The workplace of today looks entirely different from what it did ten or even five years ago. In a relatively short space of time, the way we work has drastically evolved, with new priorities and necessities emerging. We’ve seen this first hand at Infinity Group.

Any business that employs people needs to create a working space and culture that suits employee needs, encourages productivity and drives performance. However, with the landscape adjusting so rapidly, many organisations find themselves without the tools they need to do so.

The Microsoft Modern Workplace was created as a solution to this problem. Leveraging leading technology, it facilities communication, collaboration and effortless work across teams. As a result, organisations can effectively overcome challenges and fuel performance.

We explain exactly what the Microsoft Modern Workplace is and why it’s so relevant for your business.

What is the Microsoft Modern Workplace?

The Microsoft Modern Workplace is a suite of agile workplace solutions, designed to encourage efficiency, communication and collaboration. It leverages Microsoft 365 tools and technologies to create a flexible, secure and user-friendly workspace.

The Microsoft Modern Workplace has become increasingly popular recently, but it utilises technological solutions that have been well-known in the Microsoft ecosystem for years. Working in conjunction with the latest functionality and brand-new innovation, it’s designed to equip organisations for new ways of working and eliminate common challenges.

Key components of the Microsoft Modern Workplace_

There are a few core tools that make up Microsoft’s Modern Workplace. These include:

• Microsoft 365: A cloud-based productivity suite that includes familiar Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with email, calendar and collaboration tools
• Microsoft Teams: A hub for teamwork and communication, offering chat, video conferencing, file sharing and integration with other Microsoft 365 app
• SharePoint: A platform for creating and managing team sites, document libraries and workflows
• Intune: A mobile device management solution that helps businesses manage and secure corporate data on employee devices
• Azure Active Directory: A cloud-based identity and access management service that provides secure authentication and authorisation

Why is the Microsoft Modern Workplace relevant now?

There are a series of trends that have emerged in the last few years that make the Microsoft Modern Workplace invaluable to businesses today.

The rise of flexible working_

Following the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and subsequent lockdowns, many businesses had to close their offices and ask staff to work from home. Nearly five years on, the move to home-based working hasn’t died down.

Many employees still want the ability work from home when they need, to better manage their work-life balance. There are benefits for employers too, who don’t need to scale office space and can reduce overheads.

However, to offer the option of flexible working, you need platforms that foster good communication and help colleagues to stay connected, even from afar. Without it, you risk people working in silo or a decline in productivity.

Overcoming the skills gap_

Many industries are facing a skills gap. There are many factors contributing to this, including changing immigration trends and technologies evolving faster than skills have.

Due to this gap, employers now need to recruit further and wider than ever before. If they’re unlikely to find the resource they need in the nearest 30 miles, they need to look at recruiting people from the rest of the UK or even abroad.

This again means having tools that make people feel like part of the team and able to do their jobs, even if they’re based remotely.

Embrace widespread opportunities_

The rise of digital communication has meant businesses no longer need to operate exclusively in one area. They can now work with customers and partners remotely, allowing them to accept more opportunities, diversify their offering and drive their revenue potential.

However, to bring consistent, high-quality work to these projects, businesses must utilise tools that enable them to do their jobs and offer premium service over digital channels.

Boost productivity and efficiency_

In a world where many businesses are seeking to be lean, encouraging staff to be more productive and efficient can help you to manage costs and maximise return on investment.

Common obstacles to these include being unable to work as a team, lack of data visibility, employee dissatisfaction or process bottlenecks. But tools like those included in the Modern Workplace can alleviate these by streamlining processes, improving collaboration, sharing insights and empowering employees.

This can enable businesses to get the performance benefits they want and retain a competitive edge in the market.

Address security concerns_

As businesses becoming increasingly digital, they are exposed to more cyber threats. These include spam emails, hacking attempts, malicious code, impersonation and more. If successful, these can cause financial loss, reputational damage and disruption.

It’s therefore crucial that any tools you use protect your data. You’ll also need additional protocols to keep your business secure as you face modern risks.

Microsoft’s Modern Workplace has been created specifically to be secure, with core tools focused on controlling access and device management. This ensures your documents and data stay locked down and safe from the growing risk of cyber attacks.

Welcoming digital transformation_

As we’ve already mentioned, technology has evolved rapidly in the last few years, bringing many benefits for businesses who embrace the wave. In order to be competitive, you need to digitally transform.

At the foundation of digital transformation are many of the core elements in the Microsoft Modern Workplace. This includes cloud-based productivity tools, communication platforms and necessary security protocols.

With these in place, you can pave the way for further innovation, such as AI and automation, with the correct platforms in place to drive success.

What are the business benefits?

Alongside being highly relevant to many of the challenges businesses face today, the Microsoft Modern Workplace offers significant benefits that can help you to work smarter and perform better.

1. Increase productivity: Using the tools within the Modern Workplace suite, your employees can work efficiently from anywhere with access to the information they need. This allows you to cast your recruitment net further and promote better work-life balance among staff.
2. Improve collaboration: Using the likes of Microsoft Teams, staff can collaborate seamlessly, regardless of their location, using features like real-time editing and video conferencing. This makes it easier for them to share data and work together on projects.
3. Enhance security: The Modern Workplace includes robust security measures to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorised access. As a result, the risk of fraud and disruption from cyber attacks is reduced.
4. Reduce IT costs: By moving to cloud-based solutions, businesses can reduce their IT infrastructure costs and complexity. This allows them to improve profitability while driving efficiency.
5. Improved employee satisfaction: By encouraging your teams to work better, from any location and with fewer barriers, you can improve satisfaction and motivation. This reduces burnout, turnover and makes it easier to recruit competitively.
6. Boost the customer experience: The Modern Workplace can help businesses improve their customer experience by enabling employees to respond to customer enquiries and requests more efficiently. It also empowers you to serve customers consistently, even when they’re based far away.
7. Increase agility: Modern tools can help businesses adapt to change more quickly by providing the flexibility needed to respond to new challenges and opportunities. With real-time, digital platforms, you can quickly analyse data and pivot without extensive infrastructure change.
8. Enhance compliance: Thanks to robust security features and data protection, the Modern Workplace can help businesses comply with industry regulations and standards, such as GDPR.
9. Improve decision making: Tools like Teams and SharePoint make it easier for teams to share data. Many products with the Modern Workplace also have data insights built in, granting better visibility. This encourages data-driven decision making and accurate analysis.

Is the Microsoft Modern Workplace tailorable?

Not every workplace looks the same, even if they share similar modern-day challenges. The tools and processes needed in each can therefore vary.

Due to this, the Microsoft Modern Workplace is entirely tailorable. As it is made up of multiple products, you can pick and choose those that are most suitable for your business needs and budget.

Within each product, there is also a multitude of customisation adoptions that can enable you to address specific requirements. As a result, you can build a bespoke solution that matches what modern work looks like in your organisation.

Licensing options for the Modern Workplace

Microsoft offer a number of licensing options to bring your business onto the Modern Workplace. These licenses will give you access to the tools included within the Modern Workplace, alongside additional benefits like enterprise-grade security.

In our data sheet, we break down the core licensing options for your business, what’s included in each and how to pick the best choice for your needs.