Business Information System 

                                                      
ISYS2109 BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEM

Title of Assignment Business Analysis Report

Name and Student ID Vu Thuy Truc – S3958418

Nguyen Hoang Thanh Tam – S3958402

Chu Tran Quoc Bao - S3983193

Pham Huu Anh Huy - S3980272

Nguyen Bao Loc – S3937006

Location Ha Noi Campus

Class Group Group 4 _ Team 1

Lecturer Hoang Ha Anh

Word Count
(Main content without list of
references, cover page, etc.)

I. Introduction:........................................................................................................................................1
II. Analysis:...............................................................................................................................................2
1. Define what is an effective and secure remote working arrangement:...........................................2
2. Challenges and difficulties:..............................................................................................................3
3. Software applications......................................................................................................................4
III. RECOMMENDATION...............................................................................................................................6
1. Maintaining effective communication and collaboration................................................................6
2. Security recommendation................................................................................................................7
3. Track performance and productivity................................................................................................8
IV. Conclusion............................................................................................................................................10

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 I. Introduction:
Covid-19 evolved into a complicated problem that is a global epidemic, compelling
nations to discontinue many domestic industries as well as pushing individuals to be in
social distancing. The amount of employees working remotely prior to the pandemic
was 30%, compared to 48% now (Ruairi 2022). Firmwide remote work caused the
collaboration network of workers to become more static and siloed, with fewer bridges
between disparate parts of the organization (David 2021). Employee performance
suffers when they work remotely for a variety of reasons, with stress and anxiety coming
to the top of the list. Regarding its definition, remote working is described as working in
an arrangement that is not in the traditional office (Jalagat 2019).

This report provides suggestions on how a company can construct its remote working
arrangement, and it is divided into two main parts. The first section analyzes the
definition of an effective and secure remote working environment. In addition, the
difficulties, and obstacles that companies and employees face when working remotely
will also be discussed in this part. The second part of the report offers recommendations
on how technology tools such as Microsoft Teams, Cold Turkey, Azure Active Directory
(Azure AD), Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and Insightful can be adopted to address
each challenge in remote working.

II. Analysis:
1. Define what is an effective and secure remote working arrangement:
An effective remote working arrangement can be described as an environment in which
there is clear communication between employees (Lusinski 2020). Communication is
crucial in remote working, especially when the lack of non-verbal cues can make it
difficult for coworkers to fully understand the information being conveyed by others
(Serrano 2021). Therefore, information needs to be delivered clearly and precisely
through the use of technological tools to prevent misunderstanding and ensure the

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effectiveness of remote work (Indeed 2022). Furthermore, good communication during
remote work can also strengthen the trust between employees (Page n.d.). Trust is of
paramount importance since it allows employees to confidently share ideas and
knowledge that can be beneficial to the organization (Ferrell and Kline 2018). Without
frequent and direct communication, trust can be lacking which leads to vagueness in the
remote working environment (Ferrell and Kline 2018). Hence, trust plays a highly
essential role in an effective remote working arrangement. Moreover, communicating
effectively can also help employees feel more connected with their colleagues (Serrano
2021). Therefore, effective communication can help employees overcome the lack of
face-to-face interaction and feel a sense of belonging (Serrano 2021). As employees’
morale is maintained, their productivity would be high to ensure the effectiveness of
their work (Page n.d.). What is more, the flexibility of remote working can make it easier
for employees to be distracted by the surrounding environment (Boitnott 2022). Hence,
remote workers need to build a well-organized timetable and strictly follow it to avoid
these distractions and work effectively (Kratz n.d.).

A secure remote working arrangement is an environment in which organizational data

and communications is protected, and cybersecurity incidents, such as data breach, can
be staved off through the effective use of technology (Forfusion n.d.). When working
remotely, employees access the corporate database from places that may not be
secure enough to avoid cybersecurity threats (Forfusion n.d.). Hence, companies must
adopt different technological tools to ensure the security of employees’ access to the
company’s technological assets (Panel 2021). Furthermore, employees should also be
well-trained to identify potential cybersecurity threats in the remote working environment
(Panel 2021). The ability to detect these threats is vital as it can help managers come
up with timely decisions to prevent actual cybersecurity incidents, such as data
breaches, from happening (Hardy 2021). Moreover, companies with secure remote
workplace are the ones that can forecast potential cybersecurity threats to come up with
effective contingency plans (Kaur 2021). The contingency plans must be understood
and applied across the corporation to effectively overcome the incidents (Price 2023).

