Using Technology to Achieve Work-Life Balance: VPN and BYOD

The following article introduces some of the technologies that can be used to help us improve our work-life balance by being more efficient and flexible in the work we do and where we do it from. Many of the technologies help us work from dynamic locations and make communications and information sharing faster and more versatile, bringing benefits to both employers and their employees with increased staff morale and increased productivity.

vpn

The term VPN, or virtual private network, is used to describe scenarios and technologies that allow two disparate local computer networks (LANs) to connect securely over public networks such as the Internet. The exact technologies and protocols may vary with some VPNs using software programs and/or network configurations, but the basic principle is that the data that is transmitted between the two endpoints on each network or device is contained in encrypted packets, while each endpoint requires authentication to restrict access to authorized users. Since encrypted packets can only be decoded at these endpoints, the data cannot be intercepted as it travels over public networks.

This secure system can be used not only to connect two different LANs regardless of geographic location, but also to connect individual machines/devices to the LANs. For businesses, therefore, it can be a valuable technology for connecting separate offices or allowing employees to connect with centralized LANs when traveling or working from other locations. However, for individual employees looking to improve their work-life balance, it can be a vital tool that allows them to work from home and still have access to all files and secure data stored on their office servers as well. like running programs, like email. clients as if they were sitting at their usual desk. The flexibility this offers can, when the employer is accommodating, greatly alleviate time and travel pressures, preventing work from excessively encroaching on personal time. Additionally, employers who use VPNs are more likely to be willing to change workplaces due to secure VPN offerings, as well as continuity, with employees who can contribute and work in the same capacity as if they were in the workplace. place.

BYOD

BYOD, which stands for Bring Your Own Device, represents a rapidly growing trend in the workplace in which employees are allowed, and sometimes encouraged, to use their own personal devices instead of those provided by their employer. business. A BYOD policy needs to address security concerns as ‘untrusted’ devices (with various malware vulnerabilities and the potential to take private data off the network) are introduced into restricted workplace LANs. On the other hand, adoption can reduce a company’s IT spend, introduce more IT functionality into the workplace, and make individual employees more productive as they work on devices with which they are more familiar. Therefore, BYOD adoption and its benefits rely on technologies like VPN (above) to provide secure connections between devices and LANs (without necessarily bringing the device directly to the LAN behind the firewall).

BYOD helps improve work-life balance by further blurring the line between working from the office, on the road, or at home so there’s a seamless transition between the two; reducing the need to travel/commute in many cases. It can also increase the period and efficiency of production, which, in turn, can mean that the working day consumes less personal time. All of which means more personal time at home. Furthermore, it cannot be underestimated how a sense of morale at work affects the dynamics of work life and therefore it can be important to use devices with which one is familiar, experienced and comfortable.