Remote, hybrid or in the office: what to know about each tool

What changes between remote, hybrid and office teams

Fully remote

• Identity is your perimeter. Without an office network to hide behind, single sign-on, enforced two-factor authentication and quick off-boarding do the work. Check the SSO and SCIM plans on our security database.
• IP allowlisting needs a VPN. Restricting sign-ins to office IP ranges locks out people at home unless everyone connects through a company VPN with fixed exit addresses.
• Devices you don’t own. If staff use personal laptops or phones, look for session timeouts, remote sign-out and controls on downloads to unmanaged devices.
• Where data lives. Hiring across the EU, UK or Australia can bring data-residency questions; only some vendors let you choose the region.

Hybrid

• Meeting rooms need to work for people at home. Video tools that support certified room systems make mixed meetings less lopsided; check the Office & room hardware column.
• Same rules in and out of the office. Policies that only apply on the office network (IP rules) create two classes of access. Many teams pair SSO with device checks instead.

In the office

• Lock access to the building network. IP allowlisting is simplest when everyone works from known networks, and useful for regulated desks.
• Hardware you may need. Room systems for video, card readers and POS hardware for in-person sales, and desktop apps for shared workstations.
• Plan for outages. When the office connection drops, only tools with offline modes keep working. See the offline database.