Digital workspaces deliver today and tomorrow
Being able to work from anywhere has always been prized by employees. According to a recent CEBR study, 69% of employees reported that workplace flexibility improves their job satisfaction. And almost two-thirds said that it improves their professional development. Further, increased flexibility for working from anywhere delivers sustainability benefits, as has been seen during the pandemic when pervasive remote work had substantial positive environmental benefit. This has raised the importance of next-generation, digital workplaces that support this goal.
However, the pandemic crisis has forced organizations to move to full support for working outside the office, often before they were ready. Some organizations are finding that their existing remote work technology is not up to the task and are scrambling for answers. Others are taking the more thoughtful approach of deploying the most functionally complete and beneficial work-from-anywhere solutions, such as Citrix Workspace.
Improving the current remote work systems is a necessity
The CEBR study makes it clear that the current state of remote work requires substantial improvement, and the pandemic has underscored that need dramatically. For example, only 34% of employees currently have remote access to all the apps, data and files that relate to their job. Surprisingly, only 50% have remote access to email, calendar and instant messaging. Deploying a better digital workspace is clearly necessary.
The pandemic has raised the urgency of deploying an effective digital workspace. This is understandable, yet deploying a solution that solves both current and long-term problems precludes taking half measures. For example, merely providing better remote access is inadequate, and rolling out individual apps to remote workers one at a time takes too long and results in a disjointed and siloed user environment, with security, compliance and other management or administrative functionality added uniquely for each app. A far better approach is to substantially improve the digital workspace overall, for both capturing new opportunities and addressing business continuity needs.
The Potential Economic Impacts of a Flexible Working Culture
This report identifies the current and potential economic impact of flexible working practices that provide individuals with an ability to work from various locations away from the office.
Download NowNext-generation digital workspaces meet both short- and long-term needs
True leverage and speed-to-solution are only possible by utilizing a consistent platform for delivering the entire digital employee experience. Put simply: one platform, many apps. Next-generation digital workspace platforms incorporate all the necessary capabilities for supporting work from anywhere. This includes a comprehensive security stack that is consistently applied to every app within the workspace, simplified patching and updating, and a single access protocol. Users will love single sign-on, but IT will love managing a single set of credentials much more. The ability to leverage many of the management and administrative capabilities of a single workspace reduces the overall time frame necessary for effectively supporting remote work with a full complement of apps. This meets both the shorter- and longer-term demands. The organization also benefits from this technology. With an effective digital workspace, the organization can easily leverage the modern digital workforce (employees, contractors, temp help and partner businesses). Now all the necessary apps and data can be provided to workers immediately.
The speed of deploying the digital workspace is also enhanced by using cloud infrastructure. Leading solutions such as Citrix Workspace can be spun up within days or weeks by leveraging cloud infrastructure. Cloud also simplifies scaling up, providing a robust remote access network and ensuring reliability.
The current pandemic crisis has moved remote work to top of mind for executive management, line-of-business management and IT. The urge to deliver technical Band-Aids as fast as possible is quite understandable. However, the short-term approach is not likely to yield the desired benefits. Deploying a next-generation digital workspace not only meets many of the short-term needs for working remotely, but it also positions the organization for longer-term success. Citrix is a market leader, delivering best-in-class digital workspace solutions. Citrix Workspace provides far better functionality than simply making current apps accessible from home. And it can be deployed quickly using the cloud. It all adds up to the best way to meet both the short-term demands of the crisis and the long-term needs of the business.
