Flexible and remote working in the UK is a growing concept that is having a huge impact on the economy. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) revealed that a ‘work from anywhere’ culture could add an extra £11.5bn per year to the UK.
More than two-thirds of those currently unemployed or unable to work in an office would be happy to start working if given the opportunity to work flexibly. As a result, this could boost the economy by up to £78.5bn or 4.7% of the total UK GDP.
Since 2014, every employee in the UK has the legal right to request flexible working, provided they have worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks. According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (DBEIS), ‘family-friendly policies and economic growth can go hand-in-hand. Flexible working really can help employers boost productivity and profits.’
There’s huge potential for the economy and for businesses that implement a flexible working approach. But how do you make flexible working work for your organisation?
The difference between flexible and remote working
Escaping the 9-to-5, a culture of closed doors, hours of meetings and stifling office hierarchies, is a dream many people crave. An estimated 14.1million workers want more flexibility in their work, according to The Guardian. But what do we mean when we say ‘flexible working’?
What is flexible working and what are the benefits?
Flexible working simply means any schedule that is outside of a traditional working pattern. It’s an approach to working that suits both the businesses needs as well as the employee. Think of it as an umbrella term for all the different types of work options now available to us, such as:
- Compressed hours, where you fit a week’s worth of hours into fewer, longer days.
- Flexitime, where you work a set amount of ‘core hours’ and are flexible with the hours you work before and after these set hours.
- Annualised hours, where your number of hours for the year are set but when you choose to work is up to you.
Is flexible working the same as remote working?
Put simply, no. Remote working is often an enabler of flexible working. It removes the commute to an office, which tends to eat up a big portion of any worker’s day. For some, remote working can be a couple of days a week, but for others it can be full time. In fact, some remote workers don’t even ‘meet’ their employers. Instead, they connect digitally from anywhere around the world.
Flexible working can include everything from remote working to flexible hours and alternating work schedules. Ultimately, it’s about moving away from the outdated 9-5 routine to give your employees more freedom to work when and where they are at their best.
Making flexible working work for your organisation
While there are practicalities to address when adopting flexible working, the key challenge is culture. For your employees, this level of freedom brings with it great responsibility. You need to trust that they won’t abuse the privilege or get lax on security. Just because they can work from home every now and then doesn’t mean they don’t need to follow company procedures.
To ensure that your employees embrace flexible working in a business-like manner, involve them in the decision-making process. Get their feedback and suggestions because they’re the ones on the front line – no one else will understand the day-to-day running quite like they do.
At Cloud Direct we run stakeholder workshops across your organisation to ensure that all employees are on board with the new way of working and that everyone’s needs, and concerns are addressed. Doing this at the beginning of the process generally avoids most of the usual teething problems further down the line.
Tools and storage to enable flexibility
Different business solutions have different strengths and weaknesses, and some will be more appropriate for certain business circumstances than others. You need to investigate the capabilities of any solution in detail to make sure it best matches the needs of your organisation.
Utilising Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
Working remotely means that employees need access to the same systems, tools and applications used on a day-to-day basis in your business. Fortunately, staying connected while working remotely is not only possible, it’s easy to do and gives employees a much-needed work-life balance.
This is where VDI can really support your flexible working needs. The Citrix VDI programme combines Citrix and Microsoft Azure to bring cloud users access to their desktops remotely from anywhere, on any device. This means employees will have access to the same software subscriptions and applications that they’re used to and it will look exactly the same as their normal desktop.
What tools do you need to maximise flexible collaboration?
It really comes down to listening to employees’ needs and ensuring that all tools are simple to use and easy to manage. There are a huge range of tools available but some of the key resources are:
- Office 365 – Your ‘office in the cloud’, providing a suite of professional tools enabling your team to get the work done, anywhere, anytime. Having access to the same tools as an in-house team means seamless work flow between employees and no down-time for new tool adoption and training.
- Microsoft 365 – Wherever your employees are based, they can stay connected with the rest of the organisation and with your external contacts. It also means that whenever they’re working, they can stay updated with all the business movements so you don’t have to spend additional time and resources keeping them in the loop.
