Remote Access Security: Optimum Strategy and Solutions for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs)

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are depending more on their ICT framework however they do not possess the ability to direct it reasonably because of monetary impediments, limited assets, and insufficient specialized expertise. A sizeable number of SME executives expect that ICT security per remote access in their organizations is only like introducing a firewall and refreshing the antivirus program as frequently on a case by case basis. Remote access initiatives, against hacking systems and approaches, remote access controls, and numerous other related aspects are only investigated solely after security breaches. To improve remote access security in an organization comprehensively, four aspects including organizational, work process, data, and technical aspects must be figured out. With SMEs’ limited spending plans and more requirements for remote employees, it is exceptionally evident that they will remain easy prey for attackers since they cannot bear the cost of the typical secure remote access technologies and solutions. This paper explored a more ideal solution that will fit into the usual SME low remote access security financial plans but at the same time sufficiently powerful to protect them from digital and other IT attacks.

Redefining Higher Education and Work

This chapter and book provide the foundation for executives, academic leaders, faculty, and students to analyze the realities of higher education today, strategies that would ensure success of academic institutions, and factors that would lend to student success. In particular, the book addresses essentials of online learning, strategies to ensure success of online degrees and courses, effective course development practices, key support mechanisms for students, and ensuring student success in online degree programs. Furthermore, the book addresses the future of work, preferences of employees, and how work can be redesigned to create further employee satisfaction, engagement, and increase productivity. In particular, the book covers insights that would lend to ensuring remote employees feel valued, included, and are being provided relevant support to thrive in their roles.

Work-Life Balance Challenges

Within an ever-changing, digitalized world, the working methods have vastly changed over the last few decades. If the effects of a contemporary event such as COVID-19—the global pandemic started in the Hubei region of China at the end of December 2019—are considered, the changes have reached beyond just the practical logistics of working and crossed otherwise untouched social and emotional barriers. As a result of the pandemic, new working ways on an international level have become considerably more prominent. With the post-modern paradigm, organizations have focused on their employees and see them as stakeholders and developed a set of policies and standards under the guise of “an employee-friendly organization.” This chapter sheds light on strategies on how to maintain work-life balance in a virtual environment of remote work, new regulations, and the gaining importance of employee satisfaction, ensuring remote employees feel cared for, valued, and included.

Care - An Architectural Approach for a Multimedia Assistance System for Singletons

In contrast to the increasing degree of automation in the production industry, commissioning and maintenance activities will essentially be limited to manual activities. Production involves repetitive actions that are manageable and clearly defined as a process. Unlike this, commissioning and maintenance have to deal with uncontrollable, undefined, and non - standardized processes. The paper provides a framework for a multimedia assistance system for singletons. It was found that the paradigm has to consist of five key components to provide tailored assistance to customers. These key components are Expertise, Infrastructure, Application & Platforms, Security & Privacy and Business Process & Business Model. The resulting stack and the overlaying business model are called "CaRE – Custom Assistance for Remote Employees". With possible Architectural Smells and Anti-Pattern in mind, a Microservice Architecture shall be presented which forms the backend-system of CaRE.

Grounds for terminating an employment contract with a teleworker

The article explores the problems associated with the possibility of establishing contractual grounds for termination of employment contracts with remote employees, identified by judicial practice, and also suggests requirements that must be met in terms of content and procedure for the grounds for termination of employment contracts.

Care – A Framework for a Multimedia Assistance System for Singletons “Does It Help?”

In contrast to the increasing degree of automation in the production industry, commissioning and maintenance activities will essentially be limited to manual activities. Production involves repetitive actions that are manageable and clearly defined as a process. Unlike this, commissioning and maintenance have to deal with uncontrollable, undefined, and non - standardized processes. The paper provides a framework for a multimedia assistance system for singletons. It was found that the paradigm has to consist of five key components to provide tailored assistance to customers. These key components are Expertise, Infrastructure, Application & Platforms, Security & Privacy and Business Process & Business Model. The resulting stack and the overlaying business model are called "CaRE – Custom Assistance for Remote Employees". With a user-centered approach, the needs of the target group were identified. Based on this, the framework was implemented in the form of a prototypical application. To check, whether the assumptions regarding a Multimedia Assistance System are correct, the prototypical developed application was tested with aremote-usability test.

