As we’ve witnessed firsthand this year, our organisations only go as far as our people can. When our workforce can’t access the data and tools they need to perform their role and serve our customers, we quickly cease to function.
The ongoing march of digitalisation has seen technology being injected into, or completely replacing, nearly every process across our businesses. On the other side of the equation, our employees have come to rely heavily on software and devices, and they have high expectations for seamless end user experiences while undertaking their work.
To unlock new levels of efficiency and productivity in disrupted environments, we need to be creating an agile technology environment for our workforce to be at their most effective. So, how can organisations begin creating an adaptable IT foundation for the new applications and workloads their workforce will rely on in the future?
Tools of the trade
Many IT leaders were aware their technology environment wasn’t well designed for disruption, and this has been borne out in the events so far in 2020. Prior to the pandemic, one study found that 80% of the workforce already didn’t have the devices or technology to perform their role at 100% effectiveness.
In addition to devices, our workforce now relies heavily on a single source of truth to complete tasks and make decisions each day. When we can’t agree on the most accurate information, it is very difficult to have confidence in our work, or to provide our customers with any confidence.
In disrupted environments, our ability to collaborate and communicate is a key driver of organisational agility. In one survey, 86% of executives cited a lack of collaboration as the biggest contributor to workplace failures, while 97% said they believe a lack of alignment within a team directly impacts the outcome of any project.
At the same time, we know that unbridled data access could leave our organisation exposed – especially considering our employees are actually one of the biggest threats to data security. Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigation report found that 57% of database breaches involved insider threats within an organisation.
In our new eBook: Preparing for disruption with agile IT we offer a range of suggestions for meeting our employee’s new demands for connected workplace experiences and integrated data, including:
- Real-time connectivity between databases across CRM, ERP, HRM, and supply chain platforms.
- Well-integrated cloud tools across collaboration, communication, and productivity.
- Robust data governance and data quality practices to ensure accuracy and security.
- Scalable and secure storage combined with reliable backup and recovery solutions.
- Scalable virtual environments for keeping a remote workforce connected and secure.
Our team of infrastructure specialists can work with you to understand your current technology environment, and where your opportunities lie for creating a more agile IT foundation. We can help you to implement the latest range of intelligent storage solutions from HPE, including HPE Primera, integrated with HPE Synergy and powered by Intel® Xeon® Scalable Family of processors - delivering a dynamic, fluid set of resources that you can automate and dynamically allocate in real-time, using a common API.