<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?><!-- generator=Zoho Sites --><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><atom:link href="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/tag/remote/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><title>Ostratto - Blog | Ostratto #remote</title><description>Ostratto - Blog | Ostratto #remote</description><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/tag/remote</link><lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:43:35 +0200</lastBuildDate><generator>http://zoho.com/sites/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Will we work from home forever?]]></title><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/post/140920-will-we-work-from-home-forever</link><description><![CDATA[<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.comhttps://images.unsplash.com/photo-1523939158338-1708c2391359?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ"/>Is remote work here to stay in the corporate world?]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_1hgA9nh_RFuBZ79KqYKgcA" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_f11oBmOaSiqp1ERZHbmp_w" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_j1db0mJ6TFmh8OouCFjJ8A" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_j1db0mJ6TFmh8OouCFjJ8A"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_E_MP8Rb_Ty2YWEeutJyMZw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_E_MP8Rb_Ty2YWEeutJyMZw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><div>In early March, Twitter and Facebook were among the first companies to close down offices and send staff to work from home—even before government agencies issued lockdown orders to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Fast-forward two months later, the two social media giants <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/21/21266570/facebook-remote-work-from-home-mark-zuckerberg-twitter-covid-19-coronavirus" title="declared" target="_blank" rel="">declared</a> that most employees will at some point be able to telecommute permanently.</div></div><p><br></p><div>Large businesses have continued to extend their work-from-home policies. In many cases, they’re even making remote work a permanent fixture. Google, for example, initially told employees to work from home until June. Most recently, the search giant announced that workers could telecommute until July 2021.</div><p><br></p><div>It’s not just Silicon Valley tech companies. Most employees for investment banks like Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan are still working from home. Entertainment company ViacomCBS and music labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and Warner Music Group have told workers to work remotely through the end of 2020.</div><p><br></p><div>Now that we’re about half a year into the remote work experiment, many employers have determined that the advantages of letting employees work from home may outweigh the negatives.</div><p><br></p><div>Herein lies the question: is remote work here to stay in the corporate world?</div><div><br></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_q_B3LnZkuxUOsqmvWM4CBw" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_q_B3LnZkuxUOsqmvWM4CBw"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h5
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><div><span style="color:inherit;font-weight:bold;">Most employees want to work from home</span><br></div></div></h5></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_bM5CzKGXk8cF4PpvFbXWsw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_bM5CzKGXk8cF4PpvFbXWsw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div>Studies show that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/14/21211789/coronavirus-office-space-work-from-home-design-architecture-real-estate" target="_blank" rel="">43% of those who previously commuted</a>&nbsp;to work telecommuted during the height of the pandemic—and they enjoyed it. Remote workers say they are more productive and have better work-life balance since they don’t have a commute and can work flexibly. In fact, workers also report significantly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/309521/facts-engagement-remote-workers.aspx" target="_blank" rel="">higher levels of engagement</a>&nbsp;when they work from home.</div><p><br></p><div>When the global health crisis is over, most employees still want the option to work from home at least part of the time. According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/covid-19/us-remote-work-survey.html" target="_blank" rel="">survey</a>&nbsp;by PwC, nearly three-quarters of employees (72%) said they’d like to telecommute at least twice a week after the pandemic is over, while nearly one-third (32%) want to work from home full time.</div><div><br></div><div>In a survey of 9,059 workers, 48% work from home during the pandemic and have a Workforce Happiness Index score of 75 out of 100, which is four points higher than employees who still have to go into their offices, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/26/who-is-happiest-working-from-home-heres-what-latest-jobs-data-says.html" target="_blank" rel="">report</a>&nbsp;by CNBC and SurveyMonkey. Remote workers are also more satisfied with their jobs: 57% of telecommuters say they are very satisfied versus 50% of non-remote workers who say they are very satisfied.</div><div><br></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_OGBJelcfB2iO6IZkiz8xug" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_OGBJelcfB2iO6IZkiz8xug"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-medium zpimage-tablet-fallback-medium zpimage-mobile-fallback-medium hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:dark"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1587578932405-7c740a762f7f?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ" size="medium" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1080px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_SNIcJxu6khaW9wHSINAxVg" data-element-type="spacer" class="zpelement zpelem-spacer "><style> div[data-element-id="elm_SNIcJxu6khaW9wHSINAxVg"] div.zpspacer { height:30px; } @media (max-width: 768px) { div[data-element-id="elm_SNIcJxu6khaW9wHSINAxVg"] div.zpspacer { height:calc(30px / 3); } } </style><div class="zpspacer " data-height="30"></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_2tfsDgkeHNIUOpQhxENVvQ" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_2tfsDgkeHNIUOpQhxENVvQ"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h5
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Companies want more remote work, too</span></div></div></h5></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_EIAwLAaHMieb-hlkGPBSfw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_EIAwLAaHMieb-hlkGPBSfw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div>As COVID-19 still lingers (and spikes), many are planning on making remote work permanent. In the short term, extending work from home keeps both employees and the company safe from safety-related events. In the long term, the flexibility of remote work promotes higher employee satisfaction and engagement, leading to significantly higher performance and retention. It's a win-win.<br></div><div><div><br></div><div><div>74% of CFOs surveyed by <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-04-03-gartner-cfo-surey-reveals-74-percent-of-organizations-to-shift-some-employees-to-remote-work-permanently2" title="Gartner" target="_blank" rel="">Gartner</a> said at least some of their employees will be allowed to permanently work from home after the pandemic ends.</div></div></div><div><br></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_-LLLrUS1M30xcxy7laDlXw" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_-LLLrUS1M30xcxy7laDlXw"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h5
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><span style="color:inherit;font-weight:bold;">Not all workers can work from home</span><br></div></h5></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_IMrwSqc5xWY19xe48Ly1IQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_IMrwSqc5xWY19xe48Ly1IQ"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div>While remote work is something both leaders and employees want, it’s not an option to all workers. Only 37% of jobs can be done from home, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2020/04/09/37-of-jobs-can-be-done-from-home-according-to-a-new-economic-analysis/#766f070b7814" title="University of Chicago economists" target="_blank" rel="">University of Chicago economists</a>.<br></div><div><br><div><div>For employees who can work remotely, 68% still want at some access to the office. Of those, 8% want to work full time in the office and 60% want to take a hybrid approach and be in the office a few times a week, according to PwC’s remote work <a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/covid-19/us-remote-work-survey.html" title="survey" target="_blank" rel="">survey</a>.</div></div><br><div>The top reason people say they want to go into the office is to collaborate with other team members. Difficulty collaborating is a major reason people give for being unproductive while working from home (39%). They miss face-to-face interactions.</div><div><br></div><div>Others are simply more productive in the office because they have too many distractions at home. PwC found that 38% of remote workers feel balancing work with home duties, such as childcare, made them unproductive while working from home.</div></div><div><br></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_0zHG0oOQLexGe1m_yQLf7A" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_0zHG0oOQLexGe1m_yQLf7A"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h5
