Cloud Computing Solutions Are Providing Companies the Needed Flexibility to Maintain Productivity During These Tough Times

With social distancing and shelter in place orders across the world, more employees are working from home now than ever. The swift transition to working from home has not been easy for all employers and employees. Fortunately, working for an agile insurance technology company, the transition for my colleagues and myself has been relatively seamless. Sure, there’s still been some challenges. 

From sharing office spaces at home, entertaining/educating children and having family members/pets making a cameo appearance on video conferencing, people are having to make adjustments to their work routines, but the adjustment is minor. To be honest, a good puppy cameo makes my day!

In prior jobs over the last 15 years managing claims for large insurance companies, I have been able to work from home a few days a week. It took some effort, though, and sometimes lengthy calls to a help desk; virtual private networks (VPN) and servers did not always cooperate. It was a huge advantage to be able to work remotely from my brother’s home in Colorado for extended periods so I could visit with him, my sister in law and nephew without burning through a significant portion of my paid time off.

Now we are faced with a situation where working from home is no longer a fun luxury but a necessity for our own and our families’ health. It has left a lot of employers worldwide wondering if there was a way to make this transition easier. 

How Cloud Technology has Helped Customers Transition Easily

ClaimVantage moved to the cloud in 2010, allowing users the flexibility to access their claim management software from anywhere from any device. Because it is a cloud-native application, the transition to remote working has been relatively easy for our customers.

Despite the solution being accessible for remote workers, there’s still robust security built-in. Each customer can control access to the solution, leveraging things such as multiple layers of authentication, including user credentials, trusted IP addresses, and known devices. 

Plus, there’s no longer a need for a physical server room for someone in IT to watch over – Salesforce  takes care of that. From securing application code, production data access, and data storage, Salesforce provides the security and scalability for companies to operate seamlessly.

The constant availability of the ClaimVantage Solution has also made the transition to working from home so much easier for our customers. Salesforce has consistently maintained a 99.99% rating, meaning less than 1 hour of total downtime each year. More times than I can count, I would be in the middle of a call or a lengthy letter only to have the server “go down”. Not only was it an inconvenience, but it impacted productivity and the ability to provide quality customer service.

Another advantage of being cloud-based is that employees do not need a “work” laptop or numerous software programs installed on their work laptop. An employee using a cloud-based platform only needs access to an internet connection and a web browser, provided they are given security access by their system administrator. 

This type of flexibility is critical right now for companies trying to sustain their business productivity while their office is closed.

Recently, I spoke with someone who works for a company that is still 100% paper-based. They were scrambling to order laptops and figure out how they could transition to a paperless environment. They were still required to be in the office and trying to see how their company could change their processes to be more efficient. There were lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” during our demo of the solution. If their company had been using a cloud-based solution already, they would have been able to securely log on from home with no VPN, using a personal laptop with no significant interruption in work.

COVID-19 is forcing many employers to reevaluate their business continuity plan and whether they’re well equipped to maintain their business functions when the offices are shut down. Many are saying this pandemic may change the way companies work forever. Fortunately, cloud computing has allowed many companies to continue to adhere to stay at home orders while still maintaining productivity. 

Things are going to get better. We just all need to be proactive in helping “flatten the curve,” and we can do that by staying home. During these trying times, I’m thankful to work for a company that’s continuing to support its customers through cloud solutions and the ability to work remotely.