- Dynamics 365 – Give your entire organisation a clearer view of how customers are interacting with your business so you can react with powerful analytics tools. All of this is accessible from any device, anywhere, so your remote employees don’t miss a thing.
- Hosted Telephony – Moving your communication system to the cloud means a professional and well-connected team. It also means you don’t compromise on the quality of your calls internally or externally. After all, keeping your employees connected is the lynch pin of making remote and flexible working work.
Cloud, hybrid or on premise?
It’s not a new conversation, but it is a hotly discussed one: the cloud and how you can utilise the many opportunities it provides a flexible business. 88% of organisations in the UK have already begun moving at least part of their infrastructure to the cloud. It’s quite common to use email, apps and some data storage in the cloud, but more sensitive data might still be kept on premise.
Price, flexibility and ease of management are still the three main considerations when comparing cloud-based solutions. There are several considerations when choosing how much of your business you will be moving to the cloud so don’t hesitate to discuss your business needs with one of Cloud Direct’s technical support staff.
Doing BYOD right
You’ve probably already got a Bring Your Own Device policy, so we won’t bore you explaining why it’s ideal. (Just in case you haven’t, see our eleven best practice tips for creating a BYOD policy). But are you doing BYOD right? Are you sure you haven’t just implemented a policy and then let your employees run wild?
When it comes to BYOD, you need to be rigorous. You need technology in place to ensure your business stays compliant. You need Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS). With Microsoft’s EMS, you can:
- Control identity and access so only approved users can access data.
- Manage all mobile devices from one central hub.
- Protect your sensitive data from vulnerabilities.
- Virtualise your desktops to deliver the same experience across mobile devices.
- Remote wipe devices in case of loss or theft.
With the right technology and process in place, you can ensure that your company data stays within the company network. That means your employees really can work from anywhere on any device and you can rest easy knowing your data is safe.
What’s next for your business?
The decision to implement a flexible working approach in your organisation isn’t a fast or easy one to make. There’s a lot to consider with regards to culture, systems, processes and tools. Taking the time to discuss this internally can help you reach the right conclusion.
But remember that you don’t need to make this decision alone. As with any big project, it’s about change management, and we can help you get it right. By working with our consultants, we’ll ensure your people, processes and technology are aligned for success.
For support and guidance on this transition, book a call with one of our experts to discuss your company’s needs and what it would take for you to adopt a flexible working approach.
Introducing a new technology to the IT mix isn’t easy. To ensure a smooth Office 365 rollout or it’s souped-up cousin Microsoft 365 you need to engage your employees long before the launch date.
People don’t like change. You need your users to embrace new technology, otherwise they will resist it. We’re hardwired to hate uncertainty.
“Most people choose to be unhappy rather than uncertain” – Tim Ferris, Author of the 4 hour work week
So, here are our four strategies to dispel uncertainty, maximise usage and ensure a smooth Office 365 rollout.
1. Turn your launch into an event
Time to team up with marketing. Create a noise and a buzz around Office 365 adoption by turning the launch into an event.
Invite leaders of the company to share how taking your workplace to the cloud will improve the lives of everyone working in different departments. For example, you could invite HR to present how they can implement that flexible or remote working policy they have been speaking about for ages. Or operations could comment on how improved collaboration will empower Firstline Workers.
Giving case studies about accounts of workplace modernisation improving the lives of employees within other businesses will also help to eliminate the uncertainty.
2. Eat, sleep, Office 365, repeat
Get your employees familiar, even before adoption. Keep them updated about the launch progress and the exciting benefits. You could put up posters around the office. Or create a discussion board on your intranet. Let your employees contribute and suggest how the new technology will have an impact on them.
An open culture will allow you to banish any qualms and means that employees are involved in the launch process. Reassurance is essential.
3. Winner, winner, chicken dinner
There’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition to drive Office 365 adoption levels. As part of the launch, promote high adoption levels with desirable incentives. Finance might not be keen on forking out, but just present them with the facts. A successful Office 365 adoption can give you an ROI of 162% within three years.
You could implement a wall-of-fame for those who utilise the most Office 365 applications. Everyone who appears on the wall-of-fame gets a prize. Simple, but motivational, inclusive and effective.
