The Secret to Remote Working Success

5 practical tips for thriving in remote work, no matter where you are in the world.

As someone who recently took the leap and moved to the other side of the world, I think it’s fair to say that I can speak knowledgeably on the essentials of remote working. 

That’s right, I left the rolling green hills of our little country behind for the towering skyscrapers and white sand beaches of Sydney, Australia. Well, at least for now. 

Since moving to Australia, nothing much has changed about my working life except the fact that I’m now of course, unable to have face-to-face contact with my colleagues. This is the story for a lot of people these days, with an estimated 28% of the global workforce now working remotely. 

If this isn’t the norm for you, you may be wondering how it’s possible that someone can work remotely at all, never mind from almost 11,000 miles away. 

That’s why I’ve collated my top 5 remote working essentials to show you just how possible – and easy – it can be. So, let’s get into it: 

1. You’ll need a reliable and secure device you can work from. 

Luckily, when you work for an IT company, this is the standard. I’ve been using the amazing Windows Surface Laptop Studio for well over a year now and it has served me well. I love it because it performs perfectly and has an adaptable touchscreen that allows it to turn into a tablet, which is handy for making handwritten notes. 

Another more up to date option is the brand-new Microsoft Copilot+ Snap Dragon Laptop. It’s lighter, more compact and has long-lasting battery power – no more having to carry around your charger. 

And rumour has it, we’re giving one away in just a couple of weeks at our 2024 Thank You Event! 

2. Of course, you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection. 

This is something you probably won’t have to worry about too much, considering most places have a Wi-Fi connection these days. If they didn’t, you probably wouldn’t go! But not all Wi-Fi is secure, which leads me to my next point. 

3. You’ll need additional reinforcements to keep your internet connection secure. 

Using public Wi-Fi is always a security risk. But as someone who thoroughly enjoys a coffee shop working session, that doesn’t mean you need to give up your favourite working spot. You’ll just need additional security measures like a virtual private network (VPN) or Microsoft’s Global Secure Access (GSA). A VPN masks your IP address so you can’t be traced by a hacker, whereas GSA enforces zero trust principles and only grants access based on the user’s identity, location and device security. Both are good options for increasing security. 

4. Further security: you’ll need phish-resistant MFA. 

We take our MFA seriously here at Nitec. Not only do we use an authenticator app, but we use an additional layer on top of this; a FIDO key. It’s a physical security key designed to provide a stronger and simpler alternative to passwords, ensuring that your credentials can’t be intercepted or phished. That way, Nitec stays happy knowing my device is secure and I can also have peace of mind knowing that I don’t need to worry about stolen credentials! 

5. Lastly, you’ll need good initiative and time management skills. 

This one kind of only applies when you’re in a different time zone than the rest of your team, but it’s something everyone should have nonetheless! As the sole marketing professional at Nitec, luckily, I’m well accustomed to working on my own and managing my time effectively. But of course, this can get trickier when you’re 11 hours ahead of the rest of the company. For me, this actually works well as it allows me to split up my working day when I need to. Instead of working 9 am to 5 pm, usually, I’ll work half of my hours in the morning, and half in the evening – that way I can catch up with my colleagues back at home during meetings.  

So, there you have it. This of course is a very condensed list of remote working essentials, but it is definitely a good place to start! Of course, the first thing you’d need is a supportive and adaptable employer, something I am very lucky to have. But as long as you’ve got that, a reliable device, a Wi-Fi connection and most importantly, excellent cyber security in place, there’ll be no stopping you!