Don’t Fear the Great Resignation. Here’s Why.

GreatResignationArticle

READ TIME: 4 MIN

GreatResignationArticle

Don’t Fear the Great Resignation. Here’s Why.

Last year revolutionized workforce standards. By April 2020, 70% of workers were off-site either fully or part-time. A year later, COVID-19 vaccinations are sparking conversations around a return to the office environment. But many people refuse to sacrifice the flexibility of their remote work lifestyle. A record 4 million people quit their jobs this April, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Likewise, a record 9.3 million jobs opened in April. While the Great Resignation may be a liberating movement for individual workers seeking more compatible accommodations, business leaders might start biting their nails in panic.  We’re here to tell you that companies need not fear the change but embrace it. Let’s review the insights and trending needs of remote workforces, and then we’ll discuss a technology solution to keep your employees motivated and secure with the work lifestyle they’ve grown to love.

Insights from Remote Workforce Research

Work from home is no longer just an added perk, but a standard expectation of employees and new hires.

A Harvard Business School survey revealed that 81% of respondents would prefer to work from home permanently or have a hybrid schedule. And it is not just employees who enjoy the flexibility. Another survey found that 80% of executives intend to offer a hybrid workweek after the pandemic, which is a good thing because 1 in 3 people would look for a new job if they were required to be back in the office full-time.

Remote work capability not only improves employee loyalty but also morale and motivation.

Consulting firm Gallup discovered that employees who spend the majority—but not all—of their time working remotely have the highest level of engagement and satisfaction. Popular reasons people prefer remote work include: 91% better work-life balance, 79% increased productivity and focus, 78% less stress, and 78% avoiding a commute. Gallup recommends a 60/40 hybrid schedule with 3-4 days at home during a 5-day work week.

Working from home saves both companies and employees time and money.

From decreased real estate costs to increased productivity, certain companies can save an average of $11,000 per year for every employee who works remotely part-time, according to a survey by Global Workplace Analytics. Additionally, some employees can save up to $3,000 and gain 14 days a year in money and time they would have devoted to their daily commute.

Trending Needs of Remote Workforces

The results are in: Working from home—at least part-time—is here to stay, which means companies will need to invest in supporting technologies. Let’s discuss the business needs of your remote workforce.

Anywhere operations—crucial for remote employees—goes beyond working from home.

Gartner identified anywhere operations as one of the top strategic technology trends for 2021. The research and advisory company predicts that by the end of 2023, 40% of organizations will have implemented anywhere operations, whose remote access will support employees and enhance the customer experience while managing business services across infrastructures.

Employees must be able to remotely and securely access data and applications from any device.

The rapid shift to a remote workforce has caused the demise of the legacy VPN, which cannot handle the massive volume and must be replaced with a more secure method for employees to access critical company information. The transition also highlighted how many employees cannot bring their desktops and monitors home, and consequently, 56% of remote workers are using their personal computers. If a device fails, they summon another personal device, such as a tablet or phone, to perform their work while they wait for a replacement to arrive on their doorstep. Remote technologies must account for such fluidity between devices, supporting and securing all endpoints for uninterrupted productivity.

Remote employees may have unsecured networks, increasing the chances of cyberattack.

85% of Cisco survey respondents believe cybersecurity is more important now than before the pandemic. In an IDG survey, 33% of firms plan to spend more time on security management activities this year. Businesses must utilize technology solutions that shore up vulnerabilities of remote workers and stop security threats from exposing the sensitive information of both employees and customers.

Technology Solution for Your Remote Workforce

What technology solution answers the remote access, device supportability, and security needs of employees working from home? Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI.

Cloud-based VDI is a Desktop as a Service (DaaS) solution that allows users to access a virtual desktop from any device and any location. The virtual desktop is in turn hosted on the company’s central cloud infrastructure, which offers several benefits to employees working from home:

Remote Access

  • Employees can access critical information from anywhere at any time.
  • IT departments can troubleshoot remotely, reducing time, costs, and health and safety concerns.
  • After connecting to the virtual desktop, the applications will run off the virtual server’s bandwidth, not a user’s potentially unreliable home network.

Device Supportability

  • Any device can be used to access the virtual desktop, supporting on-the-go workers.
  • Companies can cut hardware costs via Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policies or supplying simple thin clients.
  • Failed or damaged devices can be replaced instantly, ensuring business continuity.

Security

  • The cloud-based service is built with security and compliance in mind, and extra security steps such as single sign-on (SSO) and data encryption can also be implemented.
  • Security updates can be rolled out to all virtual desktops simultaneously, saving time and eliminating risk of a delayed or incomplete update.
  • No data is saved on a device, but rather in the cloud, so no security breaches will come of a lost or stolen device.

