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Remote work is not always easy. Some people struggle with staying productive in their home office, others have difficulties with the communication602046452 between their team members.
Luckily, there are plenty of free remote work applications and software out there today, that help you keep track of your tasks and make your online job easier.
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This is a work in progress, applications and technology change rapidly, we revise this page often. |
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As mentioned on UCSB's Information Security Website here, Password Managers are ideally a helpful way to store passwords for many services that you use both on campus and off-campus.
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Google is getting their own heading separate from all others since the University Does have a contract with them in regards to our G Suite for Education and our email system. Primary support is ETS. -Enterprise Technology Service Center (http://etsc.ucsb.edu/ | 805-893-5000)
Google is not just email, it features a whole suite of tools that can make your life easier. We also have lots of documentation on the most common features
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With UCSB Connect, any Connect user can create a Shared Drive to act as a Group Share Drive.
Google Hangouts
Looking for an alternative to Skype? Google Hangouts is actually a great and well-performing option for audio and video meetings. In case you use Slack, it can easily be integrated and simplify your working life.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop allows you to access your computer securely from your phone, tablet or another computer. Essentially, this means you can access your machine from anywhere, at any time. You can access your computer by typing in an access URL into a web browser or download the mobile app for iOS and Andriod.
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Communication
Communication is one of the most important but also most challenging parts of working remotely. Not being in the same office as your team members or clients can be a true issue. The following remote work tools help you stay connected efficiently.
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based platform for video and audio conferencing, mobile collaboration, and simple online meetings. Zoom's web-based conferencing uses high-quality video and audio and is accessible on MacOS, Windows, iOS and Android mobile devices.
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Primary support is provided by ETS - Enterprise Technology Service Center (http://etsc.ucsb.edu/ | 805-893-5000)
Key features
- Video meetings: Remote teams can run video meetings and one-to-one video calls.
- Voice calls: You can also run group or one-to-one voice calls when face-to-face meetings aren’t necessary.
- Webinars: You can also use Zoom to host webinars.
- Messaging: Team members can send messages using Zoom.
- File sharing: Share files during and outside of video/voice chats for collaboration between members.
- Remote desktop: Share your screen, either in view only mode or allow others to control your mouse and keyboard
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- Instant messaging: Live communication between every team member for seamless collaboration.
- Statuses: Users can set availability statuses to focus on individual tasks as needed.
- File sharing: Drag-and-drop file sharing for PDFs, images, videos and other common files types.
- Voice & video calls: Voice and video calls directly from within Slack.
- Screen sharing: Allows team members to show their work to others in real-time for stronger collaboration.
TechSmith Capture (Previously Known as Jing)
When you want to explain a task to a coworker who is not right next to you, it can get tricky. JingTechsmith Capture is a lightweight solution that allows you to create screencasts of up to five minutes. You can then upload it and get a shareable link. Less time consuming and confusing than emails or screenshots.
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NOTE: Jing Techsmith Capture is actually a suite of tools, some are free, some are not, most have free base features but require payment to use everything. Be sure to check out their read-me page first before using. |
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When you manage a remote team, having great communication tools sometimes isn’t enough. In case you need a quick feedback or want to check out the current team’s sentiment, here are some tools for you.
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Note: Please be aware that Google, Gauchospace and Gradescope have poll and survey functionality built in. The below are just additional options with no extra support provided. |
Doodle
Want to find the perfect time for the next team meeting or the opinion about a new decision? Doodle is a great tool to send out short polls of any kind and get a quick response.
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Project Management
There are hundreds of project management apps out there. You have to test and see what has all the functions your team needs and a user experience that you like the most. Most of the ones listed below are free or have a free trial in the Microsoft or Apple stores and thus have been verified to have at least minimal levels of security.
Asana
Asana is very popular amongst bigger businesses. It is a professional and very powerful project management app with impressive layouts to organize projects between a large number of team members.
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TaskWorld is similar to Trello or Asana. What makes it different is the added feature of the chat function. Stay in touch with the rest of the team while organizing your tasks.
10,000ft
10,000ft is great for distributed workforce or teams in general. The visual interface, helps you keep an overview. In addition, it allows you to track your time and create reportsof the chat function. Stay in touch with the rest of the team while organizing your tasks.
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Staying productive might be one of the biggest struggles of remote workers. Too many potential distractions in your home office, too many things to keep track of. Here are some applications that help you stay on task through the day. Most of the ones listed below are free or have a free trial in the Microsoft or Apple stores and thus have been verified to have at least minimal levels of security.
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Note: Please be aware that Google and most modern operating systems have similar functionality built in. These are just additional options with no extra support provided. |
TomatoTimer
You have probably heard of the Pomodoro Technique before. You split your work in 25-minute sprints and take a break of 3-5 minutes in between every working period. This helps your brain to relax and to get new energy. The TomatoTimer does exactly that: It stops your time and reminds you to take your necessary breaks.
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Daily check-in meetings are hard when it comes to distributed teams and several time zones. The app iDoneThis lets you track your daily tasks without an actual meeting. At the end of the day, the team members report their daily results and the next morning everyone gets the info and the chance to comment on the tasks.
NowDoThis
In case all of those project management tools and to-do lists are too complex for your needs and you are looking for a basic app, NowDoThis might be the right thing for you. List your tasks and tick them off when they are done. Easythe info and the chance to comment on the tasks.
Nozbe
Nozbe is somewhere between a project management and productivity app. You can organize your incoming tasks, prioritize and manage them to get your work done quickly and effectively.
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When you work from home and don’t have to pay attention to breaks or office closing hours, it can be very tempting to work all day. A painful hunchback, dry eyes and a stiff neck are often the result. Take a Break Please is an app that forces you to take breaks throughout the day. A lot of its features have been incorporated into Windows 11 and the latest MacOS, but the old app is still available if you want to keep your OS separate from your schedule.
Tide
Similar to Mindfulness, Tide is a meditation app, that gives you relaxing melodies, peaceful backgrounds and motivating quotes.
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