There’s no going back. Three years on from the start of the pandemic, remote and hybrid working are firmly here to stay. Employees expect to be able to work securely from any device, anywhere, and they’re increasingly choosing flexibility and fulfilment over other incentives. The right tools – that unlock productivity as well as a better work experience – are increasingly part of an employee’s decision to remain loyal to an organisation. Companies, on the other hand, need to protect their IT environment as well as keep employees happy.
Microsoft’s Modern Workplace is a way of harnessing Microsoft tools to enable employees to work smarter and collaborate in-person or remotely.
What does Microsoft mean by ‘Modern Workplace’?
A Modern Workplace is a state of operations that has been designed to meet the practical and technological needs of both the business and its employees. It should drive digital transformation efforts by harnessing the power of Microsoft technology to streamline workflows and empower employees to do great work – wherever they are.
What does the Microsoft Modern Workplace include?
The Microsoft Modern Workplace brings together a range of Microsoft tools and technologies to create a better employee experience while meeting the challenges posed to IT by flexible working. It includes:
- Microsoft 365 (for Office applications and Exchange email)
- Microsoft Business Voice (for telephony)
- Enterprise Mobility + Security (device management)
- Apps (Microsoft Teams, Power Automate and Power BI)
- SharePoint (document management)
- Azure (data storage).
Together, these applications make life easier for employees while creating better communication across the organisation, promoting collaboration and maintaining the integrity and security of data.
The Microsoft Modern Workplace and automation
Microsoft Power Automate (previously known as Flow) enables you to use both digital and robotic process automation (RPA) across the organisation. By automating simple, routine tasks, you can free employees to take on higher value work, as well as speed up processes overall with AI and integrations with more than 100 applications (such as MailChimp, Google Analytics and Microsoft Dynamics 365).
Is the Microsoft Modern Workplace secure?
Microsoft applications are trusted by some of the world’s biggest companies. Inside Microsoft 365, the security stack provides the information leaders need to make decisions to defend against advanced threats, including malware, phishing and zero-day attacks. Azure Active Directory, Intune and Windows Information Protection all offer identity, app, data and device protection.
Why should you become a Modern Workplace?
Businesses choose to implement Microsoft’s Modern Workplace model (as opposed to a more traditional tech stack) for a multitude of reasons. It solves common problems that exist at most digitally enabled businesses. See how many of the following issues ring true for your business:
Lack of integration among platforms – are your platforms stand-alone? Do your teams spend time moving data around and trying to eradicate errors?
Communication gets lost in translation – do your employees communicate across multiple channels, leaving you with limited visibility and control?
Hamstrung by hardware – are your teams still ‘chained’ to desktop PCs? Are some employees able to work remotely in theory, but they don’t have access to the right technology?
Unable to scale – does the technology you’ve implemented have issues when trying to scale? Do your employees regularly identify critical issues with systems?
Stuck in silos – are your teams working in isolation with limited visibility into other parts of the business? Is data stored in various locations, with access restricted by practicality?
At risk of a data breach – do you have limited or no cybersecurity management (including device management) in place? Do you know you’re at risk of a data breach but don’t have the insights required to make decisions?
Neos-IT is a Microsoft Silver Partner and experienced in helping businesses procure the right technology, in the right way. If you’re looking to implement Microsoft Modern Workplace – or would like to understand whether it could solve specific challenges for your business – please get in touch.