4. Training is key
Our ethos is teach, don’t sell. We’ve teamed up with the Mandarine Academy to offer 12 months FREE training to any business that rolls out Office 365 (or Microsoft 365) with us when they also take out our support.
The training is specifically designed to ensure that your users fully adopt Office 365 ensuring:
- Every area of the business is covered, with suggested courses filtered by job role.
- Training is intuitive and allows your employees to go at their own pace.
- Gamification creates a competitive buzz around the training initiative and makes learning fun.
Users can very quickly get up to speed with the capabilities of Office 365. What’s more, your training will never be outdated. Updates are in sync with Office 365, so the content is evergreen.
The importance of Office 365 adoption
Full Office 365 adoption can give you an ROI of 162% within three years. With many organisations having several enterprise solutions in place, there can often be a split between what’s possible and what actually happens. Which is why Office 365 adoption has never been more important. Having an Office 365 rollout provides you with the tools to achieve fearless growth, but Office 365 adoption is when you really start to achieve that growth. Once employees have fully adopted Office 365, you will see an increase in productivity and ROI.
You’ve done it. Finally, your company has jumped onto the Office 365 bandwagon. Now, you’re faced with another hurdle. How do you prove to your CFO that Office 365 was worth the investment?
The answer lies in adoption
Forrester outlined that a successful full adoption of Office 365 can give you an ROI of 162% within three years. And the ROI of full adoption goes far beyond the financials.
Think about all the ways for employees to increase their productivity. If you want a figure on that, we’ll give you one. Office 365 can save 30 minutes of lost productivity per user per day.
Not to mention the doors that can open in other areas of your business. That flexible and remote working policy HR need to attract the A-class talent pool? Achievable, now cloud has freed your business.
But, unfortunately one of the top reasons why full adoption seems unattainable is because people don’t like change. We usually say to these people: you will like irrelevance even less. But there are better ways to motivate employees’ to fully adopt Office 365.
Meet your employees needs and send your adoption rates sky high
Training is key to the rollout process. So, if yours felt like it was anything but smooth, we have something for you.
We’ve teamed up with the Mandarine Academy to offer 12 months FREE training to any businesses that move their Office 365 subscription over to Cloud Direct (or upgrade to Microsoft 365) when they also take out our support.
The training is specifically designed to ensure that your users fully adopt Office 365:
- Every area of the business is covered, with suggested courses filtered by job role.
- Training is intuitive and allows your employees to go at their own pace.
- Gamification creates a competitive buzz around the training initiative and makes learning fun.
Your users can very quickly get up to speed with the capabilities of Office 365. What’s more, your training will never be outdated. Updates are in sync with Office 365, so the content is evergreen.
We’re about teaching, not selling
Here at Cloud Direct, we’re about teaching not selling. We want you to stand on your own two feet.
That’s why our Office 365 training is there for employees to educate themselves, at their own pace. Oh, and our 24/7 support is world class.
Think your current Office 365 provider is still up to scratch? We thought not. Get in touch today to book a consultation call.
“Azure gives us much more flexibility all round, with access in a secure cloud environment.” – Stewart Martin, partner, Edmund Carr
Join the world’s leading public cloud provider. You’ll be in good company – over 90% of Fortune 500 companies are already using the Microsoft Cloud environment.
Data centre modernisation will transform the way you work. But choosing the right cloud provider and delivery partner is equally as important as making the decision to transform in the first place. So why is Microsoft so far ahead of its competitors when it comes to public cloud?
In short its trust. Yes Microsoft has raised its game in the services available but it ultimately comes down to a proven track record of helping businesses truly transform.
Here are just a few of the reasons businesses are using Azure for their data centre modernisation.
Improve ROI
Microsoft commissioned Forrester Consulting to analyse the economic impact of Azure on its customers. They developed a representative business model which reported a 466% ROI, achieved through a combination of:
- Drastically reduced data centre costs – through consolidation and footprint reduction.
