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Wondering what other SMBs (not big budget solutions) might be doing about their new found teleworkers due to COVID 19. Sure we all have VPN etc. That’s nice. What else are folks doing?
are you putting a router/device on prem at their homes for always on VPN that only their work devices can use?

Are you having their home traffic pass thru that or just work traffic?

Do they now have 2 wifis at home, one for work one for home? How are you keeping the company data safe and still letting them, their families, etc have freedom from your prying eyes?

Are you planning on going back or them staying at home for a long time?

It’s one thing to set up a SOHO for a few workers at a remote office but setting up 30-40 SOHOs each with 1 worker at 100-200 a device (my guess) plus maintenance etc.

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I would argue you can’t even support 30-40 home networks for users.

You can give them VPN access and ignore everything else. As part of working from home, they need to be responsible for their home network and ensure that they can access the Internet.

An Always On VPN isn’t a bad idea, but you can do that with software on their laptop, you don’t need a dedicated AP/Router for that.

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fair point for sure. There are tools that make the management of that easier Just really wondering what others are doing or is everyone doing the same thing?

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We have a VPN connection or Citrix available to end users. We have a list of suggested equipment that works with our stuff, things like monitors, printers, ect, that we give to end users if they ask.

We are working on setting up an Always ON VPN and upgrading our MFA setup to accept one-touch authentication instead of having to enter a PIN.

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In order to do some of what you suggest would thing not be a serious outlay of dollars for equipment on the part the business to implement? Or would you require the worker to pay for these types of upgrades? Either way what your describe becomes cost prohibitive for either side to telecommute. It sounds like you would want the employee to use only a company issued devise correct and rely less on their personal equipment. I would think if you can do something for 30-40 people you can do it for hundreds or thousands of people. The only difference is size. Size is not the problem the problem is design and the execution of implementation.

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of course there is a cost. if you no longer have an office and a lan and all that stuff you, as the business, can reallocate those dollars. The biggest issue with remote workers isn’t always the worker… its the family members they have at home sharing that lan you do not own or protect. its the family member “just borrowing the pc/tablet/etc for a second…” its the worms they have at their home set ups, the keyloggers or holes in their home routers, etc. if you can control some of those elements, you can more secure things by extension and better monitor things no?
of course there are vpns, endpoint protections, etc. loads of software solutions, but being able to drop in a device that can create an extension of your business like you would to a small regional office of several people, were it cost effective might be advantageous to some, might not to others. Was really trying to gauge what others are doing.