6 Remote Work Tools You Need to Work Remotely

Work-from-home is not a new thing! But the global health crisis has pushed organizations and people across to get used to remote working without prior notice. And this where the problem began! Because not all organizations and people were equipped to face this sudden shift to working-from-home with no idea of when the normal work routine of being able to work from the office will return. This haste yet mandatory transition to remote work made it difficult for people to cope up with the new normal. Especially in terms of communicating, collaborating, and maximizing productivity outside the confines of your regular office. However, the good news is there is a range of remote work tools that can help improve your remote work process and ensure to give your best shot at work with whatever resources available at your home, or wherever you are working from.  

In this post, we’ll walk you through some remote work tools you’ll need to be able to work stress-free regardless of the location.

6 Must-have remote work tools

1. Mobile hotspots

Remote work cannot happen without a stable internet connection. Along with a stable internet connection, it makes sense to have a mobile hotspot as a backup option. For instance, hardware devices, such as the Karma, are pocket­-sized Wi-­Fi access points you can wirelessly connect to. Likewise, there are many devices that offer similar services. The key is to choose the one that suits your needs.

As another option, you can also use your phone as a hotspot. This feature is called ‘Personal Hotspot’ on iOS and ‘Mobile Hotspot’ on Android. Since using your mobile as a hotspot will drain your mobile battery faster – you may have to buy a hotspot/tethering plan! 

2. Remote desktop software

Remote desktop apps will help you securely connect to a computer at another location. This software is the best thing that can ever happen to remote workers. It’s a handy way for remote workers to access computers that are at the office or at any other location. However, you may need the help of your IT team to set you remote access on the system/laptop you are about work on at present. There are many remote desktop software out there in the market and you could choose the one that interests you. For instance: Microsoft’s Remote Desktop client is built into Windows, available as a Mac download, and simple to use. And, Apple offers its own version, called Apple Remote Desktop, etc.

3. Team chat apps

Communication and collaboration is the most difficult thing to do when it comes to remote work. And this can even complicate work and stress work relationships too. That is, if you’re working remotely, you’ll want a way to chat with your colleagues asynchronously instead of having to set up a time for a call whenever you have a query. No doubt, you could use email, but that’s not good enough! This calls for using collaboration/team chat apps. This will help you get work done faster and solve the issue of communication/collaboration that remote work has bought about. And the good news is that there are plenty of collaboration and team chat apps out there – all you need to do is select the one that your team finds comfortable using!

4. Video conferencing apps

With no scope to meet your colleagues in person, sometimes you’ll still want to have a little facetime. After all, we are all social animals. Fortunately, video calls can make you feel like you’re in the same room with your virtual teammates. And having able to see your team members’ expressions and hearing their voices goes a long way in having effective conversations than just audio calls. For instance, you could use Zoom, Google Meet, and so on.

5. Cloud storage

One of the most essential remote work tools is cloud storage. A cloud storage app can help you access data from any device and is vital for remote collaboration. And this doesn’t have to be complicated! All you have to do is save a file to the shared folder. And Voila! – you and your colleagues will instantly have access to the document with all the latest changes that you were all working on together. There are plenty of cloud storage apps out there and in fact, some are free too! You can choose the one depending on your work and organizational requirements.

6. Project management software

Of all the remote work tools, project management software is the most important tool to have. When working-from-home, having task lists and workflow can help you get work done faster. Especially for projects with a vast number of tasks that need to be done in specific order or workflows – project management software can be a boon! There are many great project management software out there, like Jira, Trello, Airtable, Freshdesk, etc. Depending on the work projects, team strength, and organizational needs – choose the one that works best for you and your team.

To sum it up

In this blog, we have covered the major remote work tools that can help you ease your remote working. We have given you the bracket, all you have to do is select the devices under each product that aligns with your business needs. For instance, under video conferencing tools – you can either choose Zoom or Microsoft Teams, etc. depending on what suits your organization the best. The choice is yours – our aim is to clear the path and offer the right direction to help simplify your remote work journey!  

Also read: How to Activate Zoom’s End-to-End Encryption Feature?