- Reduced IT outsourcing costs – efficiency driven services drive down costs
- Process re-engineering – save time better spent on strategic planning
- Increased sales and profits – achieve new and larger customer sales
“Without Azure, we would need to build out dozens of data centres to provide the same service and meet client requirements that we can with Azure.” – VP of product development, US services and hosting firm
Achieve truly agile infrastructure
Increase your data centres agility with on demand, near limitless cloud scalability with Azure. Reach new markets using Microsoft’s global hyper-scale infrastructure of more than 100 data centres across 36 regions worldwide. Twice those of AWS and 6 times Google’s data centre regions.
“Azure makes it a lot easier for us to deliver on our vision without getting stuck on the individual IT components. We can focus on our end solution and delivering real value to customers rather than on managing the infrastructure.” – Richard Beesley, Rolls-Royce
Future proof your business
In the future business landscape every company will be a software company. Industry disruptors such as Airbnb, Uber and Netflix have already proved that businesses need to rapidly innovate and remain flexible to compete in the future marketplace. Modernising your data centre with Azure allows you to achieve new levels of agility. Be proactive in the face of disruptive competitors.
“[With Azure] It’s all about making sure we’re ready for the future.” – Stephen Court, IT supervisor, Crondall Energy
We are proud to announce Cloud Direct is now a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP), one of only a handful of UK partners to achieve this new recognition of excellence.
The Azure Expert MSP program is a new global initiative from Microsoft to highlight and promote only the most capable partners and to make their services and expertise discoverable.
“We are delighted to be one of the first Microsoft Gold Platform partners globally to receive this recognition. It’s a stunning endorsement of what we offer our customers and means they can have the confidence to make more use of the cloud technologies that will help them grow.” – Brett Raynes, CEO at Cloud Direct
What is an Azure Expert MSP?
For starters, there are just 32 globally. Becoming an Azure Expert MSP is no easy feat. The requirements are the most stringent of any Microsoft program. Partners need to validate their skills, their customer success, an ability to scale and a commitment to providing next-generation managed service offerings.
Put simply, it’s a lot of hoops to jump through.
But jump we did. And while it’s taken us a lot of hard work, patience and dedication to achieve, we know it’s going to be worth it. For us this is more than a title. It’s so that we can do the best for our customers.
“For our business to realise the benefits of Microsoft Azure, we needed the security of a supplier who can guide us along our cloud journey. Cloud Direct’s Azure managed services have allowed us to focus on delivering outcomes for the business, not managing infrastructure.” – Jason Moon, Head of IT at Simarco International Ltd
What does being an Azure Expert MSP mean for our customers?
We’ve always been about empowering businesses to achieve ‘Fearless Growth’. We want to help ambitious organisations adopt the cloud and reap all its benefits. As an Azure Expert MSP, we can do so much more for you.
- Better service. It’s simple, really: when you work with an expert, you get expert-level service. Microsoft has made it easier to verify the best partners by awarding this rigorous accreditation to a select few top performing partners. Every service that we offer, every customer interaction, is held to a higher standard. We love raising the bar because it makes us up our game and hop right over it.
- Broader offerings. Whatever your business needs, we can deliver it. Keen on IaaS, PaaS or SaaS? We can advise you. Ready to adopt mobile working or the Internet of Things? We know all about it. Need help with app migration, security or compliance? We have experts in all areas.
- Closer partnerships. Being one of the few Azure Expert MSPs in the UK brings us much closer to Microsoft. Our already close partnership is now much stronger, and all the benefits that come our way get passed directly on to you, our customers. Picture this: Microsoft’s capabilities and software paired with our expertise and skills, all working to better your business. The possibilities are endless.
“We are pleased to recognize Cloud Direct as an Azure Expert MSP. This new recognition offers our customers certainty that an organization provides excellent services on Azure.” – Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President, One Commercial Partner at Microsoft Corp
We couldn’t do it without you
We are nothing without our customers. And we certainly wouldn’t have reached Azure Expert MSP status without our customers pushing us to deliver ‘Fearless Growth’. This has been an incredible journey for all of us at Cloud Direct, but it’s only the beginning. We want you to come with us for the rest of the ride.
Keep pushing us. Keep demanding more. Keep reaching for the next goal. It’s what has made us great, and what will make you great, too.