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Therefore, these contingency plans must be included in the training for employees so
that they know how to respond to a cybersecurity incident (CyberPolicy n.d.). The
effectiveness and security of a remote working environment is interrelated since a
secure arrangement can not only ensure the confidentiality of data but also help build
the trust of employees, which can enhance their productivity (Rocket.Chat 2022).

2. Challenges and difficulties:

Communication is one of the biggest problems that several companies have to face
during the quarantine. In the workplace, communication is important. It is the process of
both employers and workers coming up with and expressing new ideas, viewpoints, and
emotions, according to Radovic and Salamzadeh (2018). Without engagement with the
people who work there, a firm cannot grow. Lack of communication can lead to late
deadlines, workers do not know what their roles are and what tasks should be prioritised
(Kinsley 2019). Unfortunately, communication was hindered by the Covid-19 epidemic
that struck in 2019. People are required to stay at home and are forbidden from leaving,
under official decree, in a number of nations. It's challenging for workers to get together
and discuss things with their coworkers when they communicate using online software
instead of speaking to one other in person.

Distraction is another issue with remote employment. When working from home, people
are prone to distraction. Balance between work and personal life is tough for employees
(Mendoza 2021). Without a manager, employees are free to do anything they wish
during work hours, including playing video games, doing chores around the house, and
doing other activities unrelated to their jobs. Employees who work from home find it
difficult to concentrate during meetings as well. According to research using eye-
tracking equipment, employees do not always pay attention to their devices. Some of
them watch other films, while others, particularly ladies, stare in the mirror (George et al.
2022).

The number of cyber attacks has increased by 238% during the Covid-19 epidemic
(Pratt 2022). Employees that work remotely use unsecured wifi and their own laptops

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during the lockdown. People that work online have a cybersecurity issue as a result of
this. Additionally, data breach is a common type of cyber attack. A data breach occurs
when sensitive and secret information is stolen by untrustworthy people (Froehlich et.al
2022). One of the reasons for this problem is that employees usually set predictable
passwords like their birthdays or ‘’12345’’. Moreover, workers' homes lack secure
networks, making it simpler for hackers to access their computers and steal customer or
corporate information. As a result, hackers can use the information to their benefit,
including using it to extort money from the victim or sell what they have to a stranger.

3. Software applications
Microsoft Teams is a software application that can help employees overcome difficulties
in communication in the remote working environment. This technological tool has a wide
variety of functions, including video conferencing and messaging (Arimoto et al. 2022).
The chat function of Microsoft Teams allows users to have quick conversations with
others and create channels for different topics (Unscrambl 2021). Furthermore,
employees can share files to their Teams channels, and other remote workers can
access these files to edit together simultaneously (Microsoft n.d.-a). Video conferencing
on Microsoft Teams can also help users communicate effectively. Remote workers can
mitigate the background noises by adjusting the noise suppression so that they can
avoid distraction during their call (Microsoft n.d.-b). What is more, the feeling of being
disconnected can be alleviated with the Together Mode in Microsoft Teams
(AttendanceBot 2022). This feature enables employees to see their colleagues as if
they are all in the same room (AttendanceBot 2022). As a result, remote workers can
see each other’s facial expressions and non-verbal cues which can help them feel a
sense of belonging (AttendanceBot 2022). One feature of Microsoft Teams that is highly
useful is its Virtual Whiteboard. This is a collaborative tool that allows multiple users to
brainstorm together and insert their ideas (Get Support 2020). The input from users can
be images, drawings, or notes, which can facilitate better demonstration of ideas (Get
Support 2020). This feature is beneficial during remote meetings as all employees can

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keep track of the idea sharing and utilize their creativity to generate ideas (Microsoft 365
team 2021).

Cold Turkey is a suitable application that can help employees avoid distractions when
working remotely. Users can add all platforms and applications that can make them lose
focus to a blocklist in this application (Pot 2022). The Pro version of Cold Turkey
enables employees to set a schedule for the blocks to be initiated and make time for
breaks between working sessions (Mercado 2021). Cold Turkey also has many other
features, such as preventing remote employees from uninstalling the application, to
ensure that they can stay fully focused during their working hours (Pot 2022). This
application is highly useful since it also has Pomodoro timers which can help stave off
distractions to ensure the effectiveness of this technique (Cold Turkey n.d.).

