In an effort to curtail some of the work-from-home challenges brought on by COVID-19, many technology solution providers are offering free trials of their products that are designed to enable remote work.
For those looking for a digital collaboration platform, Microsoft is offering a 6-month free trial of Teams and lifting restrictions on user limits. Teams is always available at no extra cost for anyone already subscribed to Microsoft Office Suite.
Microsoft Teams allows users to chat, video conference, and store files. It also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office. It offers helpful features such as the ability to record meetings, blur your background during video conferencing, set a status message so people know if you’re available, and add some fun to your workday with emojis and gifs via its chat interface.
To learn more about the features of Microsoft Teams and implementing it across your organization, watch our on-demand webinar.
Cisco beefed up its Webex free trial by increasing the meeting limit to 100 users (up from 50), enabling unlimited usage (no time restrictions), and adding an option for users to toll dial-in (in addition to existing VoIP capabilities).
Cisco is also extending free licenses and expanding usage counts at no extra charge for three of its key security technologies designed to protect remote workers on any device:
Cisco Umbrella protects users from malicious Internet destinations whether they are on or off your network. While the trial is typically available for 14 days, customers can request to extend it to 90 days.
Cisco Duo Security enables organizations to verify users’ identities and establish device trust before granting access to applications. Existing customers can exceed their user limit to support an increase in remote workers, and new customers can access a free license.
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client empowers employees to work from anywhere on company laptops or personal mobile devices. Existing AnyConnect customers can exceed their user limit to support an increase in remote workers, and new customers can access a free license. Existing and new customers should talk with a Cisco representative or partner to get started.
Adobe is allowing students who are stuck at home to get free, temporary remote access to Creative Cloud apps. To get remote access to Creative Cloud, the school or college must be an education customer, and an IT admin must complete this form.
If you need help navigating these offerings or figuring out how your organization can work through the unique challenges presented by COVID-19, please contact us. Sirius would like to help your organization in any way we can.
