These days, more people have begun working from their home offices instead of coming in to work at their company headquarters. Such arrangements became more common during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
WFH setups continue to be popular, especially for individuals who require flexibility in balancing work responsibilities with their duties at home.
And new entrepreneurs are coming along every day who have started up businesses out of a home office. Whether you are working for yourself or someone else’s business from home, here are five tips to help you set up your work-from-home office.
1. Prepare a Seldom-Used Room for a Full-Time Working From Home Situation
If previously, you rarely used your home office, except for quick tasks such as paying bills each month, it’s prudent to set it up now for full-time occupancy.
This includes getting an ergonomic office chair that you can sit in for 8 hours or more per day, and positioning it so you can comfortably see the computer screen without craning your neck or straining your eyes because of glare from a window. Bring in a couch or a chair or two for visiting guests and clients.
2. Take Advantage of Cloud Solutions
You can work more nimbly out of your home office when you have access to cloud computing services. This can include migrating some or all of your data to the cloud so you can easily access it from home or when you need to go out in the field. What’s more, cloud computing makes it more convenient to collaborate with other professionals, as well as sharing updates about a project with remote clients.
Finally, you can take advantage of a form of cloud computing known as “software as a service.” SaaS allows you to run applications within the browser instead of having to maintain your own backend server to run the latest version of the software you rely on to run your business.
Doing so also frees you from having to apply updates and security patches by yourself, since the cloud services provider will handle such chores in a timely manner.
3. Safeguard Sensitive Data
In a home office, following industry best practices for cybersecurity is of paramount importance. You can manage this with the help of third-party experts.
Partnering with information technology professionals is especially crucial in such sectors as finance and accounting.
For example, if you are running a home office-based accounting business, you have to maintain high levels of security to protect your clients’ sensitive data, as noted by a report from JD Supra.
It will be your responsibility to safeguard sensitive information, including personal details that criminals could exploit for identity theft and fraud, and intellectual property of companies that you work with.
4. Set Up a VoIP Phone
Assuming you at least occasionally make phone calls, set up a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone service. This will both save you money on long-distance and international calls, as well as let you maintain separate personal and work phone numbers even on the same device.
VoIP sound quality is better than what you’d hear on a landline and is also often cheaper than a traditional landline. If you really want to still keep a landline phone, you can connect an IP phone to a land line.
5. Establish or Update Your Website
To get the word out about your home-based business, you’ll want to either create an informative and promotional website, or update your site to make sure that it will help you extend your brand in the marketplace.
WFH entrepreneurs seldom have much time to take care of this on their own. This is why it’s so useful to hire a third party to handle website services, from site design to maintenance to SEO. As your business grows in size and scope, you need to make sure that your website will be up to the increased demand.
Ready to Get Started With Outsourced IT Services for Your Work-From-Home Business?
There are a lot of moving parts to keep track of when you are establishing a full-time office in a work from home situation. You have to stay on top of the latest developments in cybersecurity, while also seeing to the physical security of your home to protect intellectual property as well as physical assets.
And when working for yourself, chances are good that you are already too busy to devote much time to developing and maintaining your website.
These are all areas where the professionals at Fastech Solutions can help. We offer more than just IT services. To learn more, contact us today.
Take Care of Your Business and Home Office With Fastech Solutions
Your business is growing–and it’s time to step up your IT services to meet your ever-evolving needs. At Fastech Solutions, we know what it takes for businesses to thrive in today’s increasingly competitive market, and we’re here to help you get the most out of every dollar you spend on IT solutions.
we will ensure that your communications and networks are in top shape. We can help protect you from security risks and maximize work time for your business. With our Managed Services (MSP), we can provide full IT solutions, from strategy to execution, that take all of the IT burdens out of your daily operations. We can handle it all.
Web Design and Website Services
We can help you build your website from scratch, or we can optimize an existing website. Everything will function effectively, and we can even improve how well your website ranks on search engines.
We have help desk solutions that give you access to certified technicians when you need them. You can plan your tech support around your own schedule and needs, and we’ll be happy to help each and every time.
We believe in the power of small businesses and how they help shape a community. As a part of this community, we want to help you thrive by removing IT burdens from your plate.