In this issue: Tips on accelerating secure collaboration, gaining insight into distributed teams, keeping current with the latest from Panzura, and equipping your team for success in a digitally connected world.
Panzura Edge for Distributed Teams
Today’s workers need an anytime, anywhere work experience—exactly what you get with the Panzura Edge secure gateway for CloudFS. Now your people can increase productivity with mobile devices, no-collision file sharing, and private workspaces. You reduce VPN expenses and shadow IT. The entire organization boasts a unified team experience for collaborating with partners, increasing innovation, and increasing your appeal among top talent around the world. Get an Edge:
Uncompromised Security: Protect your data even at the edge.
Customizable User Experience: Further your brand identity with UI options.
Cost-Efficient Collaboration: Reduce infrastructure costs and data duplication.
Future-Ready: Evolve and scale by giving your ecosystem an edge.
Refine Communication Techniques: Master the art of digital communication by learning to identify nuances in tone and non-verbal cues. Develop clear communication practices and strategies to avoid misunderstandings.
Improve Project Management: Consider agile methodologies and asynchronous collaboration to streamline workflows. Use integrated project management platforms to avoid disconnects.
Build Emotional Intelligence: Cultivate a strong team culture and emotional intelligence. Consider exercises aimed at building trust, helping teams bond, and addressing the emotional and mental health needs of your team.
Optimize Performance Management and Feedback: Employ strategies for monitoring and enhancing team performance. Set clear key performance indicators (KPIs), use performance management software, and provide constructive feedback.
Employ Advanced Technology: Move beyond basic needs to advanced AI tools and applications, analytics, and cybersecurity to boost productivity and collaboration.
Navigate Complex Situations: Develop guidelines for managing remote work challenges, such as time zone differences, conflicts, and sensitive conversations.
Build Team Resilience: Implement proven strategies to prevent burnout and churn. Create policies that support a healthy work-life balance and trainings on your common culture and values.
Thought-Leader Insight
Marissa Mayer, former Yahoo and Google executive: “The future of work is not about location but about the right skills and the right mindset to succeed."
Tim Ferris, author of The 4-Hour Workweek: “Work is something you do, not something you travel to.”
Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals: “The power of remote work is that it allows you to focus on the things that do matter rather than wasting time on what doesn’t.”
Adam Grant, author and professor: “Remote work breaks down the barriers between work and play, allowing us to be more creative and productive.”
Remote vs Distributed: What is the difference?
Remote workers: Individuals working from locations outside of a traditional office setting who may have ties to a central office. Also known as work from anywhere, remote work focuses on individual flexibility and productivity.
Distributed teams: Structured groups incorporating diverse talents that work remotely. Their global team dynamic takes a collective approach to achieving common goals. These teams may tap into a wider talent pool and foster an inclusive workplace culture.
Pret a Manger Beefs Up Collaboration + File Access Speed
The global sandwich franchise Pret A Manger partnered with CDW to implement Panzura CloudFS for improved data management and user experience. The company faced challenges in collaborating on large files and chose Panzura for local-feeling performance for global file access and for superior global file-locking to uphold the integrity of work results.
Aligned with Pret's cloud strategy, the solution is improving team collaboration and productivity across time zones and offering greater storage cost savings through data deduplication and compression. In addition, through its streamlined data management—and significant CapEx and OpEx savings—Pret A Manger is accelerating its expansion into new locations.
Mastering Cross-Site Collaboration
As indicated by a 2022 Gallup poll, the rise of remote work, particularly since the pandemic, has led to fewer employees working exclusively on-site. Flex work offers increased productivity, but can challenge trust- and relationship-building, which can affect collaboration. To address this, Panzura's CloudFS enables seamless file sharing and secure data management, making remote work more efficient and integrated and collaboration easier.
Studies are showing that trust and identity are the secret sauce for virtual teams. Technology is the backbone that connects team members worldwide and supports teamwork across vast distances. Yet, it's the trust and identity among team members that glue it all together. Read this blog for examples of how, when tech and trust go hand in hand, your virtual teams can achieve greatness.
Distributed work isn’t anything new, but its tools have evolved significantly
Thanks to advancements in workplace technology, the shift to distributed work, previously limited to large corporations, now extends to businesses of all sizes. Essential tools like telephones, emails, and video conferencing, dating back to the early 20th century, have evolved. They're now set to integrate more seamlessly to create intuitive digital workspaces. The evolution promises to make distributed work more efficient and productive, transforming global team collaboration.
Well-executed distributed work makes for happier, more productive teams
Recent findings reveal that mandated office returns are unpopular and less effective than distributed work, which boosts team happiness and productivity. Despite 71% of knowledge workers engaging in remote work, many lack the right tools or training for effective collaboration. This highlights a need for a shift in corporate focus from work location to work quality, emphasizing proper tools and practices for successful distributed work.