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coronavirus reshapes office working</span></div></h5></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_gf50RUWfEAZE6ECFN9sJgg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_gf50RUWfEAZE6ECFN9sJgg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><span style="color:inherit;"><div>When the health crisis is (finally) over, employees for some companies will return to their offices full time. Some will transition to 100% remote work. But most will likely take a hybrid approach, where employees work at home half the time and in the office half the time.</div><div><br></div><div><div>A permanent, flexible workweek has broad support among both executives and office workers, according to PwC’s latest remote work <a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/covid-19/us-remote-work-survey.html" title="survey" target="_blank" rel="">survey</a>. While 83% of office employees want to work from home at least one day a week, more than half of employers (55%) anticipate that most of their workers will do so post-pandemic, the survey found.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div>For <a href="https://fortune.com/2020/05/11/permanent-work-from-home-coronavirus-nationwide-fortune-100/" title="example" target="_blank" rel="">example</a>, insurance company Nationwide is moving to a hybrid model. When the pandemic began, the company allowed 98% of its 27,000 employees to work from home and discovered that employee performance did not suffer.&nbsp;</div></div><div><br></div><div><div>As a result, Nationwide executives have announced plans to reduce 20 physical offices down to four main corporate offices, which will help the company save huge costs. Employees in the closed down locations will work from home permanently, while employees at the four remaining offices can split time between home and office, according to a<a href="https://fortune.com/2020/05/11/permanent-work-from-home-coronavirus-nationwide-fortune-100/" title="Fortune magazine article" target="_blank" rel="">&nbsp;magazine article</a>.</div></div><div><br></div></span></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_Nzp0G2MxbOPnGrLxtlSrdg" data-element-type="heading" class="zpelement zpelem-heading "><style> [data-element-id="elm_Nzp0G2MxbOPnGrLxtlSrdg"].zpelem-heading { border-radius:1px; } </style><h5
 class="zpheading zpheading-style-none zpheading-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><span style="color:inherit;font-weight:bold;">Preparing for the remote future</span><br></div></h5></div>
<div data-element-id="elm_SuWiKK3D6H0vLDqkyKVhjA" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_SuWiKK3D6H0vLDqkyKVhjA"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><span style="color:inherit;"><div><span style="color:inherit;"><div>Telecommuting has earned a permanent spot in the corporate world, and as we recover from the pandemic, more and more people will work from home in some way. That’s because not only is remote work better for safety purposes, but also fosters higher engagement and job satisfaction.</div><div><br></div><div>It’s also clear that many workers can’t work remotely. From restaurant staff to hardware engineers, many industries will return to normal after the pandemic. At least for now, most offices won’t go anywhere—but that <span style="font-style:italic;">can</span> change in the near future.</div><div><br></div><div>Companies planning to expand remote work opportunities will need the right tools to maximize productivity amongst remote teams. While office workers can simply walk to a colleague’s desk to collaborate, remote teams don’t have the same convenience. It’s up to a company’s tools to facilitate communication and collaboration.</div><div><br></div><div><div>Unified communications solutions like <a href="/products/telephony/ringcentral" title="RingCentral" target="_blank" rel="">RingCentral</a>&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">bundles team messaging, video conferencing, and cloud phone into a single platform in the cloud, allowing employees to access all of their communications from anywhere, on any device, and at any time. Employees can easily switch from messaging to voice or video calls with a single click, keeping collaboration as effortless as possible to start.</span></div></div><div><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></div><div>Speak to Ostratto today to find out how we keep businesses connected and productive.</div></span></div></span></div>
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</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2020 21:09:15 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why you should Purchase G Suite from a Google Partner]]></title><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/post/100720-purchasing-g-suite-from-a-google-partner</link><description><![CDATA[<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/products/platforms/g-suite/media/product-images/g-suite-on-multiple-devices-cropped.png"/>When you can buy Google G Suite directly from Google, why would you buy it via a Google Partner?]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_AI0m6OOkQIWQc-KsE3HtSw" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_y4y-jmVDQkqhSeMwL5AYFA" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_0BPvlkF6SLGQ-bQMf63IcA" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_ag9ZOm9ZQByOjCJiw-UlCw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_ag9ZOm9ZQByOjCJiw-UlCw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><span style="color:inherit;">These days, talk about digitalisation and ‘the cloud’ is constant and urgent. In our ever-globalising and ever-innovating world, the opportunities to harness cloud technology and use it to fuel growth are endless (just check out some of our <a href="/blogs/cloud" title="previous blogs posts" target="_blank" rel="">previous blogs posts</a> on cloud); but the idea of cloud technology in a business can also be daunting to manage.</span><br></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;">Ostratto wants to help companies not only keep their heads above water during such a time of digitalisation, but unlock their maximum potential (and sail?). As a proud Google Cloud Partner and official reseller of Google Cloud services, we supply G Suite licenses at the same price as Google, but with additional services. Here are a few of the many reasons why taking advantage of a Google Partner can be a massive advantage for any business.</span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_du3gUWjyi8aHRmo3DJ-32w" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image zoom " data-animation-name="fadeIn" data-animation-duration="2s"><style> @media (min-width: 992px) { [data-element-id="elm_du3gUWjyi8aHRmo3DJ-32w"] .zpimage-container figure img { width: 800px ; height: 403.50px ; } } @media (max-width: 991px) and (min-width: 768px) { [data-element-id="elm_du3gUWjyi8aHRmo3DJ-32w"] .zpimage-container figure img { width:500px ; height:252.19px ; } } @media (max-width: 767px) { [data-element-id="elm_du3gUWjyi8aHRmo3DJ-32w"] .zpimage-container figure img { width:500px ; height:252.19px ; } } [data-element-id="elm_du3gUWjyi8aHRmo3DJ-32w"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large "><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/platforms/g-suite/media/product-images/g-suite-on-multiple-devices-cropped.png" width="500" height="252.19" loading="lazy" size="large" alt="g-suite-devices-google" style="width:1600px !important;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_B3TGyOsfV2DL68V3i8NjFg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_B3TGyOsfV2DL68V3i8NjFg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">1. Same buck, more bang</span></p><div>By partnering with a Google Cloud Partner, you pay the same price for your licenses as you would buying directly from Google, but you get additional benefits, for free (yes free). The services are customisable for your business’s specific needs but they can include:</div><div><br></div><div><ul><li>A security audit</li><li>A training workshop for your IT team</li><li>Implementation – existing business or new</li><li>User data migrations from existing systems</li><li>A combination package</li></ul></div><div><br></div><div>Google Cloud Partners exist to act as a bridge between what can seem like a 'big scary Google' and a small business. We know our clients' businesses better than Google would ever be able to and that's a huge advantage for both the small business and Google. We identify the best support package that will not only improve how you utilise Google G Suite, but enhance all aspects of your business operations, keeping you efficient and ahead of your competition.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">2. A friendly face</span></div><div>A businesses internal IT team may be able to blunder their way through a G Suite setup but what happens when things go wrong?