Future workplace now: 5 tips to stay ahead of the IT curve

From sophisticated collaboration tools to cloud frameworks that can handle valuable data, to be a workplace of the future, you need to be ready right now. That means assessing IT changes you might’ve made at the start of the pandemic and seeing if they’re going to work for you in the long term.

Business growth is great, but how do you know your IT framework is keeping apace? And will band-aid solutions that worked two years ago still be the right choice as your business grows?

In some cases, yes, but according to an expert from SoftwareONE, a leading global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions, these should be priorities for equipping your workplace for the future.

1. Get your security processes sorted

Cybercrime has become even more rife since the pandemic when businesses were forced to quickly move their operations into the cloud to allow staff to work from home.

Remote working is here to stay for at least part of the future workforce, so the risk of being hacked and having your customers’ sensitive data leaked will continue to be high.

“Security has to be at the forefront of any employer’s mind,” says Mark Saad, mid-market account manager at SoftwareONE, which provides a managed service for Microsoft 365 and Azure. “You need to make sure that the products, applications and devices your staff use are protected.”

Tech giant Microsoft has robust built-in security features for its cloud-based platform Azure and apps that include Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Teams. This includes powerful user authentication to prevent unauthorised access to your systems.

Yet you may not be aware of some of the security add-ons available and this is where a managed service like SoftwareONE’s 365Simple and Azure Simple can come in handy.

“Most people don’t know about some of these extra bolt-ons,” Mark tells Kochie’s Business Builders. “We educate our customers on all the security features available in their subscription and the benefits.”

These services are tailored specifically to businesses whose IT requirements are becoming more robust – and ultimately taking up too much valuable time and resources that could be devoted to core business needs like product innovation.

2. Be mindful of collaboration and connection

Since the pandemic, more people are prioritising their health and personal life and seeking employment that facilitates this. Future workplaces will need to better accommodate hybrid working, in which some staff will return to the office, either full-time or part-time, and others continue to work remotely.

This can make collaboration challenging, so it’s important to provide your employees with tools that help them stay connected. Microsoft Teams, for example, has instant messaging and video calling, as well as a SharePoint function where your teams can upload and share documents and other resources.

“Not everyone enjoys remote working,” says Mark. “With collaborative tools like Teams, it’s almost like having real-time access to your co-workers like you would in an office setting.”

So what’s coming in this space? According to Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index report, 52 per cent of employees are open to using digital immersive spaces in the metaverse for meetings or team activities in the next year.

“Avatars and the metaverse bring us one step closer to making people feel like they’re together even when they are physically apart,” says Mar Gonzalez Franco, principal researcher at Microsoft Research. “Our early research shows that when compared to an audio-only call, people feel more engaged, more present, and even more comfortable when using an avatar in a meeting. The people you are speaking with are better able to see your body language, and back-and-forth conversations feel more natural.”

3. Streamline your call systems

Many businesses have switchboards on the premises to manage internal and external phone calls. As hybrid working is the future, it’s important to streamline your physical and virtual call systems.

One company with an on-premises call system recently invested in a Microsoft 365 E5 package through SoftwareONE to better integrate the two.

“We tied everything together to streamline their ability to manage their in-house system,” says Mark. “This kind of approach can be cost-effective for businesses. Right now you might have a physical phone system and a soft phone system on your laptop. It’s possible to deliver a better end user experience, without necessarily having to spend an extra $50,000.”

4. Choose the right cloud platform

Moving into the cloud can save you money, offer better security and make collaboration easy for your staff, among many other benefits. So choosing the right cloud platform that meets your needs is essential.

According to Mark, Microsoft’s Azure is a popular choice for both big and small businesses. As well as its robust security features and support options, it’s integrated with the tech giant’s suite of cloud-based apps.

But it can be tricky to get the best out of it on your own. “Most people don’t have a clue about how much workloads and virtual machines are going to cost,” says Mark.

This is where a managed service like Azure Simple can help. It provides access to SoftwareONE’s proprietary PyraCloud platform – a single dashboard to track and optimise your software purchases. It also allows you to identify how much cloud usage the different departments in your business are using.

“Trying to get individual departments to pay their fair share of the cloud budget has historically been difficult,” says Mark. “PyraCloud makes it easy to ensure each department pays for what it consumes.”

5. Have the flexibility to scale

World events and economic conditions can decimate a business financially, so workplaces of the future need to get the best value from their investment into technology.

At the start of the pandemic, you may have had to lay off some employees, then when JobKeeper came in, you rehired them. Now you may have added even more staff. Having systems that are flexible enough to enable you to scale up or down according to what resources you need can save you money.

SoftwareONE’s PyraCloud platform, for example, allows you to quickly add new Microsoft 365 licences for temporary or full-time staff.

“Say you needed contractors in or a third-party service integrator to set up a domain or email address,” says Mark. “You can simply allocate them a few subscriptions for the time they’re working on the project. Then once they’re done, you just scale down.”

The ‘Great Resignation’ has morphed into the ‘Great Reshuffle’ where people are leaving unfulfilling jobs and taking up positions that offer more flexibility. This means your future workplace must have the processes and technology in place to accommodate both hybrid and remote workers.

Find out more about SoftwareONE’s full suite of services here.

This article is brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders in partnership with SoftwareONE.

Feature image: AdobeStock