Keeping our dual job in mind, we pivoted
to best data management practices that
enable us to meet this dual goal. Below we
share the five pillars that guided us:
1. Agility. Without a built-in flexibility in
the system, pivoting in the time of crisis is
difficult. Agility meant that we did not have
to wait for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn.
As soon as early news from China made its
way to us, we realized it was not a matter
of if, but when we’d need more support for
WFH employees. The global IT support team
began to meet daily at 7.30am. Among
other things, during one such meeting
toward the end of the first quarter of the
year, we decided to run a workload test. We
asked employees to download large files
and work in them remotely. When the test
succeeded, we were reassured that remote
employees could continue doing their jobs.
2. Availability. Another move that helped
keep data available and factories functional
was setting up de facto mini edge data
centres. As inputs from endpoints expand,
few at-home locations have broadband or
optical fiber for remote data analysis and
meetings. So we provided our engineering
and financial teams around the world with
access to compute functions closer to their
homes. Unlike with the previous, more
“
ANOTHER MOVE
THAT HELPED
KEEP DATA
AVAILABLE
AND FACTORIES
FUNCTIONAL WAS
SETTING UP DE
FACTO MINI EDGE
DATA CENTERS.
centralized system, edge data centers allow
us to bring applications closer to the users
who need to process data closer to where
it’s created.
3. Connectivity. Making sure that
employees stay connected was an important
function powered by the institutional
nimbleness already in place.
a. VPN. We ensured virtual private network
(VPN) access to the employees who
do not usually work from home. This
extended the VPN across a public
network and offers employees virtual
access to the company’s assets. VPN
technology provides safe paths to
information not only to newly-remote
employees, but also to people in places
with restricted access to sources of
objective data. As a result, according to
Atlas VPN’s user data, VPN usage has
been in great demand.
b. Bandwidth. We reviewed and
upgraded our Internet circuits
throughout the world to increase
bandwidth. This move, too, helped pave
the way for the unimpeded movement
of data, ensuring that we had enough
capacity for home users to connect to
the office. The number of employees
connected doubled.
c. Laptops. While most employees
already had laptops, which were
configured and ready to be used
from home, the team sent additional
loaner laptops to some employees and
bought 400 new laptops for others. The
laptops were imaged locally on site and
overnighted to users after sanitizing
and cleaning. We imaged laptops,
sanitised them, sealed them and
shipped to new hires as well. Employees
also had the option to take their office
monitors and docking stations home.
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