Are your apps holding your workers back?
- Two thirds of respondents – 67 percent – said that their organisations’ applications are holding back workplace mobility
- Only 40 percent said that their organisation’s applications estate had been optimised for remote and/or mobile working
- 54 percent of mobile application management policies do not ensure that users can access applications from secure devices when working remotely or on the move
Skills gap Only one conclusion can be drawn from these numbers; that the modernisation of key business applications is lagging behind the need to deliver effective mobile working practices in most organisations. Why should this be happening? One reason may be a lack of skills and/or time. There may have been other priorities. Another may be worries over security. We also found evidence in our survey that many organisations are still concerned about giving users remote access to apps. Indeed, 67 percent restrict home working due to security concerns and 71 percent limit the use of common cloud apps and services. Yet the clear desire and move towards home working is also evident in the findings, with 80 percent of respondents agreeing that there are now more people working at home on a regular basis than there were two years ago, and 74 percent saying that at least a third of staff work remotely at least once a week. Changing expectations Many employees now expect or will even insist they are allowed to work from home every now and then, if not on a regular basis. There was even some evidence in our survey that suggested not allowing staff to work flexibly could make it harder to attract potential employees. If we bring all these findings together, it’s clear that many organisations need to do more to enable remote or home working where it is feasible. There are many clear benefits of doing this – both to the individual and the organisation – and plenty of evidence that it enhances productivity. But to deliver those benefits, and avoid holding workers back, organisations need to step up the pace of modernising their applications. Whether that is a matter of doing it themselves or putting pressure on their software suppliers, or addressing issues or concerns over security, they need to act if they are to deliver on the expectations of employees and enable the most productive working environment. At SCC we have over 45 years’ experience in Making IT Work as a business enabler. We have helped numerous organisations similar to yours adapt to the ever changing workplace by designing, implementing and managing innovative technology solutions that address productivity needs and providing the flexibility employees need to work effectively anywhere and at anytime. Our consultative approach helps to identify what your core challenges are and allows us to build workplace solutions that address these needs. Our portfolio of services to support the modern workplace include:
- Unified End-point Management
- Collaboration and Communication
- Application Modernisation
- Microsoft Consultancy
- Product Provisioning
- Service Desk
- IT Service Management
- End User Support
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