Several decades ago, any businesses that shunned IT for a significant period would have either halted their progress or gone bust.
Not much has changed, and modern businesses need their finger on technology’s pulse if they’re to avoid being left behind.
Evolving and adapting in the office of today has several key technological ingredients that if ignored could prove detrimental.
Encourage Remote Working
The traditional workplace model of commuting to an office grew up well before the internet age.
If COVID-19 has taught us anything it’s that we don’t all need this model to get a job done in the modern workplace.
Whilst remote work isn’t for everyone, for those that take to it, there’s a huge productivity boost on offer, with more focus placed on work completed than hours worked.
With no commute and a potentially more focused work environment, employees find they finish their work earlier and can have more of a work/life balance. This drives motivation in the modern workplace.
Also, contrary to the go-go-go mentality popular in some environments, a good work/life balance has been shown to boost business productivity. With remote work there’s also money to be saved on office space; another a potential win-win.
Make Collaboration as Easy as Possible
The less friction there is when communicating and sharing ideas, the quicker and more productive a business can be.
To do this, employees need technology that prioritises efficiency. They need to be able to share any document they’re working on in an instant. Technology should permit multiple users to easily collaborate and let them update documents in real-time. This is particularly important for remote teams.
Meetings also need to be scheduled and conducted with as little friction as possible. Those are just three notable examples and with a tool like Microsoft Teams, the potential for collaboration to be optimised by technology is endless.
Smart And Robust Cyber Security
One unfortunate downside of our brave new modern workplace is its susceptibility to cyber-attacks.
More than half of British firms reported a cyberattack last year. With more of the world working from home than ever, your network needs all the help it can get to ensure employees don’t make hackers’ lives easier.
This includes many things such as quality antivirus software, regular backup, and mobile device management. Training your workforce in cybercrime awareness and implementing a BYOD policy will also be beneficial.
Cloud Computing
This last point is in many ways a booster to the other three. Cloud computing enhances remote work by ensuring your resources are available from any device, with zero need to store files on local devices.
Cloud computing enhances collaboration. For example with centralised data storage, teammates don’t need to email revisions of their files back and forth across machines. And although on-premise servers can be more secure, cloud computing is usually a more secure option for an SME.
There are also numerous other benefits that any business would welcome with cloud computing such as typically better uptime than on-premise servers and generally contributing to overall efficiency.
For all the praise of technology we’ve just given, it is important to not get too caught up in it.
Evolving into a modern workplace will be technology-driven, yes. By all means, Implement a cloud phone or move from on-premise servers to hybrid. But only if they’re following well thought through business goals. A modern workplace is driven by the goals it wants to reach, not the tech it feels it should use.
At CMI we put your business goals first and then use technology to fashion the modern workplace you’re looking for. If that’s what you’re looking for then get in contact with us today.
