The Magic Ingredients to make a Digital Workspace

Work is not a place we go to. Work is what we do. The rapid advancement in technology has acted as a catalyst leading to some remarkable developments and in turn innovative work spaces across the globe.

‘The future of work’ is defined by a workplace that ensures that employees have all the tools that will help them communicate and collaborate better. To ensure that this happens, organizations have been upping their IT spending, in fact according to a recent Gartner report, IT spending in India is expected to grow to 6.7% in 2019.

There are a few magic ingredients that form the very fabric of an organization’s IT construct. These ingredients heavily influence the operational processes of an enterprise and help in enabling the future of work. Let’s explore some of these ingredients and understand how they contribute in a work environment –

Cloud

Any discussion around future workspaces would be incomplete without cloud computing, which is considered as a mandatory component in driving workspace transformation.  The core functionality of a collaborative culture is realized majorly through cloud solutions. These solutions offer secure, stable and flexible access so that employees can get their work done, faster and in a collective manner. Along with employees, cloud adoption also reduces the complexity of hefty datacenter storage solutions that IT team is required to deal with.

Worldwide, enterprises are moving toward mobile solutions at an augmented pace. The ‘appification’ boom has been on the rise and therefore we can expect cloud-led SaaS apps to be a part of our IT setup for a long time. Further, the ability of cloud to be integrated with other technologies like AI, analytics, machine learning and robotics makes it an invaluable asset to organizations to cull out actionable business insights.

Mobility

The pace of technological innovations has pushed us to live in a more connected world, one where we can consider ourselves to be truly mobile. Our workstations are no longer fixed and the walls of our cubicles are no longer inflexible. Millennials, who are essentially digital natives able to easily navigate themselves around technology, have penetrated today’s workforce and can be characterized by their ability to work seamlessly irrespective of network, location, time or device.

Having understood the benefits of enterprise mobility management solutions for remote working, CIOs continue to keep this as the top directive on their IT checklist. With the proliferation and continued expansion of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), business mobility solutions are expected to experience augmented adaption in the years to come, if it hasn’t already.

Data Analytics

In the maturing business landscape, data is the new gold. Petabytes of data is generated every day and organizations are required to manage this data effectively. Data analytics has emerged as useful tool for organizations from a two-fold perspective. Enterprises can use this tool internally to securely manage and understand data generated, handle application and user threats and also support app operations among other things. In the current landscape, where employees are given the flexibility to collaborate and manage files, analytics can be a useful method of keeping a close eye on user behavior and avoid malicious elements from entering the system.

On the other hand, data analytics is an invaluable tool for overall business growth. Business intelligence and insights can be gleaned from data to fuel amplified business development. In the competitive business environment that exists today, where every organization is vying for the top spot, the right insight could make a difference.

Artificial Intelligence

Some would say that AI is just a hype and it will soon fade away, I believe, however, that for all intents and purposes this technology is here to stay. In fact, there has been a constant chatter across enterprises about artificial intelligence. Businesses are relentlessly trying to reinvent themselves by integrating this technology into various solutions to enhance their effectiveness. AI is already making strides across the digital workplace. It is aiding in curbing potentially harmful employee browsing behavior through AI and machine learning based analytics software. Going forward, AI will also contribute in improving user experience by correlating and analyzing all mechanisms of a workspace simplifying operations for the IT department.

In conclusion, we can safely say that the future of work has already become a reality. While digital workspaces have been around for quite some time, the level of innovation and change that can be witnessed today has created some buzz and excitement about what this space holds for us in the coming years.

By Ravindra Kelkar - Senior Director, Enterprise & Public Sector, Citrix India