Introduction

When 2020’s global pandemic hit without warning, many companies made the sudden shift from a centralised model where almost everyone gathered in the office to a fully remote or blended model, where their networks, tools, data and teams were tested as never before. As employees scattered to dining rooms, garages, bedrooms and home offices around the world, that sudden switch to remote work created massive gaps:

Sensitive data was exposed to skyrocketing cybersecurity risks. 

Home networks chugged along or buckled under unprecedented workloads. 

Employees found themselves cut off from the tools and files they needed to work. 

Co-workers struggled to collaborate and connect while juggling homeschooling, caring for sick family members, dodging piles of laundry and competing for desk space with roommates or partners.