IT Infrastructure in a Remote Work Environment with Greg Keller of JumpCloud

The remote work mandate is still proving to be challenging for a lot of companies. Work from home is here to stay and we have to embrace the changes - there’s more to it than just making sure your employees are getting the job done. Today we are discussing how to get your IT infrastructure dialed in to increase performance in your business.

Our guest today: Greg Keller, CTO of JumpCloud

Greg Keller is the Chief Technology Officer at JumpCloud. He was responsible for productizing and launching the company’s initial directory service product offering to market in 2014. Greg is a career product visionary and executive management leader with over two decades of product management, product marketing, and corporate development experience ranging from startups to global organizations.

Today we  discuss

• The challenges of IT in our new ‘corporate’ normal
• Some of IT related Hiring challenges
• How you can get your company ahead of the curve

 What are the IT challenges companies are facing right now?

• The brittle on prem It workforce is now forced to move to the cloud
• Security when outside the ‘brick and mortar’ offices
• For those that still *can* hire, interviewing and onboarding is challenging

IT challenges in the hiring process?

• Obvious - you’re not physically with them
• Video Interviewing
• Time demands required over Hangout/Zoom
  • Panel, with follow up 1 on 1
  • Typically done in 1 day in person
  • COVID = smaller chunks over 2 or 3 days if needed

What IT structure needs to be in place?

• DIY
  • A patchwork of tools and write own automation
  • Access control- active directory
  • Be able to manage remote machines
  • Governess to maintain compliance- devices
  • Remote to on prem servers (VPN)
  • Get clients on the machines
• Jumpcloud - onboarding through productivity
  • All in one access control software

Hiring process?

• Onboarding
• HR systems (bamboo, workday, etc) 
• Manage access to systems relevant to your role 
• Formats the computer direct from the vendor

Key Takeaways:

• For IT in the new normal: Think ‘forever remote’ - Consolidating vendors will be key, as will ensuring the tooling will provide an ability for the employee to have zero dependencies to a brick and mortar office. 
• For hiring remotely: Think ‘Culture must shine through a Zoom meeting’ - Engineering managers and those responsible for engaging the candidate beyond ensuring their skills match or exceed the job need, must ensure they understand that employees motivations, behaviors, etc, in the context of not being physically near a team 
• For the state of employee mental health: Think ‘We owe our workers latitude and empathy to balance their new realities’ - Two adults at home - screaming kids, at home schooling, work pressures all add up to a degraded and intense life experience. The place of employment should do its part to assist the employee with getting through this.