What we learned from the COVID-19 Tech Gap.

Two years after the great work-from-home migration began during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have learned a few things about the importance of technology in our lives. Mainly, that the more technology we have in our lives and our homes, the less we seem to understand about it. If the pandemic taught us anything, its that many of us have this technology gap in our lives that we didn't realize existed, until we were forced to rely on our own skills and abilities to make the tech we surround ourselves with...work, without direct assistance.

The COVID-19 Tech Gap is best described as this: The space between your company's or school's help desk and your internet service provider's (ISP's) "customer service." This preverbal "rock and a hard place" many of us have found ourselves caught between, is forcing us to deal with challenges previously taken care of for us. Thanks to highly trained technical wizards that cared for and corrected any "IT" issue that would arise.

We are having to find solutions for technical issues suddenly thrust upon us. Issues like, less that ideal or minimally functional home internet speeds. Slow or barely performing personal devices that we now rely on to work from home. Understanding how all the technological wonders that run behind the scenes impact something as simple as checking an email. The biggest challenge we have heard about is that most people don't have "an IT guy". A resource you can call on that fills that gap between your company's help desk telling you that they do not support personal devices, and your internet provider saying "the problem is with your equipment, we can't help you with that." You are not alone.

Many folks, just like you have been forced to take matters into their own hands to optimize their WFH environments. Here are three quick tips to help you maximize your WFH experience.

#1 Have your network and devices checked out.

Make sure your home network and supporting hardware (Wifi, routers, modems and internet service package) are all up to the task. Your network is only as strong as its weakest link. Make sure you have all the moving parts in top working order, along with reputable anti-virus and anti-malware protections installed. There are apps and digital tools that can help you gauge your home environment. www.speedtest.net is a great website to test your current network speed for free. Arming yourself with this information will do two things.

One - You will know what your network speed is.

Two - It will tell you if you are being provided the network speed you are actually paying for. If you are paying $75 a month for 800 MBPS speeds but are only receiving 600mbps, you'll want to make some adjustments.

#2: Secure your systems!

This is perhaps more critical now, than ever before. When we were working in nice, tidy offices, on computer systems that were manicured and maintained by a group of highly trained professionals, we took for granted the seamless functionality we enjoyed.

Fast forward to 2022.

We have become attached to our WFH offices that help us achieve greater work/life balance. But we cannot forget that we exist in that gap between well manicured corporate networks and you ISP's network. We operate in an exposed bubble that can places us and our families, much greater risk than before.

You must understand that attackers are going to target you for one of two things.

First - They want your credentials. Your usernames and passwords. Second - they want your computer and access to it for a litany of reasons. Don't give them either. Get familiar with password management options like password vaults and make sure you have the latest anti-virus and anti-malware running on your systems. Better yet, have someone monitor both for you and alert you when either is at risk.

#3: Have someone in your corner.

Now that you've come to terms with the fact that you are squarely in the middle of the COVID tech gap, make sure you have someone you can call. There are dozens of companies that may be able to provide you with this needed resource. Having an IT resource for your home is a must have.

If you can find an IT resource that also offers real time monitoring of your systems and your credentials agains online threats, that's even better.

If you find yourself stuck in the middle of the COVID tech gap, or you are interested in finding out how digital monitoring programs work, Please reach out to us. Rocky Mountain Technical Solutions is here, specifically to bridge this gap and to watch your back while you are busy living your best life.