These are the essential tools for remote workers

Remote working offers up all sorts of opportunities and certainly much more freedom than being confined to an office. And, thanks to technology you have a tantalizing suite of digital tools at your disposal. Here’s our pick of the best options so you can hit the ground running.

Productivity power

Although many people think that a suite of Microsoft Office tools will answer their prayers there are also plenty of other options when it comes to general remote working productivity. A simple search online will reveal a plethora of alternative office suites, many of which are free. You can produce written documents, spreadsheets and deliver all manner of other digital output without signing up to the mighty Microsoft. Google, for example, is obviously a major player but the collection of online collaboration tools it has available are invaluable, particularly as they can be accessed online and from anywhere.

Google Drive at your disposal is super convenient for storing, well, just about anything. At the same time, there are plenty of other Cloud-storage options that will prove essential as you get more productive and accumulate lots of digital files. Many are free, though some paid-for options deliver more flexibility and a good deal more storage space if you’re expanding at a rate of knots.

Safe and secure

If you’re working remotely then one of the first things worth considering is getting yourself set up with a VPN, or Virtual Personal Network. Alongside conventional online security options such as antivirus software (which you should have too), the humble VPN can be useful as it effectively masks your computer in a way that renders