VDI effectively supports the needs of a remote workforce, increasing security as well as productivity. The cloud-based solution also improves budgeting through hardware savings and a reduction in IT hours. VDI is so competitive that its market is set to grow to $30 billion by 2026.

Optimize technology solutions for your remote workforce before the Great Resignation sweeps through your staff. NexusTek’s cloud engineers are at the ready to assess your business needs and recommend the best cloud solution optimized for your organization. As an SSAE 18 SOC II certified company, NexusTek partners with high-security Tier 4 and Tier 5 data centers to safely store your data and sensitive information. As an award-winning managed service provider, NexusTek supports thousands of businesses across the U.S. You could be next.

Enhance and secure your remote workforce with VDI.

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3 Ways Energy & Utility Companies Can Increase IT Security Now

3 Ways Energy and Utility Companies Can Increase IT Security Now

READ TIME: 4 MIN

3 Ways Energy and Utility Companies Can Increase IT Security Now

3 Ways Energy & Utility Companies Can Increase IT Security Now

You’ve seen the panic in the news; you’ve experienced the fuel shortages at the gas station; you’ve lit your darkened home with flashlights and candles when the power fails…sometimes for days. The health and security of your energy company’s IT systems and network infrastructure do not just impact your bottom line, but the lives of millions—or billions—of people.

After the recent ransomware attack against the largest U.S. fuel pipeline—now considered the biggest known cyberattack on U.S. energy infrastructure—President Biden issued an executive order to improve the nation’s cybersecurity. Oil & gas companies, utilities, and alternative energy producers and suppliers must take their IT seriously as a matter of national security.

Here are ways businesses in the energy sector can improve their IT for healthier, more secure IT infrastructure.

1. Increase uptime to increase security

The energy sector’s infrastructure is aging. Outdated or overworked equipment are more likely to fail more often, leading to egregious system downtime. The 56% of utility respondents in a Siemens and Ponemon Institute survey had at least one system shutdown or operational data loss per year. For a resource that people and businesses utilize daily, even one system shutdown is too many. According to McKinsey & Company, hardware and software failures account for 45% and 39%, respectively, of widespread, unplanned downtime incidents in the energy industry. As utilities expand power grids and oil & gas companies lay more pipelines, the need for reliable technology intensifies, not only for operational efficiency but security. In IBM’s 2020 study of the energy market, system glitches caused 23% of data breaches. The U.S. energy sector will spend $14 billion a year through 2023 to modernize and build a smarter infrastructure. Improving power production and delivery reliability—and decreasing system downtime—drives 44% of power companies to digital transformation, ultimately leading to more robust security from cyberattacks.

Learn more about our customizable managed IT plans.

2. Increase monitoring to increase security

Utilities cannot rely on infrastructure integrity alone. Consistent monitoring and proactive maintenance are required to ensure the health and security of IT systems. In 2020, malicious attacks caused 55% of data breaches in the energy sector, reports IBM, and human error caused 22%. With a 13% increase in security breaches last year over 2019, utilities and oil & gas companies need to be on the defense more than ever. Unfortunately, only 55% of utilities respondents in Utility Dive’s 2020 survey are using systematic and prompt patching for existing systems. This statistic is concerning and could indicate a lack of automation for managing large quantities of assets. Maintaining top network performance in an energy business is critical to prevent security breaches, outages, and the continual availability of heat, electricity, and fuel to protect people’s lives and livelihoods.

3. Increase cost savings to increase security

According to the Department of Energy, power outages cost the U.S. $150 billion annually. Not only that, but one hour of downtime costs electric utilities $300,000. The average power outage in the U.S. lasts 5.8 hours. Multiply that by the cost of one hour and it totals $1.7 million in downtime costs. Utilities and oil & gas companies can modernize their infrastructure to decrease unplanned downtime. In doing so, digitization can also reduce operating expenses by up to 25% and a 20-40% increase in safety, reliability, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance. Digitized utilities cut maintenance costs by $50 million in 18 months, according to McKinsey & Company. And don’t forget that modernization and proactive maintenance decrease data breaches, which on average cost an energy business $6.39 million. Plus, any cost savings can be put back into your business to further improve infrastructure and security, keeping pace with compliance standards and presidential executive orders. Utilities and oil & gas companies are growing so quickly that they must outsource their operations. It is likely an energy business does not have the time or skills to also handle modernization and maintenance of IT systems and hiring enough experts can be costly. Outsourcing IT to a managed service provider (MSP), who has the resources and expertise to manage and maintain an energy company’s IT systems for a predictable monthly fee, is an effective strategy. Here are a few ways managed IT can benefit the energy sector:
  • Fulfill all IT needs or augment an existing IT department to quickly complete tickets and projects, preventing IT burnout.
  • Deliver routine and proactive monitoring of networks and devices to eliminate IT malfunctions, reduce system downtime, and decrease data breaches.
  • Provide 24/7/365 IT help desk support.
  • Offer data backup and recovery in the event of a security breach.
  • Advise on strategic IT planning and budget with a virtual CIO (vCIO).
  • Switch your energy business’ IT budget from a CAPEX model to OPEX with a fixed fee.

