nd Watch is committed to helping our clients during this unprecedented time. The example above is exactly what we did for one of the largest media companies in the world. Not only was DaaS implemented in record time, it was done meeting the governance and compliant requirements the business follows.
If you need to discuss how to meet your Business Continuity requirements, let us help you in developing a strategy. 2nd Watch is a Premier Amazon Web Services partner and a Microsoft Azure Gold Partner. We have extensive experience with these cloud providers in delivering remote worker solutions while leveraging funding opportunities, reducing the capital constraints.
Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS)
Amazon WorkSpaces and Azure Windows Virtual Desktop solutions are secure ways to enable your workforce to work remotely from home on either personal devices or company owned equipment. They can be centrally managed and rapidly deployed and configured. DaaS is the go-to solution to get your new remote workers up and running.
Application Streaming
When there is a limited number of applications that need to be accessed remotely and securely, Amazon AppStream is a solid solution. Existing applications are deployed quickly with your current authentication platforms. It works well with mobile and browser-based platforms.
Remote Connectivity
VPN-as-a-Service can be used for rapidly scaling remote connectivity back to your corporate IT assets. Using industry standards and best practices, you can get your workers access to what they need without the hassle of procuring and provisioning new hardware.
Operational Management
2nd Watch is an audited Managed Service Provider for both AWS and Azure. We were born in the cloud and have a different perspective on how to manage your infrastructure based on our experience. Not only can we design and build solutions for the unexpected, we know how to keep your infrastructure running, allowing you to focus on your business.
If we can help you prepare the best course of action for your business, please do not hesitate to include us in your planning. We are committed to helping all of our businesses survive and thrive.
In the meantime, following are several tips for working remotely. We hope these are helpful, and that you and yours will be safe and healthy.
- Stick to Your Routine – If you’re used to getting up early, keep doing it, even though you may be working from home. Maintaining a normal schedule will help you do your job to the best of your ability, and it’s the best way to ensure that your colleagues, customers and partners will be able to reach you.
- Maintain Engagements and Connections – If you have meetings or appointments, do your best to keep them, but do so online. There are an abundance of collaboration and conferencing tools available, including Windows Virtual Desktop and Amazon WorkSpaces. They can help you stay connected and productive, wherever you are.
- Be Healthy – If you’re not accustomed to working remotely, it can be tempting to feel added pressure to perform, which can lead to longer work hours and anxiety. Given the current level of anxiety most of us are feeling already, it’s more important than ever to take breaks, go for a walk, eat well and exercise.
Ian Willoughby, Chief Architect, 2nd Watch
