Design Remote Teams that are Built to Last

Build remote teams that stand the test of time

The chaos of COVID-19 forced businesses to explore new ways to remain productive, profitable, and connected. Now, as the world begins to reopen, leaders are discovering several pandemic-induced trends are here to stay — including the remote workforce.

It’s time for organizations to treat remote infrastructure as a permanent fixture to maximize its advantages and minimize risks.

Building successful remote functionality improves employee satisfaction, agility, and responsiveness while helping organizations overcome technical debt accumulated from hastily procured “duct tape” solutions.

A permanent remote workforce infrastructure addresses four key areas:

Connectivity to support necessary work applications and allow access for any device anywhere
Collaboration channels that enhance cooperation amongst teams and across the enterprise
Security that balances convenience with appropriate levels of access to data and applications
Management solutions allowing IT to maintain control and employees to self-service

Build and deploy a

“Branch of One”

SHI leverages Cisco’s comprehensive suite of tools to help leading companies build a robust remote network addressing each of the four key areas via branch of one architecture. The branch of one model extends enterprise-class networks to remote and mobile employees or endpoints.

By 2023, IDC estimates that enterprises will see a 30% increase in productivity by rebuilding networks to this model, which includes:

A cloud-based management platform providing IT oversight of enterprise network policies
Client-based secure access to the internet
Centralized security including next-generation firewall, CASB, URL filtering, and more
Visibility and analytics tools that track application performance and user experience

^{Source: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Connectedness 2021 Predictions, Doc # US46921520, Oct 2020}

Branch of one architectures also offer the centralized management and integrated security critical to edge devices, which will become more common as more workers step away from the office amid the trend toward hybrid work styles.

Practical Considerations

This eBook provides practical considerations for deploying a remote or hybrid workforce infrastructure on the branch of one model — highlighting the opportunities and concerns for each component along the way.

According to an IDC survey, employers judged the transition from on-prem business apps to cloud-hosted apps to be the second most important new technology for work-from-home users.

^{Source: IDC, Future of Enterprise Networking: Emergence of the New Normal, Doc # WC20210202, February 2021}