To prevent cybersecurity threats, such as malware and phishing, Azure Active Directory
(Azure AD) should be used. This is a tool that can help companies monitor access to
cloud applications (Neira et al. 2022). Azure AD is highly effective in cybersecurity as it
has the Security Default feature which makes it mandatory for the users to provide
multi-factor authentication (MFA) to access corporate applications (Chai and Boger
2020). MFA requires different authentication factors, such as codes that are messaged
to the user’s mobile devices, which can prevent phishing attacks since the hackers
cannot gain access to this personalized data (OneLogin n.d.). With the identity
protection feature, Azure AD can also identify risks related to suspicious IP addresses
and credentials (Flores et al. 2023). After that, Azure AD can automatically require
users to follow risk-based policies by implementing the MFA or changing their
passwords to alleviate the risks (Flores and Turscak 2022).

Microsoft Endpoint Manager is another application that is highly useful for organizations
to prevent data breaches in the remote working environment. This is a platform that
protects and controls an organization’s devices, including applications, computers, and
other devices (Microsoft n.d.-c). Data loss prevention is included in Microsoft Endpoint
Manager which helps organizations prevent data breaches by implementing content

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analysis on corporate data (Fox et al. 2023). This feature can operate based on the data
loss prevention policies that the organization devised (Fox et al. 2022). Hence, the IT
department can utilize it to be aware of when a forbidden action, such as uploading
sensitive files to a prohibited destination, is taken (Fox et al. 2022).

Insightful is a helpful app for companies to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of
their remote working environment (Webster 2022). This app can help employers keep
track of staff’s working hours and their performance (Webster 2022). To be more
specific, Insightful keeps records of activities that employees do while working remotely
(Webster 2022). The time employees spent on each task is also recorded, and Insightful
can provide Productivity reports for employers to improve their employees’ performance
(Webster 2022; Insightful n.d.).

III. RECOMMENDATION
1. Maintaining effective communication and collaboration
Inefficient communication and collaboration are one of the greatest difficulties
businesses must confront when working remotely. Therefore, this requires companies to
find and apply some working tools that simplify communication between employees,
teamwork and save the time it can take to keep track of work. Microsoft Teams has
become the go-to collaboration and communication technological app for companies
working remotely or within the same organization all over the world (Unscrambl 2021).
One of the key advantages of using Microsoft Teams is that it offers a quick and
convenient chat platform. Indeed, employees can use Teams chat for the “quick click
with a question” style conversation without the tapping or the deep dive into looking for
an answer (Unscrambl 2021). For example, instead of sending emails in case of
announcing something formal, employees are more comfortable to chat with each other
whatever they want. They can even name conversations, personalize their
communication with GIFs or photos, create group chats and search files saved to
conversations, meaning that employees can feel more connected while not meeting in
person.

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Additionally, companies can enhance enriched communication with a diversity of
communication and collaboration alternatives of Microsoft Teams such as video call,
conference, file sharing, and real-time collaboration. When working remotely, it can
sometimes be the best to meet others they are communicating with in person as real of
interaction. Therefore, Teams allows them to connect with their team and host video
conference calls, presentation and work sessions where files can be shared and worked
on by team members at the same time. Users will be able to quickly access and
collaborate within Microsoft Teams’s ecosystem of apps. To illustrate, regular
discussion is inevitable for all employees. When they are not able to meet face-to-face,
instead of assigning tasks and exchanging information by sending emails, the
integration of the above features will make the online meeting as convenient and
smooth as the offline meeting was before.

Aside from the meeting section, to make workers easier in cooperating with each other,
virtual whiteboard and breakout room are integrated into Teams, supporting the meeting
function simplier to illustrate ideas together and make employees feel more interactive.
To be more specific, in a company meeting with numerous staff in many different
departments, the host video conference can divide them into breakout room because
with a small group, they are willing to share their own ideas and personal opinion
confidently, compared to a big one. This results in improving teamwork and
communication skills. Moreover, they can also create recordings that they can use and
store for future references - especially for instructional videos to train employees.

