Several times I've been called asking "Can I use my computer to work at home?"
My main answer is "It depends."
Does your computer have the hardware to handle the software your company will be using?
Processor, memory, hard drive space, video card (multiple monitors), sound (discreet or on-board) system.
Does you operating system support the software, and are all the updates installed?
Anti-virus software, will the company offer the one they use, or use your own.
Do you have adequate bandwidth to handle your work load, tv, phones, tablets, and other computers (will your kids be on multiple devices watching movies, videos, playing on line games).
will the company cover you for damages if your computer gets hacked (ransom ware) while using it for company business?
Are you going to use the company VPN?
Do you really want your computer that contains personal information used as a business computer?
Best suggestion. Do you have a spare computer that you can do a full wipe and fresh install that meets the company guidelines?
If so, I suggest that you do a wipe and fresh install, and all updates, of your OS. Get your computer set up by the company IT dept with the remote software, anti-virus, VPN, and dual monitor software/hardware if needed.
That generally gets them the information they need to find out if their computer can be used as an office drone.
Then again, some have called back wanting to know how much it would be to build one.
What is this, 2005? With the increases in RAM and Hard drive in recent years on even the most basic computers, most people will have no problem working from home. Those like me who work with large graphics and need more than the factory settings likely already have their own setups to spec. A lot of companies with proprietary info usually have laptops available with the appropriate security measures in place.
Even though we live in an era of technology and advanced computerization, many companies have not evolved or stayed current. On the other hand, many have.
Lucky for me in that my employer evolved years ago for the most part. I have about a dozen techies that report to me using employer owned hardware & software, and most have worked remote a couple days a week for years. I've got one staff that works remote 100% of the time a hundred miles from here. So the transition during this timeperiod has been seemless for our staff working remotely.
What is this, 2005? With the increases in RAM and Hard drive in recent years on even the most basic computers, most people will have no problem working from home. Those like me who work with large graphics and need more than the factory settings likely already have their own setups to spec. A lot of companies with proprietary info usually have laptops available with the appropriate security measures in place.
There are still a lot of people who are using an old Win 7 32 bit computer with 2 gigs of RAM.
Not to mention that some companies do not use the cloud, but software like GoToMyPC, LogMeIn, and SplashDot.
Several companies in my area have two separate systems. One for the workforce, one for the old CNC machines that only run on Win 95/98.
What is this, 2005? With the increases in RAM and Hard drive in recent years on even the most basic computers, most people will have no problem working from home. Those like me who work with large graphics and need more than the factory settings likely already have their own setups to spec. A lot of companies with proprietary info usually have laptops available with the appropriate security measures in place.
There are still a lot of people who are using an old Win 7 32 bit computer with 2 gigs of RAM.
Not to mention that some companies do not use the cloud, but software like GoToMyPC, LogMeIn, and SplashDot.
Several companies in my area have two separate systems. One for the workforce, one for the old CNC machines that only run on Win 95/98.
Wow, Jerry, this is not normal. I think your sample of businesses is too narrow. Most businesses with multiple employees have a more modern technical infrastructure - it would almost be more difficult not to.
