The global coronavirus outbreak has profoundly disrupted the world of work. As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, businesses are reconfiguring the workplace and adopting new policies to align with public health protocols. Perhaps the most obvious impact of the pandemic on the workforce is the dramatic rise in remote work.
In this new world of work, the traditional nine-to-five in an office building is becoming increasingly obsolete. Thanks to advances in technology, employees can work from anywhere and on any device. Now it’s up to businesses to integrate tools and processes that can help employees working remotely connect, collaborate, and be productive in a digital environment.
That’s where the concept of Microsoft Modern Workplace comes in. Microsoft offers a unified suite of cloud-based applications designed to improve flexibility, increase productivity, and facilitate collaboration in a decentralized workplace.
What is Microsoft Modern Workplace?
Microsoft’s concept of the ‘Modern Workplace’ is a new way of working that uses the suite of Microsoft 365 technologies and productivity applications to support a digital workforce. A well-implemented Microsoft Modern Workplace will enhance communication, streamline business processes, and enable teams to connect, collaborate, and work from any location.
What tools does Microsoft Modern Workplace offer? The Microsoft Modern Workplace comes with a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools designed to support a digital workforce, facilitate digital transformation, and mitigate security threats. These include Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Security (Windows Information Protection, Microsoft Intune, and Azure Active Directory).
The Benefits of a Microsoft Modern Workplace
The pandemic has accelerated the shift to remote work, making the transition to a Microsoft Modern Workplace imperative for organizations and their teams. But before you do, it’s important to understand what your business stands to gain from this transformation. Here are some of the benefits of implementing a Microsoft Modern Workplace in your business.
Scalability
The modern business environment is highly dynamic. One of the greatest benefits of Microsoft Modern Workplace is that it can easily adapt to the changing needs of your business. Organizations can leverage the self-service features of services such as Microsoft 365 to create the resources they need, resulting in an extremely cost-effective operation.
Automation
Microsoft Modern Workplace can help organizations streamline workflows and boost efficiency through automation. The Power Platform, a part of Microsoft 365, offers a group of tools that allow users to automate business processes. Businesses can use these tools to automate time-consuming administrative tasks, allowing employees to focus on innovation.
Collaboration
Microsoft Modern Workplace includes Microsoft Teams, one of the best collaboration tools out there. Teams offers a unified interface that allows employees to work seamlessly across various Microsoft 365 apps. Employees can function as a team when working remotely through the seamless integration of Microsoft 365 applications and services.
Employee Experience
According to a recent BCG survey, employee expectations concerning the future of work have changed significantly during Covid-19. Employees are now keen on flexible working environments. Microsoft’s Modern Workplace offers a plethora of apps, tools, and platforms that support flexible work models, which will ultimately lead to a better employee experience for a remote workforce.
Security
In the digital era, organizations need to ensure that they have appropriate security measures in place to protect their networks, systems, and data from cyberattacks. Microsoft’s Modern Workplace includes a security stack that gives businesses the ability to defend themselves against a wide range of cyber threats, including phishing, malware, and zero-day attacks.
Until 2020, whether and how the Microsoft Modern Workplace was implemented was an individual company decision. Since the coronavirus outbreak, implementing this workplace concept is no longer optional. Remote work has become the norm and the tools offered by this hub of productivity provide your company’s distributed workforce with the much-needed support.
Potential Drawbacks
As you might have guessed, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the world of Microsoft Modern Workplace. The road to the Microsoft Modern Workplace is bumpy, and that could stymie your efforts to build a truly modern workplace. Here are a few challenges you might want to think about and address before embarking on your transformation to a digital workplace.
Internet
Connectivity problems can disrupt operations and affect productivity. Since the vast majority of Microsoft 365 apps require internet to work, your employees won’t be able to do much if there are internet problems. Keep in mind that remote workers tend to operate from coffee shops and other public places with unreliable internet connections.
Compatibility
You need to make sure that your systems are capable of handling services such as Microsoft 365 before migrating to Microsoft Modern Workplace. It’d be very frustrating to get Microsoft 365 only to find out that your systems are outdated and incompatible when rolling it out. An IT professional can help you get around compatibility issues and ease the transition.
Security
Security is a huge draw when it comes to Microsoft Modern Workplace implementations, but it can also present a challenge. With remote workers operating out of their homes or public spaces such as coffee shops, there’s always the risk of intrusion. Businesses need to make sure that their employees adhere to all regulations and security best practices when working remotely.
As you can see, the benefits of a Microsoft Modern Workplace clearly outweigh the drawbacks. While switching to a modern workplace can be challenging, working with a skilled and experienced IT partner, such as HRCT, can ease the transition process.
Let Us Help
Are you interested in implementing Microsoft Modern Workplace for your business but don’t know where to start? At HRCT, we can help you leverage the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to build a truly modern workplace. Our professionals have the expertise and experience to deliver and manage the ideal Microsoft Modern Workplace for your business.
We are the only company in the Hampton Roads area equipped to tackle the challenges associated with this transformation. We’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure that we design an environment that’s sympathetic to your business needs. Get in touch with us for professional advice on how to get started.