Cloud workspace options quickly became a necessity right around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, for obvious reason. As the stay-at-home mandates were lifted and office policies returned to normal, smart businesses started to realize the benefits of having flexible work options.
Small and mid-sized businesses began to embrace the benefits of cloud-based workspaces. This investment in cloud-based infrastructure offered more than simply a short-term gain – digital transformation can positively impact a business’s operations far beyond what was needed for the global health crisis.
In fact, cloud workspace options were a great way to empower employees, which has been proven to boost collaboration, efficiency, and productivity.
Today’s Employees Need Flexibility and 24/7 Access to Their Workplace Tools
In most modern businesses, employees are already working on their personal phones, tablets, and laptops in some capacity or other. Doing so provides a degree of flexibility workers are starting to expect, especially due to the experience we had during the recent pandemic. Unfortunately, many employers have been slow to implement comprehensive, secure remote work options on a more permanent basis.
In a 2017 survey, VMware and Forbes Insights polled 2,000 CIOs and frontline employees to assess their perspectives and approaches to digital transformation and cloud workspace implementation. Results of the survey showed that only 18% of businesses had converted to a fully digital environment, while 59% were “transitioning” and 29% still relied upon traditional office-centered systems.
Another recent study, this one conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management, found that 60% of employers offered a remote work option, but only for ad hoc, intermittent absences. Additionally, only 22% of employers provided a full-time remote work option.
Clearly, many businesses weren’t prepared for a lengthy period of working from home back when it was necessary. And they still aren’t, now when it makes a huge difference in attracting and retaining talent.
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Overcoming BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Nightmares With Cloud Workspaces
While most employees crave flexibility and accessibility for work, this can become a logistical nightmare for IT professionals. With each employee having three (or more!) potential endpoint devices, there is a real challenge to secure and control access to a business’s data.
On average, IT needs to support eleven different types of devices, seven cloud services, and countless software applications. Ensuring compliance and protecting that many endpoints is the workplace can prove to be frustrating, time-consuming, and often futile.
The solution here is a cloud workspace. This approach reduces complexity by allowing most IT teams to centrally manage the Cloud Workspace, while providing secure access to it from any device. And that promotes efficiency and gives them additional time to devote to more important projects.
Discovering the Benefits of Cloud Workspaces
Some businesses are concerned that remote work will lead to distractions, decreased productivity, and less communication, but this concern is often unnecessary. Research suggests that companies implementing a cloud workspace actually see substantial benefits.
Greater Collaboration
Modern employees think of work less as a brick-and-mortar place, and more like a state of mind and activity. Employees no longer feel the need to always huddle around a conference table and whiteboard ideas. Instead, many prefer using applications to collaborate and share ideas online. Cloud workspace options make this information sharing easier and more secure.
When businesses leverage cloud workspaces, their applications and software are available through the cloud, thereby allowing teams to access them safely from any device and location. They can also share applications, data, and ideas in real-time – no matter the circumstances. Notably, VMware’s survey showed a 16% increase in collaboration and decision-making speed when companies adopted cloud workspaces.
Improved Efficiency and Productivity
Business methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma rose to prominence because they are useful tools for eliminating waste and increasing productivity. Cloud workspaces do the same thing. Consolidating data and documents into a single cloud storage environment eliminates a ton of bloat from previous processes.
By removing extraneous and redundant software, you simplify operations. Your team will already love that. But it also allows you to focus on providing them with high-quality, essential tools so they can do their best work.
Combine that with the flexibility cloud environments offer, and you can take your business to the next level. In fact, research suggests that when employees have the tools they need and flexibility they desire:
They have greater motivation
They experience higher job satisfaction
They are five times (!) more likely to report increased productivity
Elevated Security
Many organizations operate under strict regulatory guidelines. Whether that’s HIPAA, PCI, ITAR, the Rules of Professional Conduct, or any other regulations, they usually need to do more than just ensure compliance – they also must prove it.
When it comes to compliance, the right cloud workspace can help you withstand an auditor or insurance company’s scrutiny. Many hosted cloud workspaces essentially include “security as a service,” which ensures that data is protected and meets industry-specific criteria.
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Practical Cloud Workspace Solutions
While switching to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a necessity, you can see how keeping this option benefits your company. It puts you in a position to attract and maintain talent, and your talented employees are happier and more productive. This is a win-win situation – as long as your cloud workspaces are accessible and secure.
If you want to capitalize on the benefits of offering a remote work option, you can trust Virtual Systems to ensure security and accessibility for your cloud workspaces. Our team takes pride in providing effective cloud solutions for your most essential and challenging business needs. And we can do this because we have a dedicated team of knowledgeable IT experts, partnerships with industry leaders like Veeam, and customizable services so you get exactly what you need (and nothing that you don’t).
If you’re not sure where to start or are looking for a reliable source of information, feel free to contact us by either calling (844) 2-VIRTUAL | (844) 284-7882 or using our quick contact form and we’ll be in touch!
References
Society for Human Resource Management (2015). SHRM Research: Flexible Work Arrangements. Author: Alexandria, VA. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/special-reports-and-expert-views/Documents/Flexible%20Work%20Arrangements.pdf
VMware (2018). The Impact of a Digitally Empowered Workforce: Forbes Study Data. Author: Palo Alto, CA. Retrieved from https://secure.vmware.com/44769_REG?touch=1&cid=&src
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