Those responsible for business continuity in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane, transit strike, or pandemic are well aware of the impact such an event can have on business. Away from their offices, employees may lose access to computer applications, and the network and phone communications they require to do their jobs. Business operations can be seriously interrupted. Some businesses never recover, while others take months or years to regain normal operations.
Cisco® has designed a variety of remote working solutions that extend the resources of the office environment to employee homes or alternate work locations. Data, applications, network connections, and phone services are all made available to employees working remotely during a disaster. Employees can remain connected and productive-whether at home and using company-owned or employee-owned PCs, using public Internet terminals, or using Internet-enabled mobile phones. Cisco remote working solutions rely on existing network infrastructure and IT processes; comprehensive, integrated security; and simplified remote-user provisioning and management. Cisco teleworking solutions are customizable based on employee job roles. Providing the appropriate teleworking solution for each job function helps increase employee productivity during displacement. It also minimizes the time and costs required of IT and management.
Best Practices and Solutions for Remote Working During A Disaster or Pandemic
Different types of disasters require different approaches to maintaining business continuity. An earthquake or terrorist attack can damage or destroy the work site and network assets. A pandemic or transit strike can leave work site assets undamaged but block employee access to the site. If the IT infrastructure is damaged, the resiliency of applications, WAN connectivity, data, and access become crucial. If the IT infrastructure is merely inaccessible, remote working for displaced employees is the focus.
Cisco provides virtual private network (VPN) and voice over IP (VoIP) solutions that enable employees to recreate their office resources at their homes or other Internet-connected locations using a laptop or other network-accessible device, as shown in Figure 1. Using VPN services, employees can securely access data applications-including e-mail, instant messaging, client/server applications, file servers, databases, and intranet services-remotely. The VPN connection can extend voicemail and employee office phone extensions directly to their PC or to an IP phone.
Figure 1. Broad, Flexible Cisco Teleworker Solutions for Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness
Remote working solutions from Cisco include various combinations of data access, voice access, and high-speed transmission suitable for video conferencing and other bandwidth-intensive applications. Options include:
The Cisco Anywhere Office lets employees turn their company or personal laptops, public Internet terminals, or Internet-accessible wireless devices into fully functional offices from a remote location with an Internet connection. Built on Cisco remote-access VPN and Unified Communications technologies, the Anywhere Office enables access to company applications and network resources, including employee phone extensions and voicemail.
Building blocks of the Cisco Anywhere Office:
• Remote-access VPN technology provides the connection to the company network. Both types of remote access-Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and IP Security (IPsec)-are available from Cisco, integrated into a single platform, such as the Cisco ASA 5500 Series SSL/IPsec VPN Edition, or on Cisco routers. Cisco can help determine which VPN type to use for specific scenarios. Having both IPsec and SSL technology options allows businesses to customize their remote-access VPN solutions without any additional hardware or added management software.
• Security for remote workers is vital. Cisco remote-access VPN solutions allow for customization of employee access based on user device, location, endpoint security posture, and other factors. Additional security capabilities include full firewall, antivirus, anti-spyware, intrusion prevention, application control, and endpoint protection.
• Voice services extend the employee's office phone services to the remote location using Cisco IP Communicator, a Microsoft Windows-based application that allows calls to be made and received from a PC. Cisco IP Communicator provides the same features and manageability as a Cisco IP phone handset.
The Cisco Enterprise-Class Teleworker solution fully replicates the office environment at a fixed, remote location. This solution provides toll-quality voice and video services and secure, robust, and centrally managed always-on high-speed VPN connections. An integrated Cisco router behind the cable or DSL modem in the teleworker's home is the only additional hardware that is necessary.
Building blocks of the Cisco Enterprise-Class Teleworker Solution:
• Site-to-site VPN technology emulates the office environment through a Cisco router such as the Cisco 800 Series at the employee's location. Wireless LAN (WLAN) services can also be enabled on the Cisco 800 Series at the employee location.
• Integrated router security features from Cisco, including Cisco IOS® Firewall and Cisco IOS IPS,significantly reduce the risk of security breaches, the abuse of network privileges, and the spread of malware. Identity-based networking services provide strong authentication of users and devices to prevent unauthorized use.
• VoIP services at the employee's remote location are possible with Cisco Unified IP Phones. The same Unified Communications user experience and services available at the office-such as call routing, forwarding, conferencing, one-touch dialing, and voicemail- can be available to the remote teleworker in minutes.
Summary
Flexible, robust, and secure, Cisco teleworking solutions keep businesses connected and operational during a disaster or pandemic. There are many options to choose from, designed to meet the needs of diverse types of companies and employee job roles. Cisco Advanced Services can help with advice or with delivery of a solution tailored to meet your needs. Cisco Capital® has developed many methods of financing remote teleworking solutions. To learn more about Cisco disaster and pandemic preparedness teleworking solutions, please contact your
Cisco account manager.
