Accelerating Digital Transformation to Optimize Remote Work
Digital transformation isn’t a new concept. In fact, one 2018 survey found 70 percent of companies already had a digital transformation strategy in place or were developing one.1 In general, these efforts aim to improve processes through the use of technology, often focusing on hardware and software upgrades or cloud computing.
But sometimes the best laid plans still go awry, as we’ve all witnessed in 2020. Unexpected circumstances arose early this year, resulting in businesses needing to make fast adjustments. For example, we saw healthcare systems quickly adopt telemedicine—something that had been in the works for a while, but only on a small scale. We saw government agencies overwhelmed with demand and a need to adapt quickly. And we saw companies across almost all industries suddenly navigating how to support large numbers of employees working from home.
This sort of rapid change isn’t easy, but it can give companies the push they need to make things happen. When you don’t have much time to contemplate your options, you quickly find out what works and what doesn’t in the real world. 2020 presents an opportunity for IT departments to build on the changes they’ve already had to make and continue accelerating digital transformation.
Where we are: Things have changed rapidly
If you feel like this year has been a whirlwind for your IT department so far, you’re not alone. Rapidly adjusting infrastructure, adopting new hardware and software, bolstering security, and supporting new processes takes work, and you likely had to do a lot of it to enable increased remote work. You’ve also likely already learned some lessons about what works well and what doesn’t.
Now that the ball is rolling, many companies are seeing this as an opportunity to further speed up digital transformation. An IDC survey conducted in China in February revealed CXOs there were already seeing some positive impacts of quickly adapting their businesses during a pandemic.2 They said the period of remote work they were experiencing improved their long-distance work capabilities, and their employees had begun to recognize the value of IT and digital transformation. These findings make a lot of sense. With so many people working from home, everyone is seeing firsthand the importance of effective technology.
That means this is an ideal moment to take advantage of the changes you’ve already made and people’s willingness to adapt right now. You’ve made remote work possible, and now you need to make it as productive and efficient as possible.
Where we’re going: Optimized remote work
The future of the workplace will most likely involve more remote work than it did before the pandemic hit. Not everyone will return to the office, at least not full time. An HP survey found 56 percent of employees want to continue working from home. If hybrid remote and in-office work is the future, IT needs to take the next step and optimize remote work for maximum productivity.
In reality, this means IT needs to prepare for people working from anywhere at any time. This will require the right hardware tools like business laptops, monitors, printers, and other accessories. It will require dynamic communication and collaboration tools for video meetings and chat. It will require increased automation and monitoring so security issues are detected and resolved quickly. And it will require clear procedures for employees so they can get the IT support they need from any location.
In addition to optimizing home environments to better fit employees’ needs, IT needs to think about adapting the in-office environment, too, so those who come in to work can more easily communicate with those working remotely. This will likely require better video conferencing capabilities in collaboration spaces to allow for seamless communication, regardless of where people are working.
These new ways of working will also require getting feedback from employees about their experiences, making changes, and ultimately making this evolution of technology and processes a normal part of operations. IT can facilitate faster digital transformation now and keep it an ongoing component of their work in the future.
The future of the workplace
At HP, we’re looking for ways to rethink how we approach transformation. Instead of just bringing tools and technologies into the home, for example, we’re aiming to design products for the home office. We want to look at the ways we work with a new mindset instead of just fixing the old ways of working to get the job done right now.
IT can think about this shift as moving beyond adapting to actually setting up systems specifically with remote workers in mind. Now that the current situation has settled down a bit for IT, it’s time to look beyond short-term fixes to long-lasting solutions. There’s no going back to the way we worked before, and for companies that have embraced digital transformation, that’s a good thing.
[1] ZDNet, Survey: Despite Steady Growth in Digital Transformation Initiatives, Companies Face Budget and Buy-in Challenges
[2] IDC, CXO Surveys: IT and Digital Transformation Show Growing Value as the COVID-19 Epidemic Takes Its Toll