Blog updated as of 4th July 2022
As businesses evolve it is very easy for their business technology and processes to quickly become out of date and potentially result in inefficient operations that predominantly affect customer experience and profit margins.
The Workplace Evolution published by Harvard Business Review found that 78% of senior executives in enterprise businesses believe fostering a modern workplace strategy is essential. However, only 31% think their company is forward-thinking enough to do so.
Changing a fixed mindset into a forward-thinking one within any business is no easy task, and with the implications of remote working due to the pandemic, many businesses have undergone rapid transformation over the past few months by implementing Microsoft’s Modern Workplace technology within their businesses. This enables their employees to be supported by the leading technology that enables them to work smarter and be more productive, collaborate with remote teams and reap the many other benefits that Microsoft 365 offers.
What’s included in the Microsoft Modern Workplace?
The Microsoft Modern Workplace is one that operates using the suite of Microsoft 365 technologies and productivity applications that harness the power of the Cloud. In addition, Microsoft 365 is a key component in the modern workplace ecosystem.
Microsoft Modern Workplace applications improve employee productivity and satisfaction and create more seamless communication across the business whilst promoting collaboration and maintaining the security and integrity of systems and data.
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What is a Modern Workplace?
The definition of a Modern Workplace is an operational setup which has been professionally designed to meet both the physical and technological needs of both your business and its employees.
A Modern Workplace drives company-wide business transformation by utilising the latest Microsoft technology to power and streamline business operations and empower employees to do their best work around the clock.
What’s included within the Microsoft Modern Workplace?
Microsoft 365, includes Office 365, Windows 10 Enterprise, and Enterprise Mobility + Security and a variety of productivity and collaboration tools designed to support modern ways of working, help facilitate digital transformation, and most importantly keep your business secure.
How does the Microsoft Modern Workplace facilitate automation?
Within Microsoft 365 is Microsoft Power Automate (formerly Flow) which enables you to implement both Digital and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) across the business. By automating tasks you can quickly boost productivity, giving employees more time to focus on innovation than administrative tasks. You can also automate time-consuming tasks using the built-in AI capabilities and integrate with over 100 applications such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Twitter, MailChimp, Google Analytics etc.
How does the Microsoft Modern Workplace promote collaboration?
When internal and external teams come together and collaborate to solve a problem the magic happens. Facilitating collaboration can prove tricky especially with remote/shift workers or multi-site offices. However, the collaboration applications included within the Microsoft Modern Workplace such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Teams for Education, Office 365 and SharePoint enable employees to easily work together on documents no matter their location or time of day. Windows 10 Virtual Desktop takes this even further by allowing users to access their desktop from any device.
Microsoft Teams in particular is constantly evolving and adding new features to improve accessibility and user experience.
This boosts productivity, can raise morale and enables people within different teams to come together. The more flexible it is for employees to collaborate the more collaboration will occur. It also enables work teams to perform efficiently.
How secure is the Microsoft Modern Workplace?
Microsoft Applications are highly secure and Microsoft Security is a leader in five Gartner Magic Quadrants.
Within Microsoft 365, the security stack gives us the insights to proactively defend against advanced threats, such as malware, phishing, and zero-day attacks as well as identity, app, data, and device protection with Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Intune, and Windows Information Protection.
What are the reasons to adopt a Modern Workplace?
Here are some common reasons why businesses choose to adopt the Microsoft Modern Workplace over a traditional setup:
Disparate communication channels – employees communicate through a variety of different channels which enables messages to get lost in translation, there is limited visibility and a lack of control.
Stand-alone platforms – business management platforms are implemented that have very limited integration and automation with each other. This makes the risk of error high and increases workload.
Data/Team Silos – Teams work in silos with limited visibility to other parts of the business. Data is stored in numerous locations and access is restricted due to the setup.
Hardware – Desktop PCs are commonly used, not all employees have access to laptops or tablets which disables remote working.
Technology – The technology you have implemented has scalable limitations and does not completely meet the needs of your employees.
Security – There is limited or no device or cyber security management in place putting your business at risk in the event of a breach.
Infinity are a Microsoft Gold Partner and an expert IT Procurement partner. If you are interested in implementing Microsoft Modern Workplace for your business or would like some professional advice on where to start please get in touch or read more here.