With technological advances such as Microsoft 365, Google Workplace, and Zoom, the way we form a modern workplace has changed.
What does building a modern workplace mean?
The way we work and live every day has been changed for good, as a result of the Coronovirus Pandemic. Building a modern workplace is only possible when acknowledging these changes and adapting the organisation’s model, structure, as well as processes accordingly.
Most processes within a business are underpinned by technology – everything from selling a product, over workplace modernisation, to filing expenses is largely tech-related. Non-tech dynamics, such as the wellbeing of employees, can be improved through technology, such as by enabling employees to work from home.
Workplace modernisation or video calls from home are not simply about improving technology, they are about improving the lives of people. Astec IT incorporates technology, such as Microsoft 365, in order to enable staff to work efficiently and collaboratively from home. The increase in efficiency and decrease in downtime will ultimately lead to a better work-life balance and happier employees.
Digitally transforming your business is a case of problem-solving. Every process and experience within an organisation should be reviewed and improved, to adapt to current best practices and working methodologies. This would also include the way you store your data, sell to your customers, and react to staff and customer satisfaction.
Continual evaluation and improvement, especially with the implementation of relevant technology, is key to enable your business to grow, achieve your goals, and outperform competitors. By recognising and improving aspects of your IT set-up that regularly cause downtime, employees will be able to work more efficiently. This reduction in downtime and improvement of efficiency will lead to a reduction in stress which positively impacts work performance and overall employee happiness.
When should I start updating my workplace?
Digitalisation or digital transformation have become popular buzzwords in recent years. Most businesses realise that they need to implement technological changes in order to stay up-to-date and modernise their workplace to avoid losing to their more tech-savvy competitors.
“A fundamental change of mindset focusing on the customer, along with operational and IT improvements, can generate a 20 to 30 percent uplift in customer satisfaction, a 10 to 20 percent improvement in employee satisfaction, and economic gains ranging from 20 to 50 percent of the cost base addressed in the various journeys.” – Harald Fanderl, McKinsey & Company
How can I achieve a modern workplace with the help of Microsoft 365?
Astec IT is a certified provider of Microsoft products. Microsoft 365 has demonstrated to be the ideal toolkit for businesses building a modern workplace. Microsoft 365 includes a diverse range of apps and services that go far beyond the core Microsoft Office apps that are already part of almost every company’s everyday life. Astec IT recommends Microsoft 365 to their clients due to the following reasons.
1. Cloud-Based
Most of Microsoft 365’s features are cloud-based, which means they can be accessed securely from all over the world, at any time and using any device. This creates the fundamentals for effective and stress-free remote working – something Astec IT strongly believes in. Ever since the inception of the company we have been remote working, as we believe this is the way forward.
Astec IT has worked with a leading medical society that looks after the interests of Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Professionals to implement an email cloud system. By proposing and building a new email cloud platform, the medical society’s email speed and functionality has improved significantly, which has led to increased productivity. Additionally, the new environment is scalable and can adapt to future business growth, also enabling greater security and stability in the long run.
A large proportion of the enquiries in 2020 consisted of the move from office-based work to a working-from-home set-up. Astec IT has spent a large part of the year helping businesses move their data hierarchy from a physical server to a cloud-based system, enabling the employees and management to work from home securely and efficiently.
In the past a lot of companies have been basing processes such as payments and other financial information on physical servers. Physical servers were perceived as having an additional layer of security due to them being managed in the office. Microsoft 365 and other cloud service systems are known for their high level of security and can be seen as an alternative to physical servers.
By enabling an efficient collaborative work environment, the performance of employees working from home will increase and downtime will decrease. By incorporating a cloud-based system, employees will not have to store sensitive company data on personal devices, but instead will be granted access which can be managed.
2. Security
Business owners and senior leaders are able to control how apps and devices are being used by restricting access and adding additional security measures such as MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication). This way, businesses can maximise the security of their data and reduce the risk of a breach.
Last year, data security became a big concern for a lot of businesses, due to an increase of companies making people redundant or staff going on furlough. This led to businesses questioning their data security as well as evaluating the likelihood of a data breach or company sensitive information being taken to competitors.
3. Streamlining
The Apps of Microsoft 365 can be used to streamline processes in almost every aspect of your business, such as attending video calls, booking meetings, contacting colleagues via instant messages, as well as sharing videos and linking documents.
This is an especially important feature from which a lot of our customers have benefitted from during the pandemic. A current client in the E-commerce sector has been providing their employees with the opportunity to work remotely even before the pandemic. Due to their use of Microsoft 365, the business was well equipped to react to the sudden lockdowns and the staff was able to communicate and work collaboratively without disruptions and downtime.
4. Data Leak Prevention
Microsoft 365 has data leak prevention measures across all employee inboxes, which can help prevent identity theft and block data from accidentally or maliciously being sent out to users outside of the organisation’s contacts. This way, criminal activities such as CEO fraud or Phishing scams can be prevented. This way, if an employee does not recognise the usual signs of a CEO fraud or Phishing scam, Microsoft 365 will step in and block data from being sent out to cybercriminals using a slightly altered email domain.
5. Long-Term E-Mail Storage
Within Microsoft 365, email data can be stored long-term even if deleted, ensuring compliance with standard and industry regulations.
All of these benefits mentioned will help you build a modern workplace and thereby the experience of your employees and customers will improve significantly. With Microsoft 365 you can tailor your subscription to meet your business needs by opting for as many or as few services as you like. Therefore, you will be investing in tools that directly benefit your business. If you are interested in a free IT consultation, make sure to fill out our IT Workplace Assessment. Astec IT can help you and your business begin this year with a head start on your competitors. If you have any questions or you would like to book an appointment, contact us here.