Tay - thanks for sharing! I have a few thoughts worth sharing:
Video Conferencing:
We've been going back and forth between Zoom and GoToMeeting. I personally find Zoom a little more user-friendly. I believe it's paid subscription is also less expensive than GoTo's.
Remote Access:
We've been using TeamViewer and SplashTop - both paid subscriptions. I've found TeamViewer to be much faster than SplashTop, which has a bit of a lag.
Remote Team Collaboration Tools:
Our office has had Microsoft Teams for a while, and never used it. We're getting a crash-course over the last few weeks, and it's proving to be a good resource for us. We're using Zoom for all-office check-ins three times a week.
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Matthew Toddy AIA
Architect
Design Collective Architecture
Columbus OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2020 19:58
From: Tay Othman
Subject: Beyond COVID-19, How to afford remote work.
Dear Fellow Architects.
I'd like to have this blog post to be an open discussion about what everyone learned from the multi-week remote work experience. With many smaller and larger firms are currently struggling with technology, we anticipate a sudden spike in overhead expenses and reduced profits.
What are some of the discovered free or affordable tools that can be used by small teams with no or minimal impact on the profitability of their firms? I hope this discussion can be beneficial for people seeking immediate solutions.
Please keep in mind that we are not advertising or endorsing any products or services, we are sharing our practical experiences and struggles in the past few weeks.
Below is my personal list that is able for immediate use.
Video Conferencing
- FreeConferenceCall.com: Pros:(Free 1 room), Cons: usually not suitable for discussing confidential projects.
- Zoom: Pros: Free/ unlimited 1 to 1 meetings, Free 40min max group meetings.
Remote Access
- Microsoft Remote Desktop for PC & MAC: Pros: Free. Cons: Requires VPN / Network Gateway.
- Chrome Remote Desktop: Pros Free, easy install, Cons: Requires Chrome Browser and Gmail or Gsuite Account.
Remote- Software access Licensing
- Fra.me: Set up a Windows computer on the cloud with necessary design software, suitable for a multi-user account.
- Rhino Zoo: A cloud license management for Rhino, Free of charge if you own at least 1 rhino license
Cloud Storage & Sharing
- Owners of Office 365, get around 1TB of data storage.
- Owners of Gmail business accounts have multi-tiered google drive storage plans.
Office Phone Products (Voice Ove IP)
- Ring Central Essentials (Up to 20 users / $20 per month per user)
- Mitel Business phone essentials (unlimited users / $21 per month per user)
Remote Team Collaborations tools
- Bluebeam Studio (Document coordination). free of charge for Bluebeam users.
- Slack vs. Basecamp vs. Microsoft teams.
- Zoho Connect, Social media for work.
Benefits, Billing, Bookkeeping and Payroll
- Paylocity: Payroll, HR, Benefits, Talent Recognition
- Clear Company: Talent Development
- Quickbooks: Financial Management, good for small businesses
These are my lists, for now, I'd like to have everyone share their experience with some of the remote tools. trying to keep our list as affordable as possible.
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Tay Othman AIA
Project Architect
DES Architects & Engineers
Concord CA
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