Dubai: The trend of working from home, in a bid to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 contagion, is quickly becoming a reality for an increasing number of people. However, most small and medium sized businesses rely on technology that is maintained physically within workplaces, inaccessible to employees from remote locations. In response to this emerging challenge, Dubai’s Vision Tech Solutions DMCC, who specialize in IT infrastructure and support, are offering a free tech solution consultancy to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to enable such organizations to rapidly shift to remote working arrangements, without compromising the security of their data and networks.

As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the globe, some of the world’s largest companies are asking employees to work from home, as a precaution against infection. Industries that are geared towards providing services through direct physical interaction with their customers, such as airlines, hospitality and healthcare, are particularly in need of effective tech support and solutions. Educational institutions are another sizable sector that needs such support, to replace physical classrooms with online e-learning alternatives.

The main challenge being faced in implementing a work-from-home policy is that employees are not being able to connect to appropriate servers, which affects their productivity. Vision Tech Solutions’ highly qualified management team and tech personnel have the expertise and experience to provide the requisite IT infrastructure and support that can resolve this issue efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively.

Mr. Rajab Ali Virani, Managing Director of Vision Tech Solutions DMCC believes that the tech sector needs to step in and proactively engage with businesses to limit the negative impact of the ongoing disruption in standard operations. “We will provide free consultancy to SMEs and work closely with them to help connect employees working from home to office servers remotely, through a firewall. This arrangement will ensure that the data privacy and security of the company is preserved. We will also offer our services to help schools run their e-learning programs and assist with deploying reliable remote access to servers, so people can work or learn at home seamlessly even during this crisis ”, Mr. Virani explained.

The threat of hackers, who are infecting users with malware by duplicating coronavirus tracker-maps, has emerged as a significant risk to businesses. They are using these maps to spread malicious software and gather information on users, including their names, passwords, credit card details and other data.

“One of the primary reasons we are offering to manage all the IT systems for SMEs is to ensure that these businesses are protected from opportunistic hackers and malicious parties, particularly if they currently use a network that is not properly secured” said Mr. Virani. “The coronavirus contagion might be the key challenge right now, but a company’s data, privacy, and security cannot be compromised, whether or not teams are working remotely. Vision Tech Solutions DMCC can give companies peace of mind by ensuring that they do not have to choose between productivity and compromising their security and data, because of a move to remote working arrangements”.

Mr. Virani’s proposal to provide free consultation follows a statement by the UAE Central Bank, announcing a stimulus package of AED 100 billion that will help boost SMEs, the banking sector, and the real estate industry during this crisis.