How 4K video capabilities power hybrid work

Pre-pandemic hybrid working, also described as flexible working, was previously less common, with remote work primarily reserved for those who were physically distant from the office, and more rarely for local workers who occasionally worked from home for convenience. During the pandemic, organisations were forced to enable the masses (in some cases entire workforces) to work from home. Dare I say “post-pandemic”, and hybrid working seems to be here to stay for many organisations. For some companies, providing employees with the flexibility to work from home, at least part of the time, has been found to boost productivity and improve loyalty and staff satisfaction – benefiting both businesses and the employees.

The good news is that the technology exists to facilitate this new normal. The most forward-looking employers harnessed secure VPN access to virtual and digital workspaces, as well as productivity and collaboration tools to allow teams to work together seamlessly.

However, for some this is not enough. Indeed, there are still groups of employees who are struggling with remote work, because their application requirements exceed these conventional solutions.

The need for 4K video streaming

Across multiple industries, some employee groups rely on remote 4K video streaming access to accomplish their daily work. Whether they’re developing video games, monitoring the power grid or auditing trades, some remote users need access to higher-resolution imagery as they access on-premises business applications and complete daily tasks. Without high-resolution video imagery, these workers may experience significant eye and work strain.

In addition, these employees may not be able to perform processing-intensive tasks, as other desktop applications consume valuable compute resources. Computing engineering lab workers have long used secure remote 4K streaming and video capabilities to test equipment, such as desktops and laptops, for large customer orders. Now, other workers can benefit from gaining these same capabilities to execute their daily responsibilities.

How to equip remote workers with 4K technology

Pre-pandemic, many of these employees would have worked on-site and had access to all the tools they need. But as hybrid work gains traction, IT teams are needing to quickly rethink how to equip these workers.

For some, the first consideration is whether it’s possible to simply ship these technologies to employees’ homes. But managing, shipping, securing and supporting a remote fleet of high-end IT assets remotely could quickly become a logistical and security nightmare. In addition, there are some applications, such as trading, corporate R&D and regulatory compliance, where direct device access is never a good option.

The optimum solution is to for productivity is to simply empower these workers with 4K IP KVM devices and remote access to the applications and systems they need for daily work.

With the right management platform, IT teams can support remote workers’ need for high quality 4K video resolution at fast 30 hertz (Hz) refresh rates. Platforms like these are able to grant and manage teams’ remote access to on-premises business applications, while meeting an organisation’s security and compliance requirements. And importantly, they can enable session sharing to empower teams to collaborate securely and efficiently

Using solutions like these, IT teams are able gain the transparency, security and automated processes they need to manage more users, sessions and devices than ever before. These capabilities enable small IT teams to support large user groups with secure, remote access, while keeping on-site computers and business applications secure. They empower workers with the flexible, secure access, 4K video access, and rich image quality they need to drive their productivity, whilst avoiding physical discomfort and workplace injuries.

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So, with hybrid work is here to stay people want the flexibility to collaborate and create wherever they need to be. This means that flexible, high-availability technology is fundamental, and a growing number of users and applications will require remote 4K video access. As a result, IT teams need to plan for growth, connectivity and innovation, finding solutions that provide the ability to scale 4K video access across devices, user groups and geographies. And in doing so, they can achieve the always-on, always-available remote access to that keeps businesses growing and users productive.