Before the pandemic, remote work was a luxury enjoyed by employees in higher-level management or IT-type roles. Today, remote or hybrid workplaces are the norm in many organizations, with millions of workers conducting business while dispersed across geographies.
For example, tech giants Microsoft and Facebook offer flexible hybrid options, while Twitter maintains a fully remote business model and offers office space in key markets for workers who want it.
It’s clear that we will be living with COVID-19 indefinitely. However, for many businesses, embracing a remote work environment is about more than navigating a public health crisis.
The Pros and Cons of Remote Work
As businesses chose—or were mandated—to shift to a remote work model, the benefits of this new way of working quickly became apparent.
With no office space to maintain, businesses realize significant cost savings, including a reduction in operational costs and—for the truly committed—the elimination of real estate expenses.
And for employees, working remotely increases productivity and flexibility, improves job satisfaction, and positively impacts employee retention.
Companies that offer remote work opportunities also have access to a broader talent pool. With no geographical constraints, remote organizations can source skilled employees from anywhere in the world.
Although there are many reasons to appreciate a remote workplace, the model isn’t without its challenges.
For example, some employees miss the personal connection of working face to face with their colleagues. Others find communication breakdowns are more likely in remote environments. Another common complaint when working from home is that it is harder to “switch off” at the end of the day, leading to burnout.
Those in leadership positions cite security as a leading concern when supporting a remote workforce and find employee oversight more challenging in this type of environment. Executives have also found that setting up and supporting a non-centralized workforce can increase equipment and infrastructure expenses significantly.
Challenges of Managing the Post-Production Process Across a Distributed Team
According to some digital production experts, many post-production teams plan to permanently adopt remote or hybrid work environments.
Like so many workers, these teams switched to a remote model out of necessity but found that the flexibility of working remotely has made them more productive and efficient.
That said, achieving this efficient workflow isn’t seamless. There are several factors post-production teams must address to keep video content flowing in a remote work environment.
Structure
Without a centralized workspace, it is imperative to ensure that users at every stage of the post-production process have the equipment they need.
Due to the nature of this type of work, the team will need access to high-quality audio and video technology, the appropriate software and hardware, and a reliable and secure network connection.
Accountability
Post-production is a multi-step process, with each step dependent on the others to succeed.
In a remote work environment, accountability and visibility are key. To ensure the process stays on track, the team needs highly efficient project management, automated versioning capabilities, and reliable progress tracking.
Security
Securing remote post-production activities is challenging but essential. These teams work with valuable intellectual property frequently targeted by cybercriminals and would be extremely expensive to replace if lost or damaged.
To ensure the post-production process is secure, remote teams need to implement cybersecurity and data loss prevention initiatives that include:
- Role-based permissions
- Access management protocols
- Comprehensive data protection strategies
- Secure storage
- Multiple backups
Connectedness
Post-production teams must work closely with colleagues and stakeholders throughout the entire process.
Remote workers may find it difficult to communicate when they aren’t sharing a space with their team. Because collaboration is such an essential part of the post-production process, it’s important to invest in collaboration tools and file-sharing solutions that enable and encourage open communication.
Five Ways Collaboration Software Enhances the Productivity of Your Remote Post-Production Team
For many post-production teams, remote or hybrid work environments are here to stay. With the right tools and infrastructure, this evolution has the potential to supercharge efficiency and create a streamlined process that saves both time and money.
Collaboration software is an essential ingredient in a remote post-production team’s success. By providing these five core capabilities, the right collaboration software allows teams to work together seamlessly regardless of where members are located.
1. Management
Housing all of your video production assets on one platform makes it easier to manage the post-production process using features such as:
- File tagging and metadata
- Versioning
- Role-based user management
- Webhooks
2. Collaboration
Maintaining open communication channels between the post-production team and stakeholders keeps everyone apprised of project progress. It also ensures everyone knows when they need to provide input by using:
- Internal and external review options
- Tag-driven sharing
- Distribution list management
- Automated notifications
3. Presentation
In addition to facilitating creative cooperation, good collaboration software allows users to turn content into remarkable visual experiences that can be shared using presentation capabilities like:
- Templates
- Access controls
- Automated publishing and updates
4. Security
By the time your video gets to post-production, there are many costly resources involved in the project. A security-focused collaboration tool will protect your investment with industry-best features, such as:
- Visible, forensic, and multi-level watermarking
- Multi-factor authentication
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Role-based project permissions
5. Analysis
No matter how much data you collect, it is only valuable if you can turn it into actionable insights. Good data can be a key driver of decision-making, so be sure your collaboration software is equipped with robust analytics. Ideally, your solution will allow you to:
- Track user activity across review links and presentations
- Track asset activity to gauge popularity and interest
- Export data in multiple formats
- Pinpoint dropoff points to measure user engagement
According to a recent survey conducted by MediaSilo, 94 percent of our customers are doing their post-production work in fully remote or hybrid environments. MediaSilo’s feature-rich, all-in-one collaboration platform helps post-production teams work together seamlessly, from delivering dailies to finishing the final cut. Download MediaSilo’s Guide to Post-Production Workflows to see how MediaSilo is taking the lead in remote post-production collaboration software.
