If we have learnt anything in the past year, it’s that organizations need to be able to adapt quickly. When you think about all the developments and rapid changes that companies have to contend with, setting up the ideal workplace may seem like a daunting task. The ideal digital workplace is a bit like a dream house or a dream job: there are no downsides, only positives. And, just like a dream house or a dream job, the ideal workplace isn’t the same for everyone.
Every employee has different requirements when it comes to the ideal workplace. This workplace is therefore more than just a laptop: the modern workplace also includes things like connectivity, security provisions, mobility, and user-friendliness. It’s a digital workplace that provides the applications and tools employees like and need to use. And since every workplace forms part of your IT landscape, workplaces need to be affordable, secure, and adaptable.
How do you create the ideal workplace?
The best workplace is good for the employee and good for IT. Optimal technology solutions offer a suitable answer to the expectations and needs of your employees. It is important that this answer is not only relevant today, but also in the future.
A workplace must be flexible and able to evolve alongside the changing circumstances in terms of data and applications, users and their devices, and the available infrastructure and connectivity. And it goes without saying that good support and security are part and parcel of this.
Read also: ‘Current security trends’
But besides responding to your employees’ expectations and wishes, the digital workplace must also offer management benefits and be financially worthwhile. A cloud workplace can fulfil this comprehensive set of requirements, both for end users and the IT organization.
Digital workplace in the cloud
By choosing a portal approach in a managed cloud, you can meet all these requirements – and not just the requirements of your business managers and end users, but also those of IT. A cloud portal facilitates the integration and linking of applications and functionalities.
In addition to, for example, Office365, most organizations also use all kinds of other applications, from standard solutions to customized software.Sometimes these applications are installed in several different cloud environments or partly on premise. By integrating these applications, employees can effortlessly use all tools from a single environment. Examples of this include Salesforce.com, Office365, Teams, Trello customized solutions from the company’s own data centre, such as an HR tool.
Cloud-based workplace as a cockpit for employees
There are also all kinds of technologies available that provide a personalized digital workplace that is always available, regardless of the end user’s device. The cloud-approach ensures that data and applications are always synchronized. Users have easy, fast, and secure access to the data and applications relevant to them on their preferred devices. Not only does this simplify collaboration, communication, and the sharing of information, but it also increases employees’ productivity and job satisfaction, according to research.
In this sense, the cloud-based workplace can be seen as a cockpit for the end user: everything is within reach.
The digital workplace keeps IT agile and manageable
The digital workplace in the managed cloud also benefits the IT organization. Thanks to Identity and Access Management solutions that are intelligently linked to HR profiles, User Provisioning enables newcomers to get up and running quickly and with all the tools they need. And when people leave the company, they can do so with due care for compliance, thanks to the digital workplace. For an extra level of security, additional technologies such as Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) can also be easily integrated.
Additionally, a cloud-based workplace provides the IT organization with the ultimate starting point for aligning infrastructure, connectivity, data, apps, devices, and users in order to create an integrated work environment that is secure, compliant, and scalable. Because scalability isn’t just about the number of end users. It’s also about being able to deploy the right tools and applications at the right time – for example, in scenarios where projects, pilots, experiments, or collaborations require a temporary expansion of capacity.
With workplaces in the managed cloud, the IT organization has management tools at its disposal which ensure that employees have controlled access to the right data and applications anytime, anywhere, but which also ensure that data and files are backed up on time, can be shared and sent securely, and are easily retrievable via fileserver solutions.
A cloud workplace is also the ideal basis for support and self-service solutions that take the current situation into account, for example the implementation of new systems.
The digital workplace: the best of both worlds
With a digital workplace, your organization can enjoy the best of both worlds. Employees have a workplace that meets their wishes, needs, and working methods, which leads to greater job satisfaction and increased productivity.
At the same time, the IT organization can guarantee speed, manageability, control, and security. Applications are always up to date and available through reliable connections. A cloud-based workplace provides a safe haven for virtually all conceivable business applications, which can reside in different places: in public and private cloud environments or on-premise.
Thanks to the scalability of our digital workplace, your organization never has to pay more than is absolutely necessary, which also makes the digital workplace a financially attractive choice. After all, you pay per license or per user, regardless of whether they only use Office 365 or need SaaS solutions such as Asana, Trello, or Slack.
Getting started with the digital workplace
A good digital workplace ensures that everyone within your organization can take full advantage of the opportunities that technology has to offer. Is your organization ready to embrace the digital workplace? We’d be happy to help!
