entrust IT Blog

The six secrets to running a successful online meeting

An increase in Coronavirus cases means we are all now living with greater restrictions on our lives, again. The Government has asked that people work from home if possible, which means whether you like it or not, remote work and therefore, virtual meetings are here to stay. Experts predict that we will be living with restrictions well into 2021.

The top 6 benefits of Microsoft 365

In 2011, Microsoft released the popular Office 365 subscription service known as ‘BPOS’. Since then, the service has matured into an excellent, modern business productivity suite, combining the latest business applications, with Windows 10 and the best in-class security features. Most recently, Office 365 was rebranded to Microsoft 365 – that means a new name, but same great value, same price and same Office productivity suite we all have grown to know and love.

The common myths of working from home debunked

Modern technology has slowly led to a rise in people working from home. However, many employers still focus heavily on office-based work, assuming that employees will not be as productive at home. Negative misconceptions like this are what make employers resist the trend, despite protestations from those that would prefer home working, which is growing in popularity; 74% of workers now say they would quit their job if offered more flexible options elsewhere.

How to stay focused when working from home

As the COVID-19 outbreak became more widespread, millions of employees had to shift to working from home. Although some are now returning to the office, there are still a handful of individuals who are remaining at home to work, whether that be because they are at risk, their offices are staying closed or they simply don’t feel comfortable about returning to the office. Furthermore, with localised lockdowns and an increase in cases throughout Europe, there is always a chance that localised lockdowns will come into force at a moment’s notice.

Remote Desktop Service vs VPN: What is best for your business?

Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have seen a huge move towards the use of remote access technologies such as Remote Desktop Services and VPNs. The move came as many organisations were being urged to have their employees work from home in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus – according to research, RDS use is up by 41% and enterprise VPN use is up by 33%.

5 ways to secure remote working

2020 has been a turbulent year. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to the global economy and has changed the way we all live our lives. However, as cases fall throughout the UK, we are seeing a gradual return to the workplace for many. Indeed, Government advice on home working changes from August 1st, and employees will now be actively encouraged to return to their place of work. That being said, the example of Leicester and the recent rise in cases in Spain, serves as a reminder that we will be living with this virus for many months to come, and localised lockdowns can come very suddenly.

Microsoft 365 developments to get excited about

On 21st April 2020, in what they describe as a “natural evolution”, Microsoft completed the rebrand of the hugely popular Office 365 service. In a modest change, the suite drops the word ‘Office’ in favour of ‘Microsoft’ – becoming Microsoft 365.

Zoom vs Microsoft Teams: What is best for your business?

Video conferencing and workplace collaboration platforms have hit new highs in recent months due to new working from home policies, social distancing and government lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it was reported that video conferencing apps saw a record 62M downloads during one week in March. While they are hitting new highs, the debate we are finding business owners and senior management having is no longer between Skype for Business and Cisco but rather Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

5 tips for managing a remote workforce during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond

Lockdown is now in place across the UK in the hope that it will help ‘flatten the curve’ of the coronavirus spread. Because of this, employees who are not key workers should now be working from home if they can. Studies suggest this may not be as problematic as it seems. In fact, according to research, the productivity increase among remote workers can be equivalent to an extra day per person per week!