The Data Protection Act 1998 establishes a framework of rights and duties which are designed to safeguard personal data. This framework balances the legitimate needs of organisations to collect and use personal data for business and other purposes against the right of individuals to respect for the privacy of their personal details. The legislation itself is complex and, in places, hard to understand.
However, it is underpinned by a set of eight straightforward, common-sense principles. If you make sure you handle personal data in line with the spirit of those principles, then you will go a long way towards ensuring that you comply with the letter of the law.
Does the Data Protection Act apply to me?
This might seem an obvious question. However, the Act applies to a particular activity – processing personal data – rather than to particular people or organisations. So, if you “process personal data”, then you must comply with the Act and, in particular, you must handle the personal data in accordance with the data protection principles. Broadly, however, if you collect or hold information about an identifiable living individual, or if you use, disclose, retain or destroy that information, you are likely to be processing personal data. The scope of the Data Protection Act is therefore very wide as it applies to just about everything you might do with individuals’ personal details.
Do I need to notify the Information Commissioner?
If you are processing personal data you usually have to notify the Information Commissioner about this. Failure to notify is a criminal offence.
Notification is how an organisation informs us of certain details about its processing of personal data. The Information Commissioner is required to maintain a register and we use these details to make an entry in the register describing the processing.
The main purpose of notification and the public register is transparency and openness. It is a basic principle of data protection that the public should know (or be able to find out) who is processing personal data, plus other details about the processing (such as why it is being carried out).
So notification serves the interests of individuals by helping them understand how organisations process personal data.
However, it is not intended (nor practical) that the register should contain very detailed information about an organisation’s processing. The aim is to keep the content general, with enough detail to give an overall picture of the processing. You only need to give more detail to satisfy specific statutory requirements or if there is particular sensitivity.
The Act provides an exemption from notification for some organisations. The exemption is available for:
- organisations that process personal data only for:
- staff administration (including payroll);
- advertising, marketing and public relations (in connection with their own business activity); and
- accounts and records;
- some not-for-profit organisations;
- organisations that process personal data only for maintaining a public register;
- organisations that do not process personal information on computer; and
- individuals who process personal data only for domestic purposes.
Are there any other exemptions from the Act?
The Data Protection Act contains a number of other exemptions from the rights and duties in the Act. You must process personal data in accordance with the Act unless one of these exemptions applies.
The exemptions either allow for the disclosure of information where there would otherwise be a breach of the Act or allow information to be withheld that would otherwise need to be disclosed. They are designed to accommodate special circumstances, for example when processing personal data:
- in connection with criminal justice, taxation or regulatory activities;
- that is required to be made public;
- where disclosure is required by law or is necessary for legal proceedings; or
- to provide a confidential reference.
It is important to note that each exemption is intended to apply only in very specific circumstances. So just because, for example, you are using personal data in connection with the criminal justice system or for regulatory purposes, you cannot disregard the whole of the Data Protection Act.
Even if you are entitled to an exemption for your processing, this will not be a blanket exclusion of the rights and duties in the Act. You will need to look at the exemption carefully, in the light of your particular circumstances, to see what effect it has.
Do I have to reply to a subject access request?
Yes, unless an exemption applies. One of the main rights which the Act gives to individuals is the right of access to their personal data. An individual may send you a “subject access request” requiring you to tell them whether you are processing their personal data and, if so, to provide them with a copy and with certain other information.
In most cases you must respond to a valid subject access request within 40 calendar days of receiving it. However, you do not have to grant subject access in respect of personal data to which an exemption applies. An exemption might apply because of the special circumstances in which you are processing (see previous page) or because of the nature of the data. This is sometimes the case, for example, with data relating to an individual’s physical or mental health.
In addition, certain restrictions similar to exemptions are built into the Act’s subject access provisions. For example, there are restrictions on the disclosure of personal data about more than one individual.
Subject Access Request Summary
What should I do if an individual complains about what I am doing with their personal data?
You should carefully consider such a complaint. It is good practice to provide a reasoned response to all complaints and, depending what the complaint is about, the Data Protection Act may require you to do so. The Act may also require you to stop, or change, what you are doing with an individual’s personal data following a complaint. In particular, you might have to:
- correct or delete information about an individual which is inaccurate;
- stop processing their personal data for direct marketing; or
- stop processing their data completely or in a particular way (depending upon the circumstances).