Everything managed IT does circles back to the security and integrity of your IT systems, protecting your business, your customers, and your country.

At NexusTek, we take the health of your energy company’s infrastructure seriously. As an award-winning MSP with hundreds of IT consultants and best-in-class technology partners, NexusTek has the expertise and resources to ensure utilities and oil & gas companies maintain optimal technology performance. Our multiple network operations centers (NOCs) monitor and maintain your IT systems, installing the latest software updates and patches and offering 24/7/365 IT support for a fixed monthly fee. Our managed IT, cybersecurity, and IT consulting packages can be tailored to fit the needs of your energy company so that your experience is truly “electrifying”, all for a fixed monthly fee. The bad puns come free.

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NexusTek Honored on CRN’s 2021 Solution Provider 500 List

NexusTek Honored on CRN 2021 Solution Provider 500 List
NexusTek Honored on CRN 2021 Solution Provider 500 List

NexusTek Honored on CRN’s 2021 Solution Provider 500 List

Managed IT services provider ranked among leading solution providers across North America for third year in row

Denver, CO (June 1, 2020) – NexusTek, a national provider of managed IT services and full IT outsourcing solutions to businesses across the U.S., today announced its placement in the 2021 Solution Provider 500 list by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company.

This annual list recognizes and ranks the top IT channel partner organizations that earned the highest revenue in North America over the past year. The SP 500 list is widely acknowledged as the industry standard for identifying the highest-performing technology integrators, strategic service providers, and IT consultants. This year’s impressive list represents a remarkable combined revenue of over $403 billion, underscoring the immense impact and influence these partners have on the IT industry today.

“It is an honor for NexusTek to be featured on CRN’s 2021 Solution Provider 500 list,” said Michael Hamuka, Chief Revenue Officer, NexusTek. “2020 was a challenging year for businesses across the globe. Our certified IT consultants worked diligently with our clients to assess their needs, identify the optimal IT solutions for their business goals, and quickly implement said solutions to maintain and improve peak technology performance, even during a pandemic. Our diligent focus on delivering the best products with excellent customer service has led to our success. We continue to lead innovation discussions with our customers to ensure they are always prepared for whatever life throws their way.”

“CRN’s Solution Provider 500 list serves as the industry standard for top-performing technology integrators, strategic service providers, and IT consultants, which makes it a valuable resource for technology vendors looking to partner with today’s best-of-breed IT solution providers,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “On behalf of The Channel Company, I’d like to congratulate these companies for their incredible contributions to the growth and success of the IT channel.”

With 25 years of experience, NexusTek provides holistic solutions that combine best-in-class technology and an experienced workforce of highly-skilled engineers and IT professionals to design, deliver, on-board, and maintain IT operations for thousands of businesses across the U.S. and Canada.

The 2021 Solution Provider 500 list will be featured in the June 2021 issue of CRN Magazine as well as online at www.CRN.com/SP500.

About NexusTek

Trusted by thousands of businesses, NexusTek is a national managed IT services provider with a comprehensive portfolio comprised of end-user services, cloud, infrastructure, cyber security, and IT consulting. We design holistic technology solutions for business customers that deliver a superior end-user experience, backed by a 24/7/365 domestically staffed support team. NexusTek Managed Service Plans offer end-to-end IT management with fixed-monthly, per-user pricing through which businesses can leverage helpdesk, backup, disaster recovery, dedicated engineers, security, 24×7 remote support and network monitoring services while creating predictable IT budgets.

Included in its all-encompassing products and services portfolio are: IT support and outsourced help desk backed by multiple domestic NOCs (Network Operation Centers) for redundancy; hosted infrastructure, cloud services, and Microsoft Azure; professional IT consulting and virtual CIO (vCIO) services; disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS); cyber security services; server and network monitoring; unified communications and voice-over-IP (VoIP); Office 365; enterprise content management (ECM); and many more IT solutions. An SSAE 18 SOC II certified company which, as of 2018, has also qualified for the GDPR rider, NexusTek adheres to rigorous, industry-accepted auditing standards for service companies. This achievement reflects the transparency and control that comes from managed private cloud service environments.

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