Everyone had to adapt, change their habits and routines, so that they can still work efficiently, even from a different environment.

However, being in the comfort of our own homes, things can get a bit too relaxed, and we can very easily lose our focus and productivity. While it can get hard to stay motivated, luckily there are a few tools that can help with that.

We have recommended and assisted a lot of companies in South Africa to set up these resources with great results. No matter the size of your team, we are available to assist you configure these listed resources and more. These being said, here are the top four applications that can help employees work in a productive and efficient manner, even when working remotely:

Slack

Being maybe one of the most famous real-time communication apps, Slack is a tool that can represent the main way in which you keep in touch with the rest of your team.

The advantage of this app is that it not only supports direct messaging, but also audio or video calls. You are also able to start sharing your screen while you’re in a call, which is a feature that comes in very handy.

The application supports file sharing as well, so you can forget the old and classic email method, as the files can be sent directly from within the app.

You are able to create channels (public or private), search through conversations or messages and create threads so that you keep the discussions as organized as possible.

One big advantage is that the app can integrate with plenty of third-party tools (such as Google Drive/JIRA/Pager apps and so on), which can really help you be very efficient and productive while working remotely.

Google Drive

The application that comes next in this top is Google Drive. This is one of the most well-known file storage apps. You can create and files such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations and so on. The files will be stored in a cloud, so you will only need an internet connection to access them, which is very convenient, especially for remote workers.

Besides organizing your files in folders, you can also collaborate with others and work on the same documents simultaneously. You have 15GB of free storage, but, of course, you can upgrade at any time, as they offer a variety of paid plans.

Trello

So far in this article, we’ve presented an app that’s great for communication, and one that will provide a solution for storing your files. This next app is going to help you stay on track and keep your tasks well organized.

Trello is another online, web-based tool. This is a list-making application in which your tasks can be arranged in a very efficient way. The app is a Kanban-style one, meaning that the tasks are spread into a visual board, and thus you will be able to see the status of a task at any given time.

This app, too, will let you collaborate with people. You can create and assign tasks, move them around from “To-Do”, to “In Progress” and, later on, to “Finished”. Using a task tracking app will really up your productivity game.

It has also been researched that using apps such as this one will help remote workers mentally as well, as you tend to get motivated when you have a visual representation of the tasks that you’ve managed to complete. For example, as a content writer for ninjaessay, you will be able to write all of the upcoming articles into different tasks placed in the “To-Do” board, and have a very organized tracking method that will help you finish them before their deadlines. Once the articles get posted on the website, you can move them to the “Finished” board. By the end of the week/month, you will have a very exact report of the tasks that you’ve finished and the ones that are still in progress.

Desktime

Last but not least, it will also be helpful that you use a timeline app, so that you can easily track the time that you’ve spent actually working.

Desktime is a great tool for that, and it can come in very handy especially if you’re a freelancer working by the hour.

The app will give you complete breakdowns of the time spent working, and you can also add your co-workers as well. You will see how much each employee has spent on each task/project.

Author Bio

Rosa Hemming is a blogger and professional content writing expert from the United States. She is keen on movies and serials. Her blog consists of lists of the best films divided by genre and for different moods. Find her on Twitter.

But as technology has developed, so did hackers. If you do not protect your computer while surfing the internet, it may be hacked. We already know that data about what we do online is collected all the time. This is how you get personalized discounts and offers to things you only spoke about with your friends.

The developments of technology also enabled people to work from wherever they like doing it. You see cafes such as Starbucks full of people working on their laptops. This is something students also do. Connecting to a public Wi-Fi network comes with a lot of disadvantages.

Hackers create networks with similar names so that they can trick users into connecting to them. Once they are connected, hackers have access to all the information sent on that computer. Sometimes, it may be plain conversations about exams or romance. But other times, it may be important personal information, such as bank account numbers, passwords, and so on.

These are the vulnerabilities every internet user has when connecting to the internet. Cybersecurity is a domain that is continuously developing, but so do the hacking methods. So, why use VPN while working from home? Which are the benefits?

• Mask Your IP Address

One of the things that happen behind websites is a collection of data. You have probably come across a few websites that restrict your access to them. If you have wondered how they do this, it is because they have access to your IP address.

Your IP address indicates your location or country, and even though most websites do not restrict your access, they have it. One of the great benefits of using a VPN while working from home is that it helps you mask your IP address.

VPNs allow anyone to generate a different IP address to use. You can change your country and location. At the same time, as your real IP is masked, no one will have access to it. So, it is a plus of cybersecurity. This is essential for people whose jobs involve surfing the internet and accessing a lot of websites.

You are connected to your personal network, and it can easily be hacked. This is essential especially for those who have smart homes and all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

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  Ensure You Keep Your Online Anonymity

As we have mentioned above, some websites do not allow you to access them. There are specific websites such as BBC iTunes, that allow only specific countries to have access to it. This is valid both for websites and apps. They can have access to your IP and this is how they restrict specific locations and countries.

VPN helps you mask your IP address and keep your online anonymity. It also helps you connect to a server in a specific location and have access to websites that blocked your real IP address. Of course, when you access websites, they will see your fake IP address, so your anonymity is secure online.

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  Wi-Fi Protection

Besides the protection VPN gives to your IP address, it can also help you protect your Wi-Fi. Sometimes, remote workers are traveling and working while being on the road. This means that you might usually connect to public Wi-Fi networks that leave you exposed to threats. Hackers can easily track your activity and steal important information, which can cause huge damage afterward.

Using a VPN connection helps you ensure your protection while doing all these. VPN encrypts your data, which is a great extra layer of protection from hacks, says a security business owner and professional Public relations company in Pretoria, who have both move some of their resources to remote work.

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  No Price Differences

Have you wondered why the same product on the same website has different prices depending on your location? It is indeed a good strategy many brands are adopting to get more clients, but how do they do it? They identify your location based on your IP address. And they give you discounts and offers based on that. It is for these reasons that some locations have higher prices.

VPN connection helps you eliminate these differences by changing your IP address on the store location. Remote workers might often need to order tools to help them in their job, so this is a good way to make sure you pay the right price for the products you want to order.

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  Increased Productivity and Efficiency

One of the things remote workers struggle with the most is lack of productivity and efficiency. Many of them try different things and environmental changes to find their flow. But productivity might be harder to achieve because you might be distracted. Cybersecurity is a real problem many people struggle with, especially during these times when more and more people are using the internet. This means that the number of cyber-attacks has increased too, and this fact can bring a toll on your productivity level.

Thinking about your security online can be a huge distractor you might not be aware of. Using a VPN when working, no matter if it is from the comfort of your own home or your favorite cafe, can increase your productivity. You will feel safe to work from any place because your real IP address is masked, so your focus and attention will be on your tasks.

Conclusion

Even though VPN might seem something odd for some people that are working from home, it really comes with benefits. VPN helps you add an extra layer of cybersecurity, which in these times is so essential. As the pandemic forced more people to spend time inside, the number of cyber-attacks has increased considerably.

Protecting yourself and your personal data from cyber-attacks is important, especially when working remotely. You might work from the comfort of your own home, a park, or a cafe and you will surely connect to public networks. VPN helps you mask your IP address, change the location and country, and get access to websites that previously restricted it. It also helps you keep your online anonymity and increase your productivity and efficiency.

Author Bio

Thomas Lanigan has work experience for 4 years as a marketing specialist, social media manager, writer, journalist, and editor. Also, he is a professional content writer in such topics as blogging, marketing features, cybersecurity, technology.