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Making the most of digital workspace transformation – Part 1

As working practices and norms continue to change and develop, and the debate about what works best rages on, the ability to adapt your business’ working methods quickly is growing in value. Of course, quick reactions shouldn’t come at the expense of business collaboration, or security. So, how do you clear this delicate obstacle?

The right technology and processes can make an enormous difference. Modern operating systems and software, such as Windows 10, continues to evolve and offer increased levels of flexibility for businesses and private users alike. The rise of the cloud further boosts this, with remote collaboration now near-seamless, as opposed to just a few years ago, when working from home could be challenging. This rate of development is showing no signs of slowing down.

As long-term partners of Microsoft, and experts in the use of technology like Windows 10, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Azure, we’ve been trusted by many public and private organisations to help prepare them for the challenges presented by changing work habits. We achieve this through a distinct, four-step process we call the digital workspace quadrant.

Getting a sense of what you need to meet your unique needs should always start by taking a closer look at where your business currently stands. What technology do you currently use? How much do you pay for it? Are you using it to its full potential? Programs like Microsoft Teams can offer massive advantages to a business if used properly. We’ll take a close look to see what value can be extracted from existing tools, before looking at new ones.

From here, we’ll start to work with you to define and build your business case for change. To do this effectively, we’ll involve employees from across your business, in order to get a sense of their unique challenges, insights and ideas.

By combining this knowledge gained from your team with comprehensive audits on your technology, infrastructure and existing skillsets, we’ll pick out the ideal technological solutions for your challenges.

From here, our deployment and management expertise comes into play. We’ll make use of deployment tools like Windows Autopilot to ensure any new device delivery goes smoothly, without any setup time necessary.

We’ll also work to make device management significantly simpler. Windows Autopilot enables legacy app containerisation, which allows older Windows apps that are no longer supported to carry on running within the latest version of Windows 10. This means that, if you have an essential piece of bespoke software that’s out of date, you don’t need to immediately replace it, or jeopardise your wider security in the process.

Any technological or cultural change is a big step for a business to take, especially at a time when working culture is evolving so quickly. At XMA, we’ll work with you to make it as simple and painless as possible. From enabling new hybrid opportunities to making the most of existing tech and infrastructure, with our expert support and quality products from major vendors like Microsoft, digital workspace transformation can be that little bit easier.

To learn more about our digital workspace quadrant process, and how we can help you make the most of workplace transformation, keep an eye out for part two of this series, which focuses on keeping security high without restricting access.

Making the most of digital workspace transformation – Part 2

As widespread digital workspace transformation continues to progress, and the working standards of individuals and businesses continues to evolve, keeping pace is increasingly important. If a business is behind the curve, it becomes ever more difficult to attract and retain talent. But with the desire for remote and flexible working being higher than ever, how can you meet this need without jeopardising your business security and continuity?

XMA can help you with this. In a previous blog, we looked at how we can use an effective planning and deployment strategy to help your business embrace new ways of working. In this second blog, we’ll be looking into the ways we can help you keep control of your network, without ever laying your hands on the devices your team uses.

When people work remotely, it’s likely that the range of devices available to them will go up. For example, some people might have a powerful PC at home, while others might prefer to work from a personal tablet or phone occasionally. While this boost to staff convenience is hard to ignore, it does raise several major security concerns. As these devices are outside your management control, they could be an ideal access point for hackers and viruses. As a result, many businesses are choosing to restrict access to managed devices only.

Whether you choose to allow a varied range of devices to use your network, or supply specific machines to each member of your team, we can help. Sophisticated endpoint and access management systems, enabled by Windows 10 technology, allow you to retain control while enabling an enormous level of flexibility for your teams. This will let you simplify automated provisioning, configuration management, and software updates for every single device that uses your network, regardless of operating system.

Device management is just part of the battle. Alongside close and customisable control over access, based on your specific needs and wishes, we’ll also develop a robust and personalised data security and risk management policy. This will consider the sensitivity of your data, how much access is required for each individual, and much more.

Using the latest software and zero-trust techniques from Microsoft, including Windows 10 Authenticator for two-factor authentication, we can start to create an environment that enables digital workspace transformation, without jeopardising security for the sake of access.

