Do you want to read Part 1 first? Read it here.

Step 1: Evaluate

As you begin the migration, it could be easy to dive right in with no clear direction. Start by developing an overall migration plan instead. It is best to evaluate the situation first, so you will know what you need to plan for. This will help you understand the needs of the workforce, the business processes that have been impacted and what is already available for use.

Identify and Establish a Team – Create a task force that is dedicated to putting together and enforcing a business continuity plan. The team will be tasked with outlining new guidelines, writing new policies and revising existing procedures as needed. The team should be comprised of individuals from various departments that possess a fair degree of knowledge about the business.

Document Impacted Processes – Identify business processes that will be impacted by employees working remotely. Particularly consider the back-office functions such as mail handling, phone calls, invoice processing, large format printing, etc. Look at the other businesses you interact with and identify where a process needs to be modified. For example, can invoices be sent electronically? Put together an action plan on how the modifications can be handled.

Survey Your Employees – There are a lot of survey tools available, like Microsoft Forms or SurveyMonkey, that are quick to deploy and cost-effective. Gaining knowledge of employees’ current hardware and software needs and insight to their work from home environment can be helpful in understanding what will be required for success. Being specific in your questions to get clear understanding of needs, for example questions around the type of computer they use (e.g. laptop or desktop), type of home route(r?), or frequency of printing, etc.

Take Stock – Understanding the hardware and application landscape is critical. Determine what is available and in use. 

Multiple tools exist for performing network scans to capture and inventory connected devices. Many are offering free 60 to 90-day trials during the current pandemic.

Track & Secure Assets – Before distributing assets to employees, implement a method for tracking them, which includes the type of asset, who it is assigned to and which applications are installed. Ensure devices are installed with backup protection and tools to remotely remove corporate data if a device is lost or stolen. 

Some ERP (Accounting and Job Cost) systems in construction also support tracking assets; however, complete asset lifecycle management that includes the functions listed belongs to a group of tools called Unified Endpoint Management (UEM). These tools combine the functionality of mobile device management, mobile application management and other computer management tools into a single interface and platform. Microsoft, IBM and VMware, and MobileIron are some of the industry leaders in this space with Hexnode, Cisco Meraki, Citrix and others as competitors.

In order to guide you through this process, Burger Consulting Group has developed this four-part series sharing the approach in which you can migrate your remote workforce.

If you need help navigating the landscape of solutions to get your organization setup, reach out to Burger Consulting Group at [email protected].

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