Tools For Your Business In The Work From Home Days Of Coronavirus

We at Point of Care Systems believe in Community and Independent Pharmacies around the country and would like to continue to be a resource of helpful information in sustaining your small businesses. With the coronavirus disrupting business as usual, organizations worldwide are implementing work-from-home policies. This poses new challenges for organizations that lack the processes and technologies required to secure a remote workforce.

To that end, we have found a few products and tools that are offering free or discounted software for a variety of applications related to adjusting the way we do business during the COVID-19 crisis.

First, some insightful information about working securely from home. SANS has put together a free ‘Work-from-Home Deployment Kit’ that contains free and normally paid-for resources and training materials on how to securely work from home. Click here to see what they offer. It’s probably a good place to start.

We’ve divided this into sections to make it easier to find what might interest you.

• • Security Products
• • Team Collaboration
• • Video conferencing
• • Communications / Remote Access Products
• • Learning
• • Other Insights and Additional Reading

Security Products

BitDefender is offering 12 months of FREE enterprise-grade security for ALL healthcare organizations. This way, Bitdefender helps healthcare providers to work at full capacity on delivering care during the Coronavirus pandemic, without worrying about falling victim to the ruthless, opportunistic attacks revolving around this crisis,” BitDefender states in their offer.

Optimum Online. Did you know, that as a valued Optimum Online customer, you can benefit from security software provided by McAfee? Optimum Online customers can protect up to 20 devices, including PCs, laptops, Macs, smartphones, and tablets. McAfee’s security software provides a comprehensive suite of features that you can rely on for a safe online experience. Click here to see their offer.

Banyan Security is offering free usage of its Zero Trust Remote Access for a limited time. In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is offering free usage of its Zero Trust Remote Access platform for new customers to help them improve worker productivity and eliminate frustrations associated with VPNs.

1Password is removing the trial limits for their 1Password Business product. This is a great product for storing and accessing various password you use every day. It synchronizes across your devices and can be shared with your teams. “We’re removing the 30-day trial period on 1Password Business so companies can start keeping their teams secure without getting finance involved,” 1Password states in their offer.

Team Collaboration

Inside or out of the office, it is tough enough to communicate between teams. With some of your teams working remotely, this is even more difficult. Email is not the tool to effectively handle this, and it’s not secure. Texting is really not the tool for this either.

Rather than scatter team conversations about a project or topic into many disparate email threads, Team tools provide a single place for

teamwork that can be easily searched and that anyone can join or leave as needed. Some important benefits:

• • Everyone has access to the latest information, saving you time on managing communications so you can focus on problem-solving and decision-making
• • You get responses faster, eliminating waits for an email reply
• • Files, decisions, and people are easy to find, thanks to organized channels and powerful search
• • Project and conversation histories are retained in channels, so when new people join, they can ramp up quickly

Microsoft is making Microsoft Teams for free for the next six months to aid businesses who move towards a remote workplace during the outbreak.

Slack has a free level of its collaboration product.  See why it’s a better choice than email here.

Video conferencing

Cisco is changing its free Webex meeting software so that it supports unlimited usage, supports up to 100 people per meeting, and has toll dial-in availability. For businesses that are not currently a customer, Cisco is also offering free 90-day trials.

Zoom Meetings & Chat – Some of you may already be using zoom for remote dinners, cocktail parties, etc. Zoom’s video conferencing with real-time messaging and content sharing obviously isn’t just for this purpose. Here’s an informative link from zoom: How to Work from Home and Meet Like a Pro

Communications / Remote Access Products

AT&T: According to a report by Vice, AT&T is suspending broadband data caps during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Oneclick is making their remote access Basic Starter Package free for the next three months to assist those working remotely. This allows up to 5 users remote access to any application or desktop from any kind of infrastructure or office PC with any end-user device via highly encrypted streaming.

Splashtop is offering free 60-day licenses to its Business Access remote access software.

Tigunia is giving 6-months of free access to the remote access software. Tigunia is offering any company the ability to enable every employee to work from home during uncertain times – FOR FREE and with NO STRINGS ATTACHED, ” Tigunia announced.

Business Tools

iFlow is giving free access to their iFlow employee time and attendance solution. New companies that register and are working from home or not can benefit from this offer. All you need to do is to create a new account and send us an e-mail with the text “Together”. Then, we will activate the free account during the COVID-19 crisis, at least for 3 months,” the offer stated.

LuxSci is giving free high volume HIPAA-compliant health/safety-related email services for free until June 1st, 2020. See LuxSci’s offer.

Virtru is offering free access to their mail encryption product for Healthcare, State and Local Government, or Nonprofit organization.

Learning

Finally, LinkedIn is now offering numerous free courses about remote working. “Like us, you likely have employees who are or will be working remotely to help contain and mitigate the spread of the virus. Different organizations are at different stages with remote work, but few of us have done it at the current scale. To help support you and your workforce adapting successfully, we’ve opened up a number of LinkedIn Learning courses that focus on being productive while working from home, including tips on using virtual meeting tools to build relationships in a new working environment.”

Point of Care Systems will continue to provide helpful updates and information during this crisis and pledge to be a source of Innovative & cutting-edge solutions for Independent Pharmacy. We encourage you to speak with your own IT vendors and software providers to uncover services that may help during this crisis. 

Other insights and additional reading:

Security, Future Readiness, and Other Thoughts
In The Time of Essential Businesses, Community Pharmacy is There
COVID-19 Resources and Training for Your Pharmacy From APhA