Uncontrollable Forces That Can Cost Your Business.

We all saw the headlines, “New Portland Forecast Says Next Week’s Snowstorm Could Be Worst of the Century in Pacific Northwest” – Willamette Weekly and “Portland grocery stores run out of kale ahead of big snowstorm” – The Takeout.

While the recent “snowpocalypse” wasn’t all that it was hyped up to be, it got our team thinking. We as a company have taken measures to ensure every one of our members has the capability to work remotely. Whether someone is feeling under the weather, or they have personal reasons that force them to be away from the office, or a freak snowstorm hits the Portland area, our company, as a whole, can be online with minimal to no loss. So what about other Portland businesses?

From the left, Mallory Oslund, Jeffrey Seymore, and Marshall Moll. Photos from our team’s “staying connected” photo competition during the infamous 2017 Portland snowstorm. 

What Would Your Business Lose if Your People Couldn’t Get to Work?

We mean it, what is the actual dollar amount that your team loses on days when your employees can’t get to work? Businesses in the Portland area are no strangers to city-wide shutdowns during winter storms due to our infrastructure. I’m sure every business’s finance department in the area has calculated the potential net loss from a citywide shutdown like during the 2017 snowstorm. We all remember that monstrosity of a ‘snowpocalypse’ don’t we?

What Steps Has Your Business Taken to Mitigate Future Losses From Unavoidable Shutdowns?

A key part of our position in the tech industry is advising clientele how technology can best work for their business. A primary focus when building a ‘roadmap‘ for our clients is taking steps to keep their information safe and accessible, no matter the circumstances. A few examples of what this could look like:

• Hardware for mobile workstations (laptops, tablets, etc.)
• Implementation of a VPN for clients to securely access their network from anywhere
• Utilization of Software such as Office365 to enhance client connectivity through cloud-based file sharing

Does your business have similar measures in place, for those “rainy day” situations?

Images from our old Clay St. office during 2017 snowstorm.

Having The Capability for Your Team to Work Remotely.

Portland Internetworks, as mentioned, follows a more hybrid model of workplace. This works out great for our business model and has saved us a great deal of trouble in the past.  A great example that we encounter frequently is when there is a minor issue with a client’s tech outside of regular hours. Our engineers having the ability to recognize the problem and find a solution from home (potentially in their pajamas) before it escalates to a greater issue is a priceless advantage.

The benefits of working remotely can be great for both employer and employee. For any company, having the capability for their people to work remotely can be a paramount resource during any number of situations, such as the dreaded “snowpocalypse”.

Photo of our Outreach Specialist, Miles Fidino’s home workspace setup.

Our Team is Here to Help Design Your Optimal Workplace.

Our team stands ready to support businesses that wish to move towards a more hybrid or fully remote work environment. Even if your team is just looking for more flexibility in the workplace, we are here to help create a solution for your business as well. This flexibility will be a guaranteed way for your team to mitigate risk.

Lets get a conversation going about how to best protect your business from the uncontrollable.

• Shoot our team an email and someone will reach out within 24 hours: hello@pdx.net
• Give us a call if you want to have a chat in person: (503) 972-7272
• Or stay connected with us via our newsletter, our team is always developing fun, valuable content. Our subscription form is down below.