</div><div><br></div><div>With a GCP Partner in your corner, <span style="color:inherit;">the days of navigating the complexities of the cloud alone are over. In order to become a certified reseller, businesses must hold a rigorous set of prerequisites; these include passing a series of Google Cloud certifications and also having real-world proven experience with the products. To maintain our status we have to resit the </span>certifications<span style="color:inherit;">&nbsp;regularly and we're also expected to keep up-to-date with everything Google.&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">When you partner with a qualified reseller like Ostratto</span><span style="color:inherit;">, you really do gain access to </span><span style="color:inherit;">years of experience with Google Cloud technologies and processes.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Having passed all the stringent prerequisites we then gain access to an advanced, prioritised level of support because it's expected we won't be asking the 'simple' questions. We can then use this level of support to get answers to the questions we haven't been asked before - all whilst the end customer only deals with one person whom they can trust to help.</div><div><br></div><div><div>Included in any basic resale of Google G Suite is a basic support package - perfect for the 'how do I do this' sorts of questions. Pair this with our <a href="/services/support" title="support package" target="_blank" rel="">support package</a> and expect a truly empowered Google experience.</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">3. Put it on my tab please barman</span></div><div>One of the many benefits we offer to our clients is a single monthly bill. As we offer a range of various <a href="/services" title="services" target="_blank" rel="">services</a> and <a href="/products" title="products" target="_blank" rel="">products</a>&nbsp;we really focus on simplifying the recurring costs by billing one bill a month instead of a separate bill for each charge. It might seem a simple benefit but with the average medium-sized business spending <a href="https://www.blissfully.com/blog/saas-spending-to-double-by-2020-will-you-be-ready/" title="$20,000 per month on SaaS tools" target="_blank" rel="">$20,000 per month on SaaS tools</a>, being able to consolidate multiple vendor bills into one predictable, itemised payment makes cashflow just a tad more manageable.</div><div><br></div><div>When you purchase GCP services through Ostratto, you can enjoy simple automatic card payments with pro-rata'd user costs automatically applied for you. You can then view your previous and current payments on our <a href="https://billing.ostratto.com/portal" title="billing portal" target="_blank" rel="">billing portal</a>&nbsp;for your Google services&nbsp;along with any <a href="/services" title="other services" target="_blank" rel="">other </a><a href="/services" title="other services" target="_blank" rel="">services</a>&nbsp;you receive from us. I can already see your billing department thanking you.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">4. Value, maximised</span></div><div>Nobody likes to waste time or money. When businesses use the expertise of a GCP reselling partner like Ostratto, they can be confident that they’re getting the most value out of Google Cloud products. We help businesses identify and eliminate inefficiencies in their workloads, giving them more time to focus on using Google Cloud tech to drive direct value for their business.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><div>There’s also no need to allocate extra time and staffing to train a new team member on the ins and outs of the cloud - most of your team have <a href="https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/why-we-love-g-suite#familiarity" title="probably already used" target="_blank" rel="">probably already used</a> Google's services and anyway, that’s what we’re here for.</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">Passing comments</span></div></div><div>These are the most obvious reasons to purchase via a GCP partner like us but there are many more.&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">If you’re interested in learning more about how Ostratto can make your cloud journey easier,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/products/platforms/g-suite/sign-up" target="_blank" rel="">we’d be happy to talk</a>.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;">Related resources</span></div><div><ul><li><a href="/products/platforms/g-suite" title="Product Page" target="_blank" rel="">Product Page</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/why-we-love-g-suite" title="Why we love G Suite" target="_blank" rel="">Why we love G Suite</a></li><li><a href="/products/platforms/g-suite/documentation/marketing/security-and-trust-ebook.pdf" target="_blank" rel="">Security and Trust eBook</a></li><li><span style="color:inherit;"><a href="/products/platforms/google-workspace#pricing" title="Product Sign-up" target="_blank" rel="">Product Sign-up</a></span><br></li></ul><div><br></div></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_2lIO6jN-S7u2yfiPrxdKiw" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_2lIO6jN-S7u2yfiPrxdKiw"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-primary zpbutton-size-md zpbutton-style-oval zpbutton-outline " href="/products/platforms/g-suite/sign-up" target="_blank"><span class="zpbutton-content">Get Started Today</span></a></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2020 18:01:16 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[COVID-19: Remote-working Checklist]]></title><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/post/060620-covid-19-remote-working-checklist</link><description><![CDATA[<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.comhttps://images.unsplash.com/photo-1584722065001-ee7f49d903b1?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ"/>A checklist for a remote-working business during the novel coronavirus outbreak.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_OFuwlpCoRlW58J02saS7aA" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_K9pkvPArQjSZGPccEtXmtw" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_WgVdGhfuQ3mJkoi6D7Rvlg" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_WgVdGhfuQ3mJkoi6D7Rvlg"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_KMnDptHAQ7mp2b0X3gqZGQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_KMnDptHAQ7mp2b0X3gqZGQ"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><div>Many if not most organisations have already crossed the 'working from home' bridge either successfully or <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6719296/work-from-home-fails-coronavirus/" title="terribly" target="_blank">terribly</a>.</div></div><p><br></p><div>If you’re on an IT team, you’re probably used to preparing laptops for staff to use remotely, and setting up mobile phones with access to company data.</div><p><br></p><div><div>But global concerns over the current coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, and the need to keep at-risk staff away from the office, means that lots of companies may soon and suddenly end up with lots more staff working from home indefinitely. For a business that has already deployed a<a href="https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/the-rise-of-remote-working" title="deployed a remote-working strategy already" target="_blank">&nbsp;remote-working strategy</a>, this process is probably pretty familiar. For the businesses that haven't, it can be a logistical, security and financial nightmare.</div></div><p><br></p><div>Even for businesses that are no stranger to remote-working it's still a very different situation. If you have colleagues who need to work from home specifically to stay away from the office, you can no longer use the tried-and-tested approach of getting them to come in once to collect their new laptop and phone, and to receive the on-site training that you hope will make them an effective teleworker.&nbsp;<span>You may end up needing to set remote users up from scratch, entirely remotely, and that might be something you’ve not done a lot of in the past.</span></div><p><br></p><div>I can imagine you and your business are very busy so without further wait - here are our five tips for working from home effectively and safely.</div><p><br></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_S3MRHmS2dmEaQyuWTesO6Q" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_S3MRHmS2dmEaQyuWTesO6Q"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-medium zpimage-tablet-fallback-medium zpimage-mobile-fallback-medium hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:dark"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1531547255897-f400dc1b7de2?