Posted on May 20, 2020
Estimated reading time 4 minutes
To truly deliver a secure modern workplace for your organisation, it calls for a modern IT architecture that embraces:
- Cloud first: the cloud moves beyond a simple storage location to be a place where you manage your applications, workloads and data across all environments.
- Native security within your cloud platform: simplify your compliance and governance requirements, and add the security features and services you need the most.
- Mobile first: your employees have an identical, seamless experience wherever they are and whenever they need to work.
The problem is that most IT infrastructures evolve organically overtime, rather than being designed in a structured, cohesive way. Technologies are chosen for their ability to meet a requirement in that specific moment – sometimes without IT’s knowledge. As such, overlapping, duplicated or redundant functionality spreads throughout the infrastructure leading to immense inefficiencies. While outages slow the business, and silos prevent employees from accessing the information and systems they need to do their job.
This ageing and fragmented infrastructure, coupled with the rise of Shadow IT, and the lack of an IT roadmap that is aligned with business objectives, only exposes the business to risk and wasted investment.
Set up for success in your modern workplace
Creating your company’s version 3.0 so you can deliver the modern workplace that enables your business to thrive, requires you to carefully consider the platforms and specific toolsets that will enable employees to work, collaborate and deliver against company goals.
As a strategic IT consultancy with huge experience in migrating businesses to cloud first, mobile first, modern working, we recommend the unrivalled Microsoft 365 (MS 365).
Combining the comprehensive suite of productivity and collaboration tools within Office 365, with the sophisticated device management and outstanding security provided by the Enterprise Mobility Suite component of Windows 10, MS 365 is specifically built to enable the modern workplace.
Modern workplace key tools
But within MS 365, there are 3 strategic tools that really empower employees to be creative and work together securely:
OneDrive SharePoint
Enabling remote working, SharePoint allows your people to access the information they need anytime, anywhere with ease, and without needing to battle out-dated VPNs. Users can sync their folders to their desktop, which enables them to work offline if required. And with all the data now stored in the cloud, it frees up valuable, expensive storage space on any physical servers.
According to Forrester, organisations using Office 365, which includes SharePoint, can experience ROI of 162% with payback after just 7 months.
Benefits:
- Productivity: simplified document and file sharing.
- Mobility: access your data anytime, anywhere.
- Enhanced security: ingrained security keeps information protected.
Teams
Delivering connected experiences, integrated workflow and intelligent security, Teams enables greater collaboration by creating a central hub of activity within your business. Your people, content, apps, productivity and communication tools are all brought together into shared spaces. Teams is at the cutting edge of meeting technology – now your employees can share information ahead of meetings, include remote workers via video conferencing for closer collaboration and continue the discussions and follow up actions once the meeting has passed.
According to research from Forrester, Teams saves up to 8 hours per user, per week, and delivers ROI of 832%.
Benefits:
- Improved decision making: employees can confer with their peers more effectively.
- Better communication: both internally and externally with remote workers and third parties.
- Greater efficiencies: creates a unified experience that reduces the need to meet in person.
Simplifying modern workplace management, Intune integrates with over 2,500 SaaS applications, to provide your employees with access to the tools they need to best serve your clients. This is all done while maintaining a strong security posture – once devices are set up, you have the ability to remotely wipe data, set alerts that notify users of active threat analytics and data tracking.
Industry research shows that Microsoft 365 users are 38% more likely to feel their PC experience helps them best serve their customers, resulting in a +75 increase in Net Promoter Score.
Benefits:
- Simplicity: fast, over-the-air deployment of configuration, updates, and new software.
- Comprehensive device and app management: with an extra level of protection and features.
- Greater control: delete corporate data from a device while leaving all personal data intact.
Talk to us about enabling the Modern Workplace in your organisation
We specialise in planning and managing secure and non-disruptive migrations of IT environments to cloud first, mobile first modern architectures. If you’re interested in unlocking the full benefits of a modern workplace, we’d be happy to explain the process and make recommendations based on your specific requirements.
Book an exploratory consultation with our Modern Workplace Team.