Assessing IT Needs for Federal Telework
The GAO report notes that, when it comes to the technology needed for telework, agencies should do the following:
- Assess teleworker and organization technology needs
- Develop guidelines about whether the organization or employee will provide necessary technology, equipment and supplies for telework
- Provide technical support for teleworkers
- Address access and security issues related to telework
- Establish standards for equipment in the telework environment
When determining the tech that they should invest in, IT leaders should “prioritize aspects such as security, reliability, ease of use, maintenance, cost predictability, interoperability and innovation,” says Doug Buffkin, regional vice president of business development for public sector at RingCentral.
Reliability and ensuring that agency employees can collaborate whenever they need to is critical, Buffkin says. IT leaders should also consider the age of their existing tools and determine whether they are investing in individual software products or platforms that can be expanded with new functionality and interoperate with other tools seamlessly and securely. They should also assess whether the agency can pivot easily and if the IT environment can be flexible and innovative as new features are introduced.
“This evaluation can help agency leaders identify redundancies, outdated systems or inefficiencies that may be hindering teleworkers’ productivity and can serve as the foundation for making informed technology investments,” Buffkin says.
DISCOVER: Digital collaboration tools are powering federal productivity.
Agencies should also prioritize infrastructure that allows large numbers of employees to telework simultaneously, Locke says.
“Agencies should assess the extent to which their infrastructure is adequate to support increased telework, especially during peak periods, including whether technical support is sufficient, and address any access and security issues they identify,” she says.
Addressing Enduring Telework Tech Challenges
In GAO’s review of agencies that had to dramatically pivot during the pandemic, it found challenges in getting financial support for the most efficient remote work technology, Locke says.
“When the pandemic hit, this was an unplanned expenditure and required agencies to borrow from other funding sources to address the immediate need,” she says.
Additionally, agencies may continue to face “issues with executive leadership prioritizing the right tools for remote workers,” Locke says.
RELATED: The National Science Foundation is adapting telework to a hybrid world.
“It’s a very different mindset for a government agency, and there can be difficulties getting the necessary focus of resources to support these remote workers,” she says.
IT leaders must also ensure that telework tools remain as secure as possible as hybrid work continues, since telework potentially opens new avenues for breaches, Buffkin says.
“One easy way to do this is to use cloud applications to stay current with security patching,” he says. “Unlike traditional on-premises systems, cloud services often automate security updates and patches, ensuring that systems are always protected against known vulnerabilities and reducing agencies’ exposure window.”
Software interoperability between solutions can also minimize vulnerabilities by speeding up detection and response times, Buffkin says.
“And for agency employees who work to address critical citizen needs, using secure communication tools is vital to protecting sensitive personal information,” he says. “Agencies with these security principles already built into their cloud-based communications infrastructure can ensure safer and more resilient interactions, no matter where employees may be located.”
