Is your business connectivity keeping up with hybrid working?

On Monday, your employees are at the office, debating the latest campaign idea amongst themselves. By Friday, they’re working from home, laptops perched on the kitchen table between a stack of files and a cold cup of coffee.

Their locations may change, but the expectations don’t. Video calls still have to connect, and shared cloud files still have to open. This is the reality for nearly one million people working in Ireland in hybrid or remote roles, and as a business owner, it’s your job to make sure their digital workspace is as dependable at the kitchen table as it is at the office desk.

Whether you’re reviewing your current set-up or moving your team to a hybrid model, here are the key things you have to consider first.

Reliable business connections for hybrid teams

Connecting your business to the cloud is part and parcel of keeping things running smoothly. With cloud access, employees can open the latest version of a shared file, review their notes before an important meeting or update a client proposal alongside a colleague in real time, whether they’re in the office or working from home.

This matters even more when your team is spread across different locations. A reliable connection to shared data means people can work independently when they need to focus and together when they need to collaborate, without waiting on anyone else to send over the latest draft.

It also brings a certain peace of mind – even if their laptop goes “kaputt”, their hard work won’t disappear overnight.

However, not every system lives in the cloud. For many hybrid teams, the office acts as a central point that remote employees connect into. When an employee working from home uses a company VPN, remote desktop or shared file server, they reach the office over the internet, and all of that traffic arrives through the office’s internet connection. If that connection is shared or congested, everyone working remotely feels it.

One option is to have a Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) line installed. Unlike a shared connection, this line is reserved for your business alone, so there is no congestion at busy times. As a result, the office end of the connection won’t hold back employees working from home, regardless of how many people are online.

Voice communications solutions for hybrid working

Communication is vital in every area of business, so having reliable voice telecoms infrastructure to support it is essential. For hybrid teams, communications systems like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allow calls to be made over an internet connection rather than relying on traditional fixed-line phone systems.

This is ideal for businesses that run their phone systems through Microsoft Teams or Zoom Phone, such as telehealth services, customer support centres and remote-first startups.

With VoIP, phones are no longer desk-bound. Calls can travel with employees on their laptops and mobile phones, from the office to the home, so conversations with colleagues and customers aren’t disrupted.

Choosing the right connectivity solution for your business

We live in a world where business and connectivity feed off each other, so the right solution has to fit the way your people work.

At Pure Telecom, business customers can avail of connectivity services such as fibre broadband, Ethernet, licensed wireless and DIA to suit their organisational needs. Each business customer receives a dedicated Account Manager to support and advise them on cost-effective solutions.

Pure Telecom also offers a wide range of voice services, from audio and video conferencing to cost-efficient VoIP. The team can assess your workflows to find tools that suit both office and remote set-ups.

In summary

The importance of a well-connected business should not be underestimated. There are many moving parts involved in running an organisation every day, and managing various applications with lagging connectivity should not be one of them. With the right hybrid working solutions in place, Pure Telecom helps businesses stay on track for whatever happens next. You can chat to a member of the dedicated Pure Telecom business team here.