There’s change happening, as we speak the landscape of the professional workplace is in a state of transformation from the traditional cubicle-centric space, to one that’s decentralized and mobile. The acceleration of technological development in recent years has paved the way for this transformation that is now inevitable across all business sizes and industries. There are four key elements that are driving this move to the modern workplace – an office of the future that is becoming increasingly device-centered.
Millennials
Pew Research Centre reports that millennials will comprise more than one of three adult Americans by 2020 and 75% of the workforce by 20251. Meanwhile, the number of retirees is growing at a rate more than double that of people entering the workforce. Millennials are digital natives, that is, they’re people who’ve grown up in an environment where the internet, social media and smart devices are ever-present. These demographical trends will create a considerable gap in the workforce which will facilitate young, tech savvy professionals having a strong, highly prevalent influence on the manner and means in which work is performed. These younger generations have high expectations for the devices and tools they utilise at work, expectations that align with their personal lives where they place a premium on accessibility and flexibility.
Mobility
With the changing demographics of tomorrow’s workforce, the line between personal life and professional life is becoming increasingly blurred. 81 per cent of workers now handle work activities during their personal time2, creating demand for greater mobility from their devices with the ability to access business applications and data remotely. With the right tools, employees can work anywhere and anytime without being confined to a particular space, a transformation that’s quickly turning work into an activity as opposed to a place.
Collaboration
On average, 60% of desks are vacant within an office3 due to a multitude of factors. As workplaces digitally transition, employees need the devices necessary to collaborate among colleagues, departments and even industries. To facilitate a mobile, flexible and connected workforce employees need tools that enable efficient communication and project execution, connectivity that can create competitive business opportunities and software that underpins these needs but also assists productivity and business efficiencies.
Security
Security is the glue that enables mobility and collaboration to function. Devices need to be optimized in a way that keeps them secure from foreign and familiar threats that include, but aren’t limited to, stolen devices, ransomware and visual hacking. Furthermore, for businesses to maintain efficiency these security measures must be easy to deploy, while also having the ability to synchronize efficiently with business-driven initiatives and end-user needs.
An evolving workplace is essential to staying competitive in today’s digital world, achieving tomorrow’s workplace means planning and implementing today, and Computer Merchants’ Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) model can give your business the technology and services necessary to accommodate and embrace mobility, collaboration, security and the millennial impact.
Give us a call and learn how, through managing your devices, we can help you create agile workflows and business processes built for change and mobility that will equip you with the tools for tomorrow, today and allow you to use technology to manufacture strong, intuitive connections between your staff and devices.
