So many companies have moved to a work-from-home format that it only makes sense that technology has adapted to this change as well
One of the good things that have come of the pandemic is that so many people are now working from home worldwide. Even though technology in the department of online meetings (like Zoom and Microsoft Teams) and collaboration planning (like Asana, Jira, and GitHub) has exploded with new features, technology as a whole has yet to adapt to this change. One of the aspects of technology that has yet to catch up is the shift from on-premise solutions to cloud-based ones. We’ve compared cloud-based and on-premise software before but not in the context of work-from-home. Let's start out by looking at the benefits of working from home before diving into the software side of things.
Work-from-home is more prevalent now than it ever has been, especially with jobs in the technology industry. Even jobs like writing, design, HR – almost any job these days can be done remotely, or at least in a hybrid setup with a good computer and a reliable internet connection. But one of the main benefits is that employees can be a lot happier with remote working. It frees them up to accept interesting jobs without having to move, and some companies are flexible enough that "workations" are possible - I'm currently writing this article from the south of France! Companies can also benefit directly from the lack of geographical restrictions as they can recruit the best there is, not just the best willing to move. They also get to reap the reward from happy employees.
Some companies throughout the pandemic also chose to get rid of their office spaces since they weren't being used. These companies are now benefiting from saving money by cutting rent, and employees are saving time by not having to commute. One worker saves about 200 hours a year by not having to commute to an office space. This means that employees can sleep longer in the morning or spend their extra time cooking a good breakfast or preparing for the day with a workout.
In short, working from home benefits both the employees and the company. However, there is still an adjustment period to get through. Companies need to continue to adapt to this new way of working, and technology can help with that process. The building blocks of working from home are a stable internet connection and a reliable computer. Just as a good computer is necessary, good software for that computer is just as important.
As companies grow and continue to adjust to remote working, scalability is an important factor to consider when they're choosing software. Not only do they want software that will grow along with their business, but they need software that can adapt to the needs of employees. And there are so many different kinds of software out there that it can be hard to narrow down exactly what is needed. Communication software, virtual meeting software, project management software; all that, plus the software needed to do the actual job, which varies depending on what it is.
One of the huge advantages of cloud-based software is that employees can access whatever information they need from anywhere. No more asking coworkers for information and waiting to hear back, just grab what they need. Another advantage is security. According to Norton, information stored in the cloud can be more secure than information stored on-premise. With cloud storage, information is stored on servers located in warehouses that aren't physically accessed easily. Those files are also encrypted. This means that they are "scrambled," so they're harder for cybercriminals to hack into. Cloud services also link with two-factor authentication more easily, making sign-in to accounts more secure.
Now we can look at cloud software for test automation specifically, which is definitely our wheelhouse. And wouldn't you know, Virtuoso is cloud-based! When you run author tests on Virtuoso, everyone can access the projects within your organization, QA teams and developers alike. With our reporting capabilities, if a test step fails as a result of a bug on your application, you can generate a unique URL that will replicate the bug to the dev team exactly. With our CI/CD integrations, Virtuoso also plugs into your release pipelines to keep your deployments moving along quickly and efficiently. Have you shifted to remote work? By requesting a demo, you can see how we can help your team become as efficient as possible while working from home. Even if your team is in the office, we're still a great choice! It's a win-win.
