19 Free Resources To Boost Your Remote Work During Coronavirus Quarantine

Tech giants like Amazon, Google, Facebook and Twitter announced that much of their workforce would start working remotely , stopping going to offices.

For those of us who are already used to working from home , the challenge is a little less, because internal policies are already established and best practices have already been shared with all employees.

But for the vast majority who have found themselves doing home office overnight, this challenge goes beyond dealing with issues of isolation, such as loneliness.

There is also the need to learn how to use new applications and tools, extensions to manage time and be more productive, lead geographically distant projects and teams, and at the same time be in virtual contact with these people.

Technology as a key piece right now!

Quarantine, cancellation and work-from-home policies have greatly increased the demand for applications for video conferencing, chatting, project management and file sharing in the cloud. After all, what would become of us without them?

In response to the spread of the coronavirus, software companies like Zoom, Microsoft and Google are offering their products for free so that everyone can feel a little more comfortable in this regard.

But it’s not just these companies! There are many others committed to this cause!

We have recently released a Complete Remote Work Guide for free download. In it, we tell you a little more about our experiences and learning with remote work here at Workana.

Without a doubt, it will help you think about the complexity and multiple factors of the question.

But that is not all! To help you get your remote work flowing during quarantine, we have selected the best free online resources. Let’s see:

19 free (or temporarily free) tools to boost your remote work during quarantine

1.Google

It has released a free premium version of its video conferencing tool, until July of this year, to help companies and schools around the world. Through Hangouts and Meet your company can make video calls with up to 250 participants in a room or broadcast live up to 100,000 viewers. Plus, you can record meetings and save them to Google Drive.

2. Zoom

It provides a user support page and the tool can be used with all its functionalities for free by primary and secondary schools. In the free version of this application, it is possible to hold unlimited meetings with up to 100 people in the room and for up to 40 minutes.

3.Calendly

It offers free integrations through Zoom and GoToMeeting with its software that schedules online appointments and therefore makes life easier for remote employees and keeps them connected. This integration feature is usually available on the Premium plan, but until June 30 everyone can use it.

Full access to the Premium account is also available to teams working directly on COVID-19 investigations. It should also be noted that Calendly has a very interesting free version for anyone regardless of this functionality.

4.Slack

It is providing free plans for teams working on the coronavirus pandemic investigation. Interested teams can email a special address to receive this version and find out the best way to start working remotely. Email: [email protected]

5.PandaDoc

Tool for electronic signature of documents. It currently offers a free electronic subscription plan with unlimited users, unlimited document uploads, unlimited electronic signatures, and payment processing.

6.Zoho

Super complete set of applications for those who want to work remotely (free until July 1). In total there are 11 tools ranging from online meetings, training platform, file storage, project management , remote user support, document writing application, spreadsheets and presentations and chat platform.

7.Hootsuite

Free access to Hootsuite Professional for small businesses and non-profit organizations until July 1. This application helps you manage social networks, in addition to staying connected with customers and the community.

In addition, Hootsuite gives you free access to various training courses for the management of social networks , which can help you improve your engagement, create more efficient content and manage your communication in these times of crisis.

8.Louvre Museum

Visit the museum’s exhibition halls and galleries and see the facades of the Louvre. The Louvre Museum is the largest art museum in the world and a historical monument in Paris, France.

9.Cisco

It has released a free license for new customers of the two-factor authentication tool Duo Security, and those who are already customers can extend the license to users who work remotely. The same applies to your web security tool, Umbrella, and your VPN product: AnyConnect, which is available until July 1.

Cisco is also extending services to existing customers of Webex, its video conferencing platform. Offer includes unlimited use with no time restriction, support for less than 100 participants and free dialing. To gain access, the company needs to contact Cisco by email: [email protected]

10.Microsoft

Free use of Office 365 E1 for six months, including live chat functionality with unlimited access for fully integrated group audio or video conference calls. This service pack features 10 GB of shared file storage and an additional 2 GB for personal files.

11.Avid

It has launched free and temporary licenses of tools for companies in the audiovisual and educational sectors. Users can get free 90-day licenses for products like Media Composer Ultimate, Pro Tools, Pro Tools Ultimate, Sibelius, and Final Cut.

12.Adobe

Free access to Creative Cloud apps is available to students and educators until May 31. Adobe also offers free 90-day access to Adobe Connect for web conferencing through July 1.

13.Dropbox

Free subscriptions to DropBox Business and HelloSign Enterprise for 3 months, each company can request access for a maximum of 50 users / licenses.

14.Salesforce

Free access to its technology for those teams that need to provide immediate emergency responses, call centers, and health care management teams to those affected by the coronavirus.

15.Loom

Excellent application to record your computer screen, make tutorials, and share them with students, clients, or remote teams. Some of the benefits offered by Loom are:

• Free Plan with extended limit – before it was possible to store 25 videos, now it is unlimited;
• Price cut in half Loom Pro plan – was $ 10 a month before and is now $ 5.
• In addition, all trial periods of the professional plan were extended from 14 to 30 days.

Training, Magazines, Refresher Courses and Culture

16.Linkedin

Right now, she offers 16 free online learning courses with tips on productivity, remote work, communication, tools and applications, and how to balance personal life with work dynamics in a healthy way.

17.Google Arts & Culture

Using Street View technology, the website offers free virtual visits to more than 1,200 museums, galleries, and institutions in 70 countries.

18.Harvard

During the quarantine, it offers 100 free online courses divided into 14 areas: Art and Design, Business Management, IT, Government, Law, and Politics, among others. All with a certificate.=

19.Pinacoteca di Brera

The Pinacoteca di Brera is considered one of the best art collections in all of Italy. It houses works by great artists such as Rafael and Caravaggio.

Stay calm and try to make the most of this quarantine period!

We know this is a stressful time: negative news, concern for the family and the elderly, work … all of this can dramatically lower our productivity!

But think of it this way: the more tools you have to keep your work updated the better, and communicating with the team will help you a lot! In addition to not pausing your activities, you will continue to avoid feelings of isolation, which will keep you away from depression.

The solutions for remote work so include online interaction as possible! Remember to communicate with the team all the time, share files and understand all the features of the tools and applications that we put at your disposal.

If you are the team leader , worry about being the agent responsible for integrating everyone! It recognizes that people are more nervous and even difficult to cope with new technologies. Encourage mutual collaboration.

Take a period of your day to learn, to know something new and to catch up! All of these practices can make this quarantine period a little calmer!