What does “fair processing” mean?
The first data protection principle requires you to process personal data fairly and lawfully. Ensuring fairness in everything you do with people’s personal details is central to complying with your duties under the Data Protection Act. In practice, it means that you must:
- have legitimate reasons for collecting and using the personal data;
- not use the data in ways that have unjustified adverse effects on the individuals concerned;
- be open and honest about how you intend to use the data, and give individuals appropriate privacy notices when collecting their personal data;
- handle people’s personal data only in ways they would reasonably expect; and
- make sure you do not do anything unlawful with the data.
Fairness generally requires you to be transparent – clear and open with individuals about how their information will be used. Transparency is always important, but especially so in situations where individuals have a choice about whether they wish to enter into a relationship with you. Assessing whether the information is being processed fairly depends partly on how it is obtained. In particular, if anyone is deceived or misled when the information is obtained, then this is unlikely to be fair.
What is a privacy notice?
One of the requirements of the Act’s fair processing provisions is that certain information is given to the individuals concerned. The oral or written statement that individuals are given when information about them is collected is often called a “privacy notice” or a “fair processing notice”.
In general terms, a privacy notice should state:
- your identity and, if you are not based in the UK, the identity of your nominated UK representative;
- the purpose or purposes for which you intend to process the information; and
- any extra information you need to give individuals (in the circumstances) to enable you to process the information fairly
When deciding how to draft and communicate a privacy notice, try to put yourself in the position of the people you are collecting information about. Ask yourself:
- do they already know who is collecting the information and what it will be used for?
- is there anything they would find deceptive, misleading, unexpected or objectionable?
- are the consequences of providing the information, or not providing it, clear to them?
Can I use personal data for a new purpose or disclose it to a third party?
It depends. You should explain why you want to use an individual’s personal data at the outset, based on your intentions at the time you collect it. If over time you devise new ways of using that information, perhaps because of changes in technology, you will be able to use their personal data for the new purpose if it is fair to do so.
As you develop the goods and services you offer, you should think about whether your customers are likely to reasonably expect you to use their personal data to offer them these products. If you are unsure about this, you should explain your intentions and, at the very least, give your existing customers an easy way to opt out. If you intend to make a significant change to what you do with personal data, you will usually need to get your customers’ consent.
Individuals should generally be able to choose whether or not their personal data is disclosed to another organisation, unless one of the Act’s specific exemptions applies. If you did not make your intention to disclose information to a third party absolutely clear at the outset, at a time when the individual could choose not to proceed, then you will usually need to get the individual’s consent before making such disclosures.
Can I send personal data overseas?
You may transfer personal data to countries within the European Economic Area on the same basis as you may transfer it within the UK. However, you may only send it to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area if that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of individuals in relation to processing personal data.
Must I encrypt all the information I store on computer?
Not necessarily. The Data Protection Act does not require you to encrypt personal data. However, it does require you to have appropriate security measures in place to guard against unauthorised use or disclosure of the personal data you hold, or its accidental loss or destruction. Encryption might be a part of your information security arrangements – for example, in respect of confidential personal data stored on laptops or portable storage devices. On the other hand, you might not need to encrypt data which always remains on your premises, provided you have sufficient other controls on who can access it and for what purpose. Even where you do encrypt personal data, you will probably need to take additional steps to comply with the Act’s information security requirements
What should I do if I lose personal data?
If, despite the security measures you take to protect the personal data you hold, a breach of security occurs, it is important to deal with the breach effectively. The breach may arise from a theft, a deliberate attack on your systems, the unauthorised use of personal data by a member of staff, accidental loss, or equipment failure. However the breach occurs, you must respond to and manage the incident appropriately. You will need a strategy for dealing with the breach, including:
- a recovery plan, including damage limitation;
- assessing the risks associated with the breach;
- informing the appropriate people and organisations that the breach has occurred; and
- reviewing your response and updating your information security.
Published with thanks to the Information Commissioner’s Office.