Exploring remote and onsite employees’ preferred appreciation languages prior to COVID-19 and during COVID-19

Purpose Communicating appreciation to employees has been shown to be an important factor in contributing to employee engagement and making workplaces more effective. Research has shown that employees differ in how they desire to be shown appreciation. The purpose of this paper is to examine how working remotely (vs onsite), the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and employees’ age group impacted the ways employees want to be shown appreciation at work. Design/methodology/approach Using the five Languages of Appreciation as a framework (Chapman and White, 2019), over 200,000 individuals’ results from the Motivating By Appreciation Inventory were compared across various groups. The dependent variable: (Primary Language of Appreciation) was examined in light of three independent variables: work setting (onsite vs remote), timeframe (pre-COVID-19 vs during COVID-19) and age range of the employee. Findings Preferences for how to be shown appreciation were quite stable across work setting, timeframe and age range, suggesting that one’s preferred ways of being shown appreciation is largely an internal characteristic that is only mildly influenced by external factors. Minor trends were found when comparing various age groups and remote vs onsite employees. Originality/value Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees’ desires for appreciation is critical for organizational leaders. With vast numbers of new remote employees in the workforce, understanding how they are similar to and vary from onsite employees is paramount for addressing the needs of all team members. This study provides valuable information on both topics, as well as differences across age groups.

Features of Incidents Investigation during Remote Work

The problems of legal regulation of remote work from the point of view of safety and labor protection are considered. During the pandemic, the number of remote employees increased by eight times, and the labor protection of this category of the employees remained at the same level. The Labor Code of the Russian Federation significantly reduces the rights and obligations of both the employer and the remote employee, therefore, the risk of an incident increases. It is difficult to establish a connection specifically between the incident with production activities, and not with the household chores. It is noted that the employers are reluctant to investigate incidents with remote employees. However, an investigation is required since administrative responsibility is provided for concealing an incident. Investigation will help not only to get the employee due compensation but also to prevent future incidents. Several traumatic factors are highlighted related to the home office: sharp corners of the furniture, broken glass, toilets and bathrooms, wet floor, armchair, chair, ceiling cabinets (head injuries), carpets and cables (stumbling), equipment and cables (short circuit), fire, stairs. Presumably, the most frequent occupational diseases associated with the remote work (longer stay behind the computer screen) were identified: dry eye and carpal tunnel syndromes, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal diseases, etc. Recommendations for the prevention of occupational diseases and injuries were proposed: briefings on labor protection, risk assessment at the workplaces, preliminary and periodic medical examinations, an ergonomic working environment, compliance with the work and rest regimes, preservation and (or) documentation of the incident site before the arrival of the commission, etc.

Specific Regulation of the Termination of the Employment Agreement on Remote Work: Problems in the Past and Estimation of the Present Times

The author has arranged a comprehensive analysis of the law enforcement practice developed over the past 7 years on the issue of termination of remote employment agreement for based on the additional grounds provided for by the agreement. Conclusions were drawn based on this results that may form the base for further scientific discussion related to improvement of the current legislation still providing for the possibility of establishment of the contractual grounds for dismissal for particular employees. The article includes the analysis of the new specific regulation of termination of employment relations with remote employees based on the Art. 312.8 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation.

Quality of Working Life of Remote Employees: Methodological Approaches and First Assessments for the EU and Russia

The article reviews the theoretical and methodological provisions in the field of the quality of working life, summarizes the experience of foreign and Russian research in this area. Analyzed modern initiatives, approaches and proposals of international organizations. A system of indicators (characteristics) is proposed to describe the components of quality of working life of remote workers, it is concluded that these largely depend on personal circumstances (family situation, the presence of children, the ability to work at home and equipment of the workplace), which means that the characteristics of quality of working life can be supplemented with personal indicators that affect to the general level of quality of working life. Based on survey data in Europe and Russia, the risks of a decrease in the quality of working life of remote employees are shown, due to the blurring of the boundaries between work and personal life. Measures are proposed to organize the work of remote teams (primarily at the company level and in the development of the new legislation on remote work adopted in Russia) aimed at increasing the quality of working life of remote employees and reducing costs and profit growth for the employer. The problem areas are identified that require further research in terms of the development of the concept of the quality of working life.