Number of the most strategic IT managers looking for ways to implement a unified communications and collaboration strategy. According to a recent Ovum study, seven out of ten IT managers plan to invest in new collaborative technologies by 2020. In fact, the very nature of work is changing, and to retain talent, IT managers must look for solutions that can support to a modern workforce. Today's workers want to be able to work how, where and when they want, and they need collaboration tools to keep up.
About the author Sion Lewis is the Vice President of EMEA for GoTo, a subsidiary of LogMeIn.
Work here, there and everywhere
An estimated 4 million people are already working remotely in the UK, with that number expected to continue to reach half of the UK workforce by 2020. The concept of working from home is clearly here to stay. Public restrooms, zoos and mountaintops have been named some of the strangest places people have to work from and remote work technology has to evolve to meet the demands of these strange new work environments. . Employees want unmatched audio quality that ensures they work in the office, at home or on the road, in extreme bandwidth situations and stay connected. It takes a village to raise a child and the same is often said when it comes to enterprise-scale projects. Video conferencing software that offers features like chat and resource sharing on one platform allows employees to communicate with others, regardless of their geographic location. The main advantage of this concept is that it enables face-to-face communication in real time, with compatible communication between devices, as well as the ability to link existing video conferencing systems, meaning anyone can join the conversation at any time. .
Securing a nation of remote workers
From small start-ups to global business conglomerates, video conferencing, content sharing, and other collaborative technologies are now an essential addition to any business. For organizations to make effective use of these technologies, it is important to be able to protect their networks against potential threats from a connected digital environment. If IT managers hope to encourage adoption of a collaboration tool at all levels of the business, they need to make sure that whatever is discussed or shared is secure, especially at the management level. Having a secure collaborative platform that provides a single hub for communication, content sharing, and meeting hosting greatly reduces the risk of security breaches. With remote security also being a top priority for businesses that use a large number of mobile workers, the demand for collaborative technology has likely led to an influx of requests from overstretched and under-resourced IT teams. Single sign-on is a solution that can add an extra layer of security when businesses have employees connecting from remote sites around the world with different devices. This is a good policy for all access needs, but it definitely increases the benefits of a single, secure and robust communication platform and most importantly puts IT teams at ease.
Job trends fuel the future of collaboration and communication
In recent years, we have seen an explosion of collaboration technologies introduced to the market, along with a host of tools that facilitate communication, such as call center software with integrations for productivity and collaboration. With the plethora of tools available, employees are only left with the embarrassment of choice, and the time spent switching between these apps becomes a problem. This often results in reduced productivity that can be detrimental to many organizations, and the market is demanding a new approach to application usage. In the future, we are likely to see companies evolve towards a collaboration hub model that combines these tools to help inspire creativity in employees. The introduction of AI in collaborative communication aims to foster more transparent collaboration and improve efficiency in the workplace. We see this reflected in the priorities of business leaders: Nearly three in four IT leaders see AI technology as a priority on their roadmap. Many companies choose to invest in artificial intelligence and cognitive technologies that speed up work and perform the most mundane tasks, such as taking notes in meetings or transcribing an interview, away from plates overflowing with current workers. This leaves more room to get to the real "good stuff"! Suddenly, there is more time in the day for the most interesting and, importantly, the most useful collaborative tasks like brainstorming, planning, and presenting. Hub-based collaborative technology has touchpoints in every business and has the potential to dramatically improve productivity, performance and, most importantly, well-being at work. By implementing such solutions, companies can offer their employees the opportunity to work in the most remote locations, whether it be on top of a mountain or at their local zoo, with the assurance that their work will not be compromised. Sion Lewis is the Vice President of EMEA for GoTo, a subsidiary of LogMeIn.