MERIT Solutions has been serving the Chesapeake area since 1982, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.
With remote work becoming the norm for many businesses in their efforts to maintain operations in recent months, this potentially company-saving adoption has not been without its drawbacks. Most notably, the mental health of many employees has been impacted as teams have been working together while keeping apart, in large part because the quick conversations that happen throughout the workday have largely been eliminated.
With numerous vaccines now being deployed, it finally seems that there is an end to the COVID-19 pandemic at some point in the future. While we still have some ways to go, it would be helpful to look ahead and plan for how we can implement some of the lessons this period has taught us—especially in the workplace.
Remote work has been on the rise for some time, even before the COVID-19 pandemic made it the safest way for a business to operate. Naturally, this makes organization a particularly crucial thing to consider, especially as public areas reopen as workspace options.
Many workplaces have started the processes necessary to safely return their employees to typical operations. However, this is going to involve no small amount of preparation in terms of your business’ technology and proactive planning. Let’s consider the different approaches that you could take as you resume operations in a way that helps protect your team while still enabling work to be done.
Since the onset of the coronavirus, many businesses have managed to sustain themselves through remote work—also commonly known as telework. While this strategy has allowed quite a few businesses to survive, it has also opened them up to security threats. Here, let’s focus on one such threat: vishing, or voice phishing.
Chalk this up to the "I never knew that" category.
If you have a Windows Server 2008 R2 and you are either setting it up remotely or do not have a nailed up VPN and want to connect to your offsite domain, it is pretty simple.
First, create a VPN connection in the Network and Sharing Center (this presumes that you have a PPTP VPN running back at the main site.) Next, while running the Connect to a Workplace Wizard, check the box to "Allow other people to use this connection", then complete the Wizard. It will not be necessary to save your credentials.
Finally, when you reboot your server you will come to the Press Control-Alt-Delete grey screen. Go ahead and give it the three finger salute, then in the lower right corner you will see a double computer icon. Click this icon and you will be presented with a choice of VPNs if there are more than one available, then a Username/Password prompt will appear. Type in your valid domain credentials. This will not only initiate the saved VPN, but it will also authenticate to the domain with those credentials.