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IT Tips for Holiday Travel & Remote Work

Get stress-free IT while traveling and working remotely this holiday season with our tips and best practices.

With so many businesspeople traveling and working remotely over the holidays, IT security and accessibility can be a real challenge. It’s crucial for you and your employees to have your IT set up properly, and follow best practices, while in transit and working from home.
 

The risks and frustrations you could encounter without the right IT set up

Holiday travel can leave you susceptible to all kinds of risks.

“If you’re using public wi-fi and your laptop isn’t properly secured, people could be screen sniping you, or you could fall victim to keylogging,” explains Jason Monroe, Solution Consultant at Bit-Wizards. “Key logging occurs when someone is able to load a little program onto your device, because it’s not secured the way it should be, and they’re able to see everything that’s happening on your screen and every single key that you push. You should also be aware of your environment because someone could be screen sniping you and looking over your shoulder to watch everything you do, including gathering your usernames and passwords.”

Monroe says you’re also susceptible to ransomware attacks, malware, and viruses.

“Without IT protections in place, these risks loom when using any public wi-fi,” he says. “This goes for the airport, train station, Starbucks, your hotel; you name it.”

In addition to these risks, you might also have to deal with technology-related frustrations while traveling and working remotely over the holidays.

“If your IT isn’t set up correctly, you might not be able to work,” says Monroe. “It could be something as simple but annoying as not being able to connect back to your business network correctly. Let’s say you need to connect back to a server at the office, or SharePoint or a cloud drive, and you’re back home for the holidays. What are you going to do if you’re on vacation and suddenly realize your machine isn’t capable of doing that?”


 

How to avoid IT risks and frustrations during the holiday season

The last thing any business owner or employee wants to deal with while traveling and working remotely for the holidays is IT trouble. Here are 5 tips and best practices to help give you peace of mind at holiday time:

  1. Make sure your devices are up to date with the latest patches.
  2. Test connectivity on all your devices (are you able to connect to your server, cloud services, etc.?)
  3. Use a virtual private network (VPN) and test the connection.
  4. Be aware of your surroundings when working in public places (check to make sure people aren’t peaking over your shoulder to look at your devices).
  5. Check-in with your IT provider before traveling and/or working remotely.

“If you have a Managed IT Services provider, you’re automatically way ahead of the game,” says Monroe. “For example, our IT team here at Bit-Wizards will make sure that you have the right software installed, your devices are up to date, you can access what you need, and proactive monitoring is in place. All this is taken care of for you, so you don’t have to worry about risks like ransomware or viruses while traveling, and when you do get home, you can start working right away.”

With a Managed IT Services provider like Bit-Wizards, Monroe says if you do encounter an issue, you have a support system at the ready.

“We’re always here,” he says. “Even over the holidays while you’re on vacation, you can count on us to help you out. Let’s say you have a VPN issue, or you forget your password or something like that, you can just call us up and we’ll get it taken care of for you.”
 

Why count on Bit-Wizards to give you peace of mind at holiday time?

Monroe says Bit-Wizards is always one step ahead.

“Even before November hits, we’re having meetings and we’re making sure information is out there for our clients,” he explains. “What sets us apart from our competitors is that we’re proactive. We’re not waiting for something to go wrong to address an issue. We’re anticipating our clients’ needs and proactively getting things ready for them so that hopefully an issue doesn’t even arise.”

If a Bit-Wizards Managed IT client does encounter an issue while traveling or working remotely over the holidays, Monroe says this proactive approach makes solving the problem that much easier.

“Practicing proactive IT allows us to react fast,” he says. “You’re not going to have to sit there for days and days waiting for us to figure out what’s going on and fix it before you can work again. We’re going to make sure you can get back online as soon as possible.”

Monroe says you can rely on Bit-Wizards' IT to help make your holidays stress-free.

“It is a magical season, and we are Wizards, so we really enjoy this time of year,” he jokes. “But seriously, we’re always here to help and our clients know that. We’re focusing on IT and making their lives easier so they can focus on quality time with their families and having a peaceful holiday season.”

Ready to get started with our Managed IT Services before you have to travel and work remotely over the holidays? Contact us today.

Author

Simone Hines, Content Team Lead
Simone E. Hines

Content Team Lead