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ" size="medium" alt="working-from-home" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1080px;padding:0px;margin:0px;"/></picture></span><figcaption class="zpimage-caption zpimage-caption-align-center"><span class="zpimage-caption-content">This is not a recommendation to work on a sofa... #back-breaker</span></figcaption></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_5_KQ2V2VdxI1bBtzVcGHNg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_5_KQ2V2VdxI1bBtzVcGHNg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><br></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;">1. Make sure your users have everything they need</span></p><p>It's without a doubt the most important. Not only does it ensure your users are happy (productive) remote-workers, it means they don't revert to finding their own uncontrolled or 'shadow' solutions to their problems (we will come to shadow solutions in a minute or so).</p><p><br></p><div style="text-align:justify;">If users genuinely can’t do their job without access to server X or to system Y, then there’s no point in sending them off to work from home without access to X and Y.</div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;">Make sure you have got your chosen remote access solution working reliably first – force it on yourself! – before expecting your users to adopt it.</div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;">If there are any differences between what they might be used to and what they are going to get, explain the difference clearly and don’t leave them to find that out on their own.&nbsp;<span>They’ll not only be annoyed, but will probably also try to make up their own tricks for bypassing the problem, such as asking colleagues to upload files to private accounts instead of using a storage system they thought they would have had access to remotely.</span></div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;">If you’re the user, try to be understanding if there are things you used to be able do in the office that you have to manage without at home.</div><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><div><br></div><div><div>This is an excellent opportunity to really evaluate what software you are using in your business and if there are a lot of business-critical tasks you aren't able to complete because you aren't in the office then I hate to break it to you - it's not 1996 anymore! It's 2020 and <a href="https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/why-should-my-business-exist-in-the-cloud" title="the cloud is here in a big way" target="_blank">the cloud is here in a big way</a>.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div>To see how cloud technology can empower your business today, check out <a href="https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/110420-covid-favourite-remote-working-tools" title="our post" target="_blank">our post</a> on our favourite remote-working software.</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="color:inherit;font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">2. Make sure you can see what your users are doing</span><br></div></div><div><span style="color:inherit;"><div>Don’t just leave your users to their own devices (literally or figuratively).</div><div><br></div><div>If you’ve set up automatic updating for them, make sure you also have a way to check that it’s working, and be prepared to spend time online helping them fix things if they go wrong.&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">If any of their systems or software has produced warnings or errors that you know they will have seen, make sure you review those warnings too, and let your users know what they mean and what you expect them to do about any issues that may arise.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Don’t patronise your users, because no one likes that; but don’t leave them to fend for themselves either – show them a bit of cybersecurity love and you are very likely to find that they repay it.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">3<span style="color:inherit;">. Make sure they have somewhere to report security issues</span></span></div></div></span><span style="color:inherit;"><div><span style="color:inherit;">If you haven’t already, set up an easily remembered email address, such as security@yourcompany.com, where users can report security issues quickly and easily.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Remember that a lot of cyberattacks succeed because the crooks try over and over again until one user makes an innocent mistake – so if the first person to see a new threat has somewhere to report it where they know they won’t be judged or criticised (or, worse still, ignored), they’ll end up helping everyone else.</div><div><br></div><div>Teach your users – in fact, this goes for office-based staff as well as remote-workers – only to reach out to you for cybersecurity assistance by using the email address or phone number you gave them. (Consider snail-mailing them a card or a sticker with the details printed on it.)</div><div><br></div><div>If they never make contact using links or phone numbers supplied by email, they they are very much less likely to get scammed or phished.</div><br><div><br></div><div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">4. Keep shadow IT out of the shadow</span></div></div><div><div>Shadow IT is where non-IT staff find their own ways of solving technical problems, for convenience or speed.&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">If you have colleagues who are used to working together in the office, but who end up flung apart and unable to meet up, it’s quite likely that they might come up with their own ways of collaborating online – using tools they’ve never tried before.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Sometimes, you might even be happy for them to do this, if it’s a cheap and happy way of boosting team dynamics.&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">For example, they might open an account with an online white-boarding service – perhaps even one you trust perfectly well – on their own payment card and plan to claim it back later.</span></div><div><br></div><div>The first risk everyone thinks about in cases like this is, “What if they make a security blunder or leak data they shouldn’t?”</div></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color:inherit;"><div>But there’s another problem that lots of companies forget about, namely: what if, instead of being a security disaster, it’s a conspicuous success?&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">A temporary solution put in place to deal with a public health issue might turn into an important part of the company’s online presence and so&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">make sure you know whose credit card it’s charged to, and make sure you can get access to the account if the person who originally created it forgets the password, or cancels their card.</span></div><div><br></div><div>So-called “shadow IT” isn’t just a risk if it goes wrong – it can turn into a complicated liability if it goes right!</div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">Closing comments</span></div></div><div><span style="color:inherit;"><div><span style="color:inherit;">Most of all, if you and your users suddenly need to get into remote-working, be prepared to meet each other half way.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>For example, if you’re the user, and your IT team suddenly insists that you start using a password manager and 2FA (those second-factor login codes you have to type in every time)&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">then just say “Sure,” even if you hate 2FA and have avoided it in your personal life because you find it inconvenient.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Likewise if you’re the IT admin, don’t ignore your users, even if they ask questions you think they should know the answer to by now, or if they ask for something you’ve already said No to,&nbsp;<span style="color:inherit;">because it might very well be that they’re asking because you didn’t explain clearly the first time, or because the feature they need really is important to doing their job properly.</span></div><div><br></div><div>We’re living in tricky times, so try not to let matters of public health cause the sort of friction that gets in the way of doing cybersecurity properly. And if you need assistance with any of this, join our partners in empowering their businesses with our intelligent solutions.</div><div><br></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_wf8ngAalSxmlg44Xo8Wgjw" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_wf8ngAalSxmlg44Xo8Wgjw"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-primary zpbutton-size-md zpbutton-style-oval zpbutton-outline " href="/contact" target="_blank"><span class="zpbutton-content">Chat to the Team</span></a></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[COVID-19: Our Favourite Remote-working Tools ]]></title><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/post/110420-covid-favourite-remote-working-tools</link><description><![CDATA[<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.comhttps://images.unsplash.com/photo-1584022163547-d380b70428b2?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ"/>A quick run through of our favourite tools that will help you conduct your business from pretty much anywhere.