Prepare for the Business Impact of Coronavirus

Staying Safe & Informed – Coronavirus & COVID-19 

As the situation related to COVID-19 continues to evolve we wanted to share some of our policies and provide some general guidelines you might find helpful as you navigate the evolving situation.   

 General Policy for Team Members 

• Remain home if you feel ill 
• Pay attention to your health. 
  • If you feel sick with a fever or cough or have difficulty breathing: 
    • Take your temperature. 
    • Call your healthcare provider immediately. 
    • Avoid contact with others. 
• If you are interested in the specific symptoms for COVID-19 you can find them here: COVID-19 Symptoms 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. 
• Upon entering OUR BUILDING  
  • Clean your hands by washing them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%-95% alcohol.  We have sanitizer in every suite. 
• Wash your hands before eating. 
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. 

Here are links to additional information: 

• Centers for Disease Control – COVID-19 Information 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Warnings 
• U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories 
• CDC Travel: Frequently Asked Questions 
• Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) 
• Kansas City Department of Health 

Remote Work Policy 

• We recommend that you have a remote work policy in place if a quarantine becomes necessary.   
• Options will vary widely depending on the equipment that is currently in place in your office (firewalls and switches), the capacity required (total number of people) and the bandwidth (internet connectivity speed) of your office and at the homes of your team members.  

Equipment for Team Member Use 

• Most small businesses are using laptops instead of desktops now so the portability of the computer itself is not much of an issue.  The additional equipment necessary for an extended remote work period would likely entail having additional monitors at home (or a policy to take the ones off your desk at work) so your team remains as productive at home as when at work.   
• Having a policy in place to “check out” the equipment and take it home will keep your controller and/or office manager from going crazy! 

Security 

• Two-factor authentication is a must for any remote enabled connection.  This means a password and a second form of identification, like a code sent to your phone, is required to connect.   
• Tools like LogMeIn may be convenient but are very hard to control from a security perspective.  A secure VPN (virtual private network) through your firewall is preferred. 
• Remote Desktop Services are built into the Windows server environment and can be ideal for most small businesses with minimal cost. 

Cloud-Based / Hosted Applications 

• Email is a good example of something that is cloud-based for most small businesses today.  Once something is in the cloud or hosted, by definition it is now remotely accessible.   
• Application access for your team members can involve a bit more setup, especially if you want functionality and the ability to print.  

Phones 

• VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phone systems are remote/cloud-enabled and have the ability to go where you go.  If your phone system is not VOIP it may still have forwarding features that will interact with your cell phones. 
• Make sure you understand the capabilities and communicate it to your team members as part of being prepared to work remotely. 

Office 365 & Microsoft 365 

• These platforms are purpose-built in the cloud to allow flexibility and remote connectivity. 
• Microsoft Teams is built into these platforms and can be a great productivity tool for a remote workforce.  More info can be found here: Microsoft Teams, with some specific videos as well: Microsoft Teams Videos 

We hope these policies and procedures have provided some insight that will help you be prepared as we all continue to deal with this evolving situation.  If we can answer any specific questions, we are happy to help.  You can email [email protected]  Please stay safe and informed as we navigate a world with COVID-19.