Organizations and companies no longer question the productivity of their workforce by working remotely. Businesses have realized that working remotely empowers employees with autonomy and freedom. Working remotely also comes in handy under various tough and inevitable circumstances like political turmoil, natural disasters, pandemics, etc. 

"Work from home and remote work" in the future, which the organizations already envisioned. The achievement of the organizational goals is only possible with the implementation of the powerful software tools that work as a backbone of remote work. 

The challenges can only be mitigated by the deployment and usage of the remote work software which ensures; team management, virtual meetings, managing project, and tasks by keeping the whole workforce updated. Remote work adds diversity to the businesses and enables them access to global talent and skilled workers. 

The flexibility of working remotely adds value to the employee as an incentive and reduces the churn rate. It also plays a vital role on a global scale as working "remotely" would ensure less commute and gas emissions. This new concept also provides employees with better management of work-life balance. Deployment of remote work software reduces costs, saves time, and even makes the hiring process easy in multiple cases for organizations.

Here at Ibmi Media, as part of our Server Management Services, we regularly help our Customers to perform related Open-source Software Installation queries.

In this context, we shall look into the best free and open-source remote work software that enhances the productivity of the employees with the powerful tools and features incorporated in the software.

Benefits of using Open Source Remote Work Software includes:

• With task reports, progress sheets, and real-time data about work in progress provides a manager and efficient tool for monitoring the team progress with enhanced visibility. Once you have scheduled a meeting, you don't need to micromanage as you can set up automatic reminders and notifications. 
• It is one of the equalizers in the digital age that democratizes access to a skilled workforce irrespective of geographical location. 
• Remote software can track employee availability across multiple time zones. This helps in the synchronization of meetings and conferences.
• It lets managers add specific information, personal details, skill set, and professional info regarding their workforce. With a single click, they have all the data required to make decisions on project teams.
• Remote work software builds a scalable security program for organizations.

Main features of Remote Work Software includes:

• Remote work collaboration: A remote work software has tools for screen sharing, email sharing, real-time access to projects, etc. for effective team collaboration. Remote workers can connect together with the tools and design and form their own virtual teams. 
• Virtual Private Network: Most of the remote work tools run on their own virtual private networks for the secure transmission of data and enhanced cybersecurity. 
• Project Management: The remote work solution comes with features for project planning, scheduling, and team collaboration in real-time. Managers can add or remove team members, share files, import or export data after applying filters, and many more.
• Chat Tools: The chat tools of remote work software provide remote workers with nuanced communication that helps them to collaborate efficiently. These tools follow the joint team code of conduct to establish clear and concrete communication between team members.
• Video conferencing: Remote work software has features to allow teams video conferencing facility with HD recording of a video conference for future reference. It has tools for screen sharing while the call is on. One should use a reliable internet connection and high-quality headphones to minimize video call disruptions.
• Office Suite: An office suite is an essential set of productivity tools required for remote office work. Remote work software either has its own office suite application or can integrate with third-party office suite software to provide facilities of spreadsheets, word processing, and presentation programs. 
• Centralized office: The remote work software offers managers a centralized dashboard to manage their teams. Managers can monitor, time track, control access, and allot work from a single dashboard. It's the admin area of the software suite and works as the administrative block of a traditional office. 
• Third-party integrations: A remote work software can integrate with other third-party applications to provide more features and added functionalities. Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox, Zapier, Office suites, Google Calendar, etc. are some popular third-party integrations. 
• Productivity Analysis: The productivity analysis feature provides detailed statistics on team members' productivity, the progress of projects, work completion, individual worker progress graph, etc. This feature of remote work software helps managers gauge the overall effectiveness of their remote teams and find the deficiencies, if any, in work. The remote work software detects any loss of productivity, and this alerts the managers to take corrective measures for improvement. Managers can eliminate unnecessary activities and fix loose ends. 
• Reporting tools: Remote work software also provides detailed reports about individual workers and teams. Time tracking reports, leave reports, late arrivals, and many more. 
• Security: Remote work software provides a secure working environment, end to end encryptions, and multiple layers of security to keep data safe and files securely. 

1. Teamwork

Teamwork is an open-source remote work software that enables the entire remote workforce team to be on the same page and updated while keeping the tasks, projects and organizational goals aligned. It consists of all the essential facilities one needs to achieve their daily tasks. Everyone is interconnected and could work together as a team and independently as well as being monitored.