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_e7RChPU3QQyHEfciMCw16A" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_e7RChPU3QQyHEfciMCw16A"].zpsection{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_O4YUjbXgTESnTXfEeASFWA" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_IQ0nxJYwSlahyQBCPjIKnQ" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_IQ0nxJYwSlahyQBCPjIKnQ"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_ULjh-kxQSZKAwbl51PuP9w" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_ULjh-kxQSZKAwbl51PuP9w"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-center " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:left;">Whether your business had already implemented <a href="https://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/the-rise-of-remote-working" title="remote-working ideologies" target="_blank">remote-working ideologies</a> or it's all very new to your business, it's definitely been a general-culture shock to the working world. Businesses that never thought they could work from home are now embracing wonderful and sometimes <a href="http://www.ostratto.com/blogs/post/100420-three-social-experiments" title="whacky" target="_blank">whacky</a> ways to get their work done remotely, sometimes whilst even compromising security (<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8203523/U-S-Senate-tells-members-avoid-Zoom-data-security-concerns-FT.html" title="yes Zoom we are talking about you" target="_blank">yes Zoom we are talking about you</a>).</p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;">Our partners are generally well equipped already. More than 80% of what Ostratto helps our partners' businesses with, resides on cloud technology. That's <a href="/services/solutions" title="smart IT solutions" target="_blank">smart business solutions</a> that are accessible from anywhere at anytime.</p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;">For the businesses that we don't yet have a relationship with, firstly; welcome(!) and secondly; this article is for you. It's a quick run through of our favourite&nbsp;tools that will help you conduct your business from pretty much anywhere.</p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;">We'll firstly break it down a bit into some sub-categories of the products we offer today. Select to jump to the sections:</p><p style="text-align:justify;">​<span id="contents" title="contents" class="zpItemAnchor"></span>​</p><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><a href="#communication" title="Communication" style="font-weight:bold;">Communication</a><span style="font-weight:bold;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">&nbsp;</span><a href="#collaboration" title="Collaboration" style="font-weight:bold;">Collaboration</a><span style="font-weight:bold;">&nbsp;</span></span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">&nbsp;</span><a href="#productivity" title="Productivity" style="font-weight:bold;font-size:18px;">Productivity</a></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;"></span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_iRz3Utt5NZbR9UCvsXl8YA" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_iRz3Utt5NZbR9UCvsXl8YA"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large "><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1517940001917-1c03b8b1b85b?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ" size="large" style="width:1080px;padding:0px;margin:0px;"/></picture></span><figcaption class="zpimage-caption zpimage-caption-align-center"><span class="zpimage-caption-content">Looks uncomfortable. Credit: unsplash</span></figcaption></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_WN2TUtLontdNPzg2Y_dqLg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_WN2TUtLontdNPzg2Y_dqLg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">​<span id="communication" title="communication" class="zpItemAnchor"></span>​Communication</span>​</span></p><p>Communication during these tricky times is absolutely vital. It's the difference between a happy and productive worker and a very unhappy unmotivated one. Here's some of our favourite communication tools.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="/products/platforms/g-suite/hangouts-meet" title="Google Meet" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Google Meet</a></p><p><span style="color:inherit;">Video meetings for your business.&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">Meet takes the headaches out of joining a video call at work. Just set up a meeting and share a link. No worrying about whether teammates, clients, or customers have the right accounts or plug-ins. With a fast, lightweight interface and smart participant management, 100 + person video calls are a breeze.</span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;">Meet is perfect for keeping connected with your team and your customers from one product, and it comes included in the <a href="/products/platforms/g-suite" title="G Suite package" target="_blank">G Suite package</a>&nbsp;as standard.</span></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_TMvD9Tg85zZsV-9GkXxd8Q" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_TMvD9Tg85zZsV-9GkXxd8Q"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-original zpimage-tablet-fallback-original zpimage-mobile-fallback-original hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/platforms/g-suite/hangouts%20meet/Works%20with%20other%20solutions-cropped.png" size="original" data-lightbox="true"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_g5t9em6daLjyzIpLapkdJQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_g5t9em6daLjyzIpLapkdJQ"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/products/platforms/g-suite/hangouts-chat" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Google Chat</a><br></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>A messaging platform built for teams.&nbsp;Hangouts Chat makes it easy for teams to stay in contact with instant messaging. From direct messages to group conversations, Chat helps teams collaborate easily and efficiently. With dedicated, virtual rooms to house projects over time — plus threaded conversations — Chat makes it simple to track progress and follow up tasks. Chat currently supports 28 languages and each room can support up to 8,000 members.</span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><br></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><br></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/products/telephony/ringcentral" target="_blank">RingCentral</a></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>RingCentral is our preferred cloud phone solution. Get an all-inclusive business phone system with online meetings, messaging, and more. Integrated perfectly into your business systems, you can expect big business benefits without the high cost and complexity.&nbsp;Your teams will have all the accessibility they need to seamlessly communicate and collaborate from anywhere, becoming more productive, effective, and efficient as a result. You can host video meetings with up to 1000 participants too - which is pretty cool.</span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><br></span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align:left;">We love it because it's super reliable and it provides a one-stop shop for all business communications.</p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_kIe8JaxXRsA-IZrGC-zrDQ" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_kIe8JaxXRsA-IZrGC-zrDQ"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/telephony/ringcentral/product%20images/Video%20Conferencing.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1367px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_RTO8yyR-h1YtYmTJRpWrTg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_RTO8yyR-h1YtYmTJRpWrTg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-justify " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/" target="_blank"><br></a></p><p style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/" target="_blank"><br></a></p><p style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Zoho Campaigns</a><br></p><div style="text-align:left;">Email marketing software that drives sales.&nbsp;Create, send, and track email campaigns that help you build a strong customer base. From beautiful email templates to an easy-to-use editor, and automation tools to real-time analytics, Zoho Campaigns has it covered.</div><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><div style="text-align:left;">We use this to keep in touch with all of our partners with ease, updating them on the current situation and also providing regular tips on staying productive.</div><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm__Mqf5h5tI2o2jO8PGXmXkQ" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm__Mqf5h5tI2o2jO8PGXmXkQ"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/telephony/zoho-campaigns/campaigns-home-screen-2x.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_U-4EaA9LD_ZqC47v2VQ4sQ" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_U-4EaA9LD_ZqC47v2VQ4sQ"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-link zpbutton-size-md " href="#contents"><span class="zpbutton-content">Back to top</span></a></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_1tmLACDWkiuT35PNBz9yvg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_1tmLACDWkiuT35PNBz9yvg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-justify " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">​<span id="collaboration" title="collaboration" class="zpItemAnchor"></span>​Collaboration</span></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>Even the most <a href="#communication" title="communicative">communicative</a> team still need ways of collaborating effectively. If your team is still saying 'are you done with that spreadsheet as I need to make edits', then this category is for you. It's 2020 and things have changed now, you old-timer you.