37 percent of UAE firms shift to remote work

With more than one-third (37 percent) of UAE firms planning to shift to remote work due to the COVID-19 coronavirus public health issue, organizations need to enable a mobile workforce that has constant access to business applications and data.

Across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), about one-third (35 percent) of firms are planning to shift to remote work, according to a recent survey by Gulf Talent. About half (45 percent) of all GCC firms plan to shift to remote work for all employees.

While many UAE and GCC organizations have remote work plans in place, many need to implement them rapidly, argues Condo Protego, the UAE-based IT infrastructure and information management consultancy and solutions provider.

“For UAE and GCC organizations, remote work is both a short-term goal, in the face of the coronavirus, and a long-term goal, because of the more flexible working styles of the Millennial and Generation Z workforce,” said Praj Calthorpe, Deputy GM, Condo Protego.

Knowledgeable and experienced channel partners can advise on how to rapidly deploy remote working with laptops, access to business applications and data, and cybersecurity solutions.  Condo Protego is working with one of the UAE’s larger banks on remote working for hundreds of previously desk-bound employees.

In the UAE, Condo Protego is seeing strong demand for Dell Technologies’ secure mobile workforce solutions for working on the go, and RSA SecurID identity and access management suite with two-factor authentication.

Long-term remote working can also leverage VMware’s virtual desktop infrastructure, for hosting cloud-based desktop environments and business applications

“With remote working, organizations can support a happier and more engaged workforce, which leads to higher productivity and return on investment,” added Praj Calthorpe. “Millennial and Generation Z workers argue that work is less about location and more about tasks, which can be done as effectively at home.”