Every department plays a role in making the return to work after COVID a smooth and safe transition. With regions across New York State on track to re-open– planning how your organization will go back to the office starts now.
iV4's checklist and considerations below are from our Return to Work Strategy webinar where we discussed what goes into a plan for returning to work after COVID. Access the slide deck and recording here.
Workplace
Designate a COVID-19 Return Team
- Include representatives from each department of your business
- Determine how the transition back to work will occur
Employee Communication
- Conduct a survey to understand who feels comfortable returning
- The steps the organization is taking to provide a safe workplace
- How employees can help keep the workplace safe
- Your plan for potential second wave
Office Space
- Seating arrangements
- In-office gatherings (birthdays, celebrations)
- Client interaction and meetings
- Visitor and guest restrictions
- Common office areas
Update Company Policies
- Remote Work
- PPE: Facial Coverings, Gloves, Hand Sanitizer
- Reporting of Illnesses
- Cleanliness Standards and Protocols
- Interaction and Common Areas
Technology
Measure organizational adoption of new tools and remote work
→ Train your users in an interactive and engaging way
Perform OS updates on systems and applications that have been idle
Adopt a cloud-smart strategy to enable greater resiliency and continuity
→ What on-premise services can be virtualized to provide higher levels of resiliency?
Re-assess Remote Desktop Service (RDS) capabilities
→ Consider Windows Virtual Desktop for applications and systems that run on an unsupported OS, like Windows 7, or can't be migrated to the cloud right now.
Cybersecurity
→ Cybercriminals are working overtime during COVID. Conduct a refresher Security Awareness Training course so your users can identify fake emails and scams
→ Update and patch devices re-joining corporate networks
→ Secure Office 365: Start with Advanced Threat Protection and Multi-Factor Authentication
→ Make certain backups are secure and protected from ransomware
→ Determine where your data is now that you have been away
→ Perform a risk assessment to understand where security gaps exist
Business Continuity and Compliance
What can you take away from this experience that will improve your response in the future?
→ Did users require additional hardware, licensing, remote access, or bandwidth?
Start re-thinking your controls in a way that allows for remote work
→ Were your controls written for work life before COVID? Consider a Gap Analysis and update your System Security Plan.
→ Enforcement will not be delayed for NY SHIELD Act and Education 2-D laws in New York or CCPA in California.
Second Wave Preparedness
Evaluate what did and did not work in your transition to remote work
→ Were all data center services available or were work-arounds needed?
→ Did security concern you? How was it addressed? Or not?
Identify the business workflows that were modified for remote work
→ Are you going back to the old way or is the new process better?
Assess applications that can be moved to the cloud for better remote access and availability
Determine processes and best practices for collaboration tools: Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive
→ Understand where and when to use cloud storage applications
→ Implement governance strategy
iV4 Can Help
With regions across New York State on track to re-open– planning for the return to the office post COVID-19 begins now.
iV4 can help your organization:
- Evaluate collaboration tools for remote work requirements
- Decrease the likelihood of a breach with proactive security
- Uncover gaps and weaknesses in your compliance program
- Prepare for a second wave with achievable cloud next steps
Refer to CDC, New York Forward Guidelines, and local governments for official guidance on health and safety protocols.
On May 13, our COVID Return to Work Strategy webinar covered what it takes to facilitate an orderly return to the office post COVID. Access the slides and watch on-demand here.