</span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="/products/platforms/g-suite/docs" title="Google Docs" target="_blank">Google Docs</a></span><br></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;">Create and edit documents directly in your browser – no dedicated software required. Several people can work at the same time, and every change is saved automatically.&nbsp;</span><span style="color:inherit;">Work on a single document with team members or people outside your company. See edits as others type, communicate through built-in chat and ask questions by including comments.</span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><p style="text-align:left;">It really is powerful word editing, made simple and accessible with the power of the cloud. It comes with even the most basic version of <a href="/products/platforms/g-suite" title="G Suite" target="_blank">G Suite</a>.</p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_iP2KqmLVa7aXXroyJqclKQ" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_iP2KqmLVa7aXXroyJqclKQ"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/platforms/g-suite/docs/Multiple-people-editing.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_utE3U80eiqJSBh7K2Cf-EQ" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_utE3U80eiqJSBh7K2Cf-EQ"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;"><a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/products/platforms/g-suite/sheets" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Google Sheets</a></p><div style="text-align:left;">Collaborative, smart, secure spreadsheets for fast-moving organisations. Sheets was designed with the needs of agile organisations in mind. As Sheets is cloud-based, it enables you to collaborate with anyone, anytime, anywhere. It's built on top of Google’s infrastructure, which gives you the freedom to create, while helping to keep your information secure.<br></div><div><br></div><p></p><div><span>Again, no software to install and super simple to use.</span></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_9V6Wq0bn1HMgezB68J8DLg" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_9V6Wq0bn1HMgezB68J8DLg"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/platforms/g-suite/sheets/Multiple-people-editing.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_Sudy-pK2Y72HIjzyD-97cA" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_Sudy-pK2Y72HIjzyD-97cA"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/products/platforms/g-suite/slides" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Google Slides</a></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align:left;">Slides is Google's offering of a presentation tool. It allows you to c<span>reate and edit polished presentations in your browser – no software required. Several people can work at the same time so that everyone always has the latest version. It helps you to&nbsp;make your ideas shine with a variety of presentation themes, hundreds of fonts, embedded video, animations, and more. All included in G Suite.</span></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_vG3rkYTBpAI2DwEO6fMYTA" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_vG3rkYTBpAI2DwEO6fMYTA"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/platforms/g-suite/slides/Multiple-people-editing.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_XDnvAlaCjLZMwYWVFiEDkA" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_XDnvAlaCjLZMwYWVFiEDkA"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-link zpbutton-size-md " href="#contents"><span class="zpbutton-content">Back to top</span></a></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_am22Dec-eLOefhIWvwsCRA" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_am22Dec-eLOefhIWvwsCRA"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><br></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">​<span id="productivity" title="productivity" class="zpItemAnchor"></span>​Productivity</span></span></p><p>Productivity is often the measure of a successful migration to remote-working strategies. With recent developments in the technical industry it's still very possible to maintain a very high level of productivity. We've covered a few excellent <a href="#communication" title="communication">communication</a> products and we've also covered a selection of smart <a href="#collaboration" title="collaboration">collaboration</a> software.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.ostratto.com/products/platforms/g-suite" title="G Suite" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">G Suite</a></p><p style="text-align:left;">G Suite - our bread and butter. It provides all the tools a business needs to do business, in an extremely affordable package. An<span>&nbsp;integrated suite of secure, cloud-native collaboration and productivity apps powered by Google AI. Includes Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet and more, all in the same place accessible with the same login.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span><br></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>We use G Suite for our business email, communications and productivity needs. The prices start at £4.60 per user/month and there's no contract, so it's really ideal for new businesses who don't want to commit to anything serious in the early days.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span><br></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>What I think is pretty cool is that the likes of Netflix and Colgate are using exactly the same product as a start-up business of one user. It really is modern-day cloud computing, allowing the little guys play with the big guys with no capital required. Awesome!</span></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_m_FfbjPUeksKqP2iVDzi3g" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_m_FfbjPUeksKqP2iVDzi3g"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/platforms/g-suite/gsuite_laptop_launchpad.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_nJwrFYyCnnCWSjMm82Ii_Q" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_nJwrFYyCnnCWSjMm82Ii_Q"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><a href="https://www.zoho.com/projects/" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Zoho Projects</a></p><p style="text-align:justify;"></p><p style="text-align:left;">When we do any commissioning work such as&nbsp;<a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/services/website-design" target="_blank">website design</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/services/solutions/business-setup" target="_blank">a system setup,</a>&nbsp;one of our most used products is Projects. It lets us track all ongoing tasks so that an overall project progress can be seen - and shared with clients if necessary. It can help you<span>&nbsp;plan your work, track it efficiently, and collaborate with your team wherever they are.</span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span><br></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>The main features we use are the tasks, the&nbsp;</span>activities<span>, issues (at times a great tool to nudge clients if we're waiting on them) and also the integration with Google Drive so that we can share files&nbsp;</span>securely<span>&nbsp;within the project space without needing to upload anything.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span><br></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>A great tool for teams that still need to be working on projects from different places.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span><br></span></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_STM30omBOcpOrM5YxfIPZA" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_STM30omBOcpOrM5YxfIPZA"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/productivity/zoho-projects/Activities-view.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_3zJGkpoOnCrSqmFuMFdQOg" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_3zJGkpoOnCrSqmFuMFdQOg"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:justify;"><br></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><a href="https://sitebuilder-20068197296.zohositescontent.eu/products/productivity/zoho-bookings" target="_blank" style="font-weight:bold;">Zoho Bookings</a></p><p style="text-align:left;">We've noticed a large increase in online classes since the lockdown here in the UK. Classes for exercise and yoga type activities the most prevalent. Should you be needing to host this sort of event, you need a solid way of offering booking for your 'students' - Bookings has you covered. It&nbsp;<span>syncs your calendars while letting students/customers self-schedule and pay for appointments. The user interface is completely customisable to fit your brand and there is an email function that sends emails to your customers automatically reminding them when an appointment is due.