2. Security recommendation
First, business data is important information that offers every company a competitive
edge. Access control and data protection are thus critical tasks for every operator.
Nowadays, Data security, authorization, and access tracks are more challenging than
ever. This is due to the fact that traditional security measures are no longer effective
enough to thwart unscrupulous business practices. Azure Active Directory (Azure AD),
an access management tool and enterprise data protection, was created by Microsoft in
response to business concerns. Azure Active Directory has 2 main features namely
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activity log management right and admin access right. In terms of activity log
management right, businesses may monitor in detail all tasks and activities occurring
throughout their whole cloud database system with this functionality. In addition,
automatically identify unusual activity, report it, and take prompt preventive measures to
safeguard company databases from online threats. Another characteristic is admin
access right including Single Sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and
conditional access. Firstly, SSO is an identification technique that enables users to sign
in to several programs and websites using a single set of credentials (ITNavi). From a
user angle, this feature is conducive for preventing cyber attack because they are
compelled to remember and keep track of an overwhelming variety of regularly
changing passwords and as a result, they have a tendency to use weak passwords to
remember with ease. According to Cyberark, this is the primary reason why data
breaches are compromised account credentials. The second one is Multi-Factor
Authentication. With the aim of preventing illegal system data in the cloud, this
application verifies information via text messages, calls, biometrics, one-time passwords
for authentication identity proof. For example, when employees want to log in their
account on other devices, they must verify their identity via code number through text
message. Last but not least, conditional access enables organizations to set up and
improve access controls using contextual variables like user, device, location, and real-
time risk information to limit what, how, and when a given user may access certain
information.

Second, Microsoft Endpoint Manager is one powerful tool for corporations to prevent
data loss. To comprehend, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a way used to prevent
employees and clients from inadvertently and purposefully disclosing private and
sensitive information to another entity (Staff-cop). Furthermore, with the help of this
program, any business can simply handle its demands for data loss protection by
creating visual policies and rules editors. Thanks to these technologies, administrators
may design sophisticated rules for very particular use cases while keeping an eye on all

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internal and external disk activity, keystrokes, program usage, and instant message
traffic.

3. Track performance and productivity

Firstly, Cold Turkey is truly a hardcore site/URL blocking app that does not only stop all
distractions but also shuts off apps and even the entire internet. Cold Turkey allows
users to not only block websites (the whole website or specific page) but also lock
applications. They can build client block lists, import pre-existing categories of websites,
or use the built-in distraction list and add as many block lists as the buyer desires to an
infinite number of websites. Employees will see a motivating statement to remind them
that they should be working while a website is prohibited. Additionally, by taking
advantage of Schedule the blocks, they can create a weekly routine which does
wonders for preventing user from opening blocklists. Furthermore, taking a break is
another function offered by the Cold Turkey application. Thus, users may include a
break in a block that has already been planned. There are 2 types of breaks namely
Pomodoro and Allowance timer. About Pomodoro timers, while people work, this
function switches the block on and off to allow for breaks at set intervals in order to
boost productivity and help to keep refreshed and focused. In contrast, the Allowance
timer provides the option to turn off the block for the specified amount of minutes.
Buyers will be able to focus entirely on the timetable thanks to this advantageous
quality.

Secondly, using Insightful technological applications being the main eye-tracking

solutions, companies can work more intelligently with actionable data insights such as
employee productivity monitoring, automatic time tracking, or remote work management
(Insightful n.d). When choosing remote working, it is a fact that companies cannot watch
and manage their employees every minute of the day. Therefore, with employee
monitoring software of Insightful such as computer activity tracking, regular
screenshots, and verified attendance, it insightly tracks employee time and attendance
by automatically noting when employees come at work and how long they attend based
on their computer activities (Webster 2022). The daily reports help managers to detail
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how frequently and how long staff take breaks. They can observe in real-time the
websites and apps their staff members are visiting at any given time, as well as if they
are being active (Webster 2022).

By taking advantage of the integration of Cold Turkey and Insightful, businesses are
able to completely monitor the progress. To implement 2 software applications
effectively, the first step companies must take is that it is compulsory for all employees
to install Insightful on their computers. This tool will automatically send companies a
daily or weekly report. After receiving the performance and productivity evaluation
reports, managers need to analyze these reports to identify ways for employees to be
more productive, or to monitor and regulate the progress simultaneously employees are
working. Lastly, Cold Turkey is highly recommended to use because of personalization.
This application works as reminder to keep concentration, motivate workers while a
website is prohibited.

IV. Conclusion
In conclusion, this report has shown the key challenges that companies, and employees
are facing when working remotely, including poor communication, a lack of
concentration, and cyber-attacks. Indeed, it is clear that with the advent of the
technological applications, remote work has been highly encouraging for businesses to
manage their workload, facilitate the transition process easier, keep employees
engaged and collaborative, and ensure productivity and performance levels. This
remote work is predicted to develop in the future as younger generations prefer the
flexibility of working environments.