The features included in the software are Calendar Management, Email-to-Task Conversion, Gamification capabilities, Issue Tracking, Mobile Access, Reporting/Analytics, Status Tracking, Third-Party Integrations, Workflow Configuration, and management, Supports Scrum, Resource Management, Project Planning, and Scheduling, Performance Metrics, Cost-to-Completion Tracking, Activity tracking, and dashboard facility and many more.

Get started for Free https://www.teamwork.com/signup/

2. Slack

Slack is another fascinating open-source software that empowers users to team up remotely and be connected. The designated teams in Slack work in channels that can be organized department-wise making it easier to follow up on tasks and complete. It helps the teams work smarter by delivering all the important information to make effective and efficient decisions timely.

The advanced features included are Meeting Management, Member Directory, Messaging, Milestone Tracking, Mobile Access, Workflow Management, Video Chat, Video Conferencing, Video Support, Two-Factor Authentication, Two-Way Audio & Video, Usage Tracking/Analytics, Third Party Integrations, Team Chat, Screen Sharing, Search/Filter, SSL Security, Reporting/Project Tracking, Real-Time Notifications, Real-Time Synchronization, Project Planning, and Project Scheduling and the list goes on.

Download now from https://slack.com/downloads/linux

3. Element

Element is another remote work software that assists and collaborates teams working remotely in various organizations and industries. It consists of all the essential and appropriate tools to achieve routine tasks. This solution uses end-to-end encryption for extra data security.

The powerful features incorporated in the enhanced software are Video Conferencing, Screen Sharing, Secure Data Storage, Single Sign-On, Real-Time Notifications, Live Chat feature, Mobile Access, Discussions/Forums, File Sharing, Communication Management, Customizable Branding, and the list goes on.

Get started now by downloading from https://element.io/get-started#linux

4. Jitsi

Jitsi is a powerful tool that enhances the productivity of its remote users by keeping them all in touch and accessible. It assists businesses with password-protected virtual meetings to host audio/video calls. It has the capabilities of third-party integration as well. It also has the picture-in-picture option which enables the users to work on multiple applications and even keep the view of the entire team on the screen.

Some of the core features of this software are Screen Sharing, Third-Party Integrations, Two-Way Audio & Video, Video Call Recording facility, Video Conferencing, Video Streaming, Remote Access/Control, Reporting & Statistics, Mobile Access, Presentation Streaming, Private Chat, Real-Time Chat, API, Call Recording and more.

Download now from https://jitsi.org/downloads/

5. Mattermost

Mattermost is another open-source software that keeps the designated remote team connected on the go. It helps the top management to monitor the performances of their subordinates, along with the facility of compliance reporting. Some of the additional features are single sign-on and multi-factor authentication for data security.

The core features included in the software are API, Access Controls/Permissions, Alerts/Notifications, Chat/Messaging, Communication Management, Contact Management, Content Management, Customizable Branding, Discussions/Forums, Document Management, Employee Database, Employee Photos, File Sharing, File Transfer, Multi-Language capabilities, Screen Sharing, Third-Party Integrations, video conferencing, audio calls and the list goes on.

Get started for Free https://mattermost.com/trial/

6. Rocket.chat

Rocket.chat software has made lives easy and convenient for the skilled remote workforce ensuring the completion of routine tasks and assigned projects. The teams are aligned and on the same page no matter from which part of the world they are working from. The software enables the users to exchange and optimize data within seconds with the assistance of various super features.

The features are Website Visitor Tracking, Time Zone Tracking, Transcripts/Chat History, Transfers/Routing, Two-Way Audio & Video, Version Control, Video Chat, Video Conferencing, Third-Party Integrations, Task Management, Search/Filter, Single Sign-On, Reporting/Analytics, Multi-User Collaboration, API, Mobile Access, Employee Activity Monitoring, Contact Management, Content Management, and the list goes on.

Get started by installing now from https://docs.rocket.chat/quick-start/installing-and-updating/manual-installation/ubuntu

7. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is best for the remote workforce and field service teams who need to get connected for everyday tasks. It provides a clear picture of all the workers, their performance, activity tracking while ensuring the organization’s target completion.

The features included in the software are Attendance Tracking, Automatic Time Capture, Billable & Non-Billable Hours, Activity Tracking, Calendar Management, Client Management, Employee Database, Employee Management, Employee Scheduling, Employee Time Tracking, Geographic Maps, Geolocation, Historical Reporting, Idle Time Monitoring, Location Tracking, Mobile Access, Mobile Time Tracking, Overtime Calculation, Productivity Analysis, Project Time Tracking, Sick Leave Tracking, Third-Party Integrations capabilities, Workstation Tracking, and the list goes on.

Download now from https://support.hubstaff.com/install-and-sign-in-into-linux-desktop-client/

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