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span><br></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span>This one is for personal trainers, coaches teachers, trainers and just about anybody else that needs a way to manage classes easily.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span><br></span></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_iIGGrNd_ujzhS7YAboOr7Q" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_iIGGrNd_ujzhS7YAboOr7Q"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-large zpimage-tablet-fallback-large zpimage-mobile-fallback-large hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/products/productivity/zoho-bookings/Showcase%20your%20offerings.png" size="large" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1600px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_5gB0lQUVOKRiSomu2JOv1w" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_5gB0lQUVOKRiSomu2JOv1w"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-link zpbutton-size-md " href="#contents"><span class="zpbutton-content">Back to top</span></a></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_hLnAbeC7X29nEUMQnTacNA" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_hLnAbeC7X29nEUMQnTacNA"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><br></p><p><br></p><p style="text-align:left;">So there you have it. They are our favourite tools because they are cost-effective, smart and they are generally awesome. They all also meet <a href="/principles" title="our principles" target="_blank">our principles</a>.</p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;">If you need any help with working remotely during these very difficult times please just <a href="/contact" title="reach out" target="_blank">reach out</a>. We will be happy to assist and if we can help your business in any way at no cost, <a href="/principles" title="we absolutely will" target="_blank">we absolutely will</a>.</p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;">Stay safe.</p><p><br></p></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_FJbnAv_5SzODKMEjQu74sw" data-element-type="button" class="zpelement zpelem-button "><style> [data-element-id="elm_FJbnAv_5SzODKMEjQu74sw"].zpelem-button{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpbutton-container zpbutton-align-center "><style type="text/css"></style><a class="zpbutton-wrapper zpbutton zpbutton-type-primary zpbutton-size-md zpbutton-style-oval zpbutton-outline " href="/contact" target="_blank"><span class="zpbutton-content">Help me work smarter</span></a></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2020 13:02:41 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Three Social Experiments You Can Try Today with Video Meetings]]></title><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/post/100420-three-social-experiments</link><description><![CDATA[<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.comhttps://images.unsplash.com/photo-1573497161249-42447f9f6706?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ"/>Three fun social experiments to try with video meetings.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_U8CXD-MFT5qRBwYtmaA-KQ" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_U8CXD-MFT5qRBwYtmaA-KQ"].zpsection{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_Ik-2fshqRiW7sGW2AuS97w" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_XfSiCGcRQu22poVzJDZ5eg" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_XfSiCGcRQu22poVzJDZ5eg"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_v3JMGSxfvo5623qRees-5Q" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_v3JMGSxfvo5623qRees-5Q"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p>I'm not going to preach. You're no first timer when it comes to video meetings and working remotely. You jump into the advanced settings and customise things based on what you need. You know how to get the lighting just right, how to manage a call and how to read video-only body language.&nbsp;<span>What's left for you to know?</span></p><p><span><br></span></p><p><span style="color:inherit;">You may be very well&nbsp;acquainted&nbsp;with meetings but in a time&nbsp;</span><span>when video meetings are the </span><span style="font-weight:bold;">only</span><span>&nbsp;method of 'face-to-face' communication it's actually super-important to try and keep them fresh, engaging and useful.</span></p><p><span><br></span></p><div><div>If you’re working remotely (or just using <a href="/products/telephony/ringcentral" title="video conferencing software" target="_blank">video conferencing software</a> to connect with your team) and want to make things a little more interesting, here are three social experiments to try.&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><br></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_Uh0Q-yArLIooftx0BOYj8g" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_Uh0Q-yArLIooftx0BOYj8g"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-medium zpimage-tablet-fallback-medium zpimage-mobile-fallback-medium hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:dark"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/blog%20resources/10-04-20/social-experiments-video-meetings.png" size="medium" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1200px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_H5raoe-r-nGgoOJ61RORdw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_H5raoe-r-nGgoOJ61RORdw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">1. Easter eggs</span></div></div><div><span>You might recognise this idea from movies and video games.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Producers will place an object, cameo, or reference just outside the viewer’s peripheral. Most of the time we're so focused on the core of the scene that we miss these little things.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But if you’re in on the joke, you’ll get a unique—and fun—experience. For example, if you always take calls in your office, you could trade out a picture on the wall behind you each time you take a call with someone.&nbsp;<span>See how long it takes for them to notice. Or move your desk closer and closer to a background object with each call.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Make little changes and you’ll see who is really paying attention. If you have a recurring meeting with a teammate, you could turn this into a game and see who notices the difference first!</div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><p><span style="color:inherit;"></span></p><div><span><div><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">2. Always on</span></div><div>A few of our partners in their businesses have started leaving a RingCentral Video screen on all day.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>All they do is share the meeting’s ID or link with each other, and use this as a chance to pop in on each other throughout the day.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Essentially, it creates an online version of that random walk-by that you experience in an office environment.</div><br><div><span>Leave your video on while you work and see if it helps you connect with your team throughout the day, have a casual conversation, or even share lunch together—all while working remotely.</span><br></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><div><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;">3. Video-only days</span></div><div>If you need a bit of practice getting used to video meetings, this is a great way to start building that up.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Can you survive all day with only video calls? Try it!</div></span></div></span></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_yiTv3SGF8XpH_nq-xuwBUw" data-element-type="image" class="zpelement zpelem-image "><style> [data-element-id="elm_yiTv3SGF8XpH_nq-xuwBUw"].zpelem-image { border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-caption-color="" data-size-tablet="" data-size-mobile="" data-align="center" data-tablet-image-separate="" data-mobile-image-separate="" class="zpimage-container zpimage-align-center zpimage-size-medium zpimage-tablet-fallback-medium zpimage-mobile-fallback-medium hb-lightbox " data-lightbox-options="
                type:fullscreen,
                theme:light"><figure role="none" class="zpimage-data-ref"><span class="zpimage-anchor" role="link" tabindex="0" aria-label="Open Lightbox" style="cursor:pointer;"><picture><img class="zpimage zpimage-style-none zpimage-space-none " src="/blog%20resources/10-04-20/image1-73.png" size="medium" alt="ringcentral video" data-lightbox="true" style="width:1486px;"/></picture></span></figure></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_K4YcrBHu6l0sYBwyKKrKOA" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_K4YcrBHu6l0sYBwyKKrKOA"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div><br></div><div>Give your thumbs a rest and tap the video icon for your meetings each and every time.&nbsp;</div><p><br></p><div>Maybe you start a trend - Video Fridays - and see how it influences your day and productivity. Try to notice things like patterns in your communication and how quickly decisions get made in video calls compared to just messaging or audio calls.</div><div><br></div><div>Need help getting online with remote working during these challenging times? Just give us a holla.</div><div><br></div></div>
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</div><div data-element-id="elm_tmVEBCpLNHP-iuylXBHEYw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_tmVEBCpLNHP-iuylXBHEYw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p><br></p><p style="text-align:right;"><span style="font-size:12px;">Written in collaboration with RingCentral.</span></p></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2020 18:07:57 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Tips to Balance Working From Home and Parenting]]></title><link>https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.com/blogs/post/5-tips-to-balance-working-from-home-and-parenting</link><description><![CDATA[<img align="left" hspace="5" src="https://referencesite.dev.int.ostratto.comhttps://images.unsplash.com/photo-1476703993599-0035a21b17a9?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&amp;q=80&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;w=1080&amp;fit=max&amp;ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ"/>How to manage the juggling act of working from home and still parenting.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="zpcontent-container blogpost-container "><div data-element-id="elm_fbA_vnIuRDGqtCHKLXhIkg" data-element-type="section" class="zpsection "><style type="text/css"></style><div class="zpcontainer-fluid zpcontainer"><div data-element-id="elm_bv_9AZhRTqG7sFvKUxLQ9w" data-element-type="row" class="zprow zprow-container zpalign-items- zpjustify-content- " data-equal-column=""><style type="text/css"></style><div data-element-id="elm_lKO6CuxxQs2lnMQ63vhOnQ" data-element-type="column" class="zpelem-col zpcol-12 zpcol-md-12 zpcol-sm-12 zpalign-self- "><style type="text/css"> [data-element-id="elm_lKO6CuxxQs2lnMQ63vhOnQ"].zpelem-col{ border-radius:1px; } </style><div data-element-id="elm_6u6ONEefTDCawWUgub5g0A" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_6u6ONEefTDCawWUgub5g0A"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><div style="text-align:left;"><span>The average office-based worker may find the transition to working from home to be challenging enough. You’re surrounded by potential distractions, tempted by your fridge and comfy bed, and loneliness creeping in. Then you throw children into the mix, and it’s a whole new level of chaos.</span><br></div><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><div style="text-align:left;">Parents, if you find yourself suddenly at home with your laptop, your child(ren), and a calendar full of video meetings, take a deep breath and face the day with gusto. Here's five tips to help you maximise your productivity as a remote worker while also keeping your young ones happy (and quiet) during your workday.</div><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;">1. Create a separate work space.</span></div></div><div style="text-align:left;">If your home is also your workplace, try and keep your work in a separate room. This will allow for a psychological, as well as a physical, division between your personal and work lives. This will also make it much easier for you to leave work “at work” at the end of the day so you can focus on your family.</div><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="text-align:left;">If you’re not the primary caregiver on any given day and someone else is on hand playing that role, SHUT THE DOOR (if possible)! Retreat to your separate room and set up your remote office. Enjoy the distant hum of someone else attending to your children’s needs, and delight in the fact that you can simply pop in your earphones and get some quality work done!</div><div style="text-align:justify;"><br></div><p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1490135900376-2e86d918a23b?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&fm=jpg&crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&w=1080&fit=max&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjQ1Nzk3fQ" style="width:443.5px;height:296px;"><br></div><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;">2. Plan your day carefully.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="text-align:left;">If you know your children are going to be at home when you’re working, be realistic about what you can get done - and when. Plot each workday out in advance and stick to it. Otherwise, you might start to feel like you’re going to lose it with multiple deadlines looming.</div><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><div style="text-align:left;">If you share your childcare with a partner or a childcare provider, plan to do your best work when your children are being looked after or entertained out of sight. If you can schedule some downtime throughout the day to spend with your kiddies, all the better. You might just go back to work feeling refreshed, while your children may also feel happy enough to give you some quiet time to get your work done (maybe).</div><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;">3. Schedule some time for yourself.</span></div></div><div style="text-align:left;">Working from home while trying to balance childcare and family time can be exhausting. Make sure you give yourself some time to unwind. Sometimes this may mean scheduling a free block of time on your calendar so you remember to follow through, but that’s ok—this mental break is crucial for your sanity.</div><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tip</span>: Try to incorporate movement into your break to boost your energy and ward off the dreaded afternoon slump—do some yoga, walk the dog, or, better yet, play with the kids. They’ll love being with you, and you’ll feel better about focusing on work for the rest of the afternoon. As a bonus, perhaps they’ll be ready for a nap afterward!</div><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;">4. Be upfront about your predicament.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="text-align:left;">No doubt many of you have been in the cringeworthy position of doing your best to conduct a work call with your little people wreaking havoc in the background. Some of you may have hit the next level of embarrassment—joining a video meeting only to have your children take the stage.</div><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><div style="text-align:left;">The best thing you can do in these situations is to be upfront and honest about your tricky predicament. You’ll find that most people on your call have also been there or will at least understand it’s not the easiest situation to be in. And as your son's or daughter's starts taking their crayons to your laptop screen while singing their ABCs at the top of their lungs, you might just find your rapport with colleagues or customers gets a little bit stronger. We’re all human, after all!</div><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;">When all else fails and you feel like you’re really not going to have a constructive call, you can use a team messaging app, such as <a href="/products/telephony/ringcentral" title="RingCentral" target="_blank">RingCentral</a>, to let your colleagues know in real time that now is not the best time.</div></div><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:inherit;"><br></span></p><div style="text-align:left;"><br></div><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;">5. Be prepared for anything.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="text-align:left;">As you’re well aware, anything can happen when children are thrown into what should be a professional and organised setting. Whatever it is that keeps your children distracted, keep it on hand as an emergency back-up: a tablet loaded with your their favourite games (I know the parenting gods will not be happy, but needs must), cartoons paused on your TV, sticker books, and lots of (healthy) snacks. Preparation is key!</div><p style="text-align:left;"><br></p><div style="text-align:justify;"><div style="text-align:left;">Of course, none of the above matters unless you have the right technology. Click <a href="mailto:hello@ostratto.com?subject=Help me work from home better%21" title="here">here</a> to learn more about how Ostratto makes business collaboration effortless using the fantastic technology available today.</div></div></div>
</div><div data-element-id="elm_fU5hvF8C2atfugOLEs5sqA" data-element-type="spacer" class="zpelement zpelem-spacer "><style> div[data-element-id="elm_fU5hvF8C2atfugOLEs5sqA"] div.zpspacer { height:30px; } @media (max-width: 768px) { div[data-element-id="elm_fU5hvF8C2atfugOLEs5sqA"] div.zpspacer { height:calc(30px / 3); } } </style><div class="zpspacer " data-height="30"></div>
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</div><div data-element-id="elm_vCu2WAN_zeK9avIFoK9Etw" data-element-type="text" class="zpelement zpelem-text "><style> [data-element-id="elm_vCu2WAN_zeK9avIFoK9Etw"].zpelem-text { border-radius:1px; } </style><div class="zptext zptext-align-left " data-editor="true"><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12px;">Written in collaboration with <a href="http://www.ringcentral.co.uk" title="RingCentral" target="_blank">RingCentral</a>.</span></p></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div> ]]></content:encoded><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2020 12:44:04 +0000</pubDate></item></channel></rss>