Enabling cultural change is naturally important for a business, especially right now, but doing it in a way that’s sensible, safe and suitable for you is incredibly important. It’s not something to be rushed, you need to pick the right path for you. Our team will help you to pick the right path, and use the best technology from Microsoft, along with other major vendor partners, to make it a reality.

We’ll be continuing our blog series on digital transformation in the weeks to come, so keep an eye out for part three. If you’ve not read the first part, or would like a reminder, you can find it here

XMA streamlines IT procurement at the University of Oxford

With an ongoing goal to reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies, the university were looking at how this could be applied to the procurement of their IT products and services. There was also a need to make technology more accessible, particularly during a time where remote working is required. XMA worked alongside the university’s procurement team, to deliver a solution that would help resolve these challenges.

The Anywhere School, is Google’s approach to ‘back to school’ bringing updates to tools in order to lighten the load for teachers, families and students.

Below are some of the updates Google for Education have introduced or are in the pipeline:

A safer, more engaging Meet experience

-In September, an introduction of a larger tiled view of up to 49 people and an integrated Jamboard will be accessible for collaboration. There will also be new controls within Meet so moderators can choose to always join first, end meetings for all participants, disable in-meeting chat and much more.

-In October, custom and blurred backgrounds will be introduced to Meet along with breakout rooms and attendance tracking will be launched allowing for more engagement in classes and insights on participation.

-Later on in the year, a hand raising function will be enabled along with a Q&A polling.

Better support for students, educators and admins in Classroom

-A new to-do widget on the classes page will help students see what’s coming up, whats missing and whats’s been graded.

-Teachers can now share a link to invite students to their class, which makes joining a class much easier.

-Classroom will soon be available in 10 additional languages, to reach 54 languages in total.

-Admins will have access to more powerful toolsto manage G Suite and Classroom. For example, school leaders with Enterprise licenses will have greater visibility into Classroom usage via new Data Studio dashboards, which allow admins to see active classes, measure feature adoption, and monitor teacher and student engagement.

Technology adopted during lockdown to enable employees to work remotely has shaped not just organisations during lockdown, but strategic business planning moving forward. We have already seen announcements from large enterprise technology organisations, shifting their working model to remote, either entirely or in part.  

The productivity benefits of working from home centre around the loss of the need to commute. With the average person’s work commute at 60 minutes each way, this has saved on average a staggering 10 hours per week spent mostly in the car, on the train or bus. As a result of this, the European Environment Agency’s data confirms large decreases in air pollutant concentrations, of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, largely due to reduced traffic and other activities, especially in major cities under lockdown measures.  

Reductions of around half have been seen in some locations, for example: 

• In Milan, average concentrations of NO2 for the past month have been at least 24 % lower than the month prior. The average concentration during the week of 16-22 March was 21 % lower than for the same week in 2019. 
• In Rome, average NO2 concentrations for the past four weeks were 26-35 % lower than for the same weeks in 2019. 
• In Barcelona, average NO2 levels went down by 40 % from one week to the next. Compared with the same week in 2019, the reduction was 55 %. 

• In Madrid, average NO2 levels went down by 56 % from one week to the next. Compared with the same week in 2019, the reduction was 41 %. 
• In Lisbon, average NO2 levels went down by 40 % from one week to the next. Compared with the same week in 2019, the reduction was 51 %. 

(European Environment Agency, 2020). 

After achieving and analysing this reduction in pollution, will the Covid-19 lockdown result in real progress to tackle climate change?  

Whilst addressing long-term air quality problems requires ambitious policies and forward-looking investments, the Covid-19 lockdown demonstrated the capability we must vastly reduce our emissions. When the noise of airplanes and traffic was gone, it helped us understand and have empathy for the effects of climate change on future generations. The lockdown also demonstrated to employers that employees can effectively work from anywhere with best placed technology, and in turn contribute toward a greener and more sustainable future.  

Is your business set up for remote working?  

XMA have been supporting businesses throughout Covid-19 to achieve efficient digital workspaces. Get in touch to discuss your Digital Workspace now. 

Reference:  European Environment Agency (2020). Air Pollution. Available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/air-pollution-goes-down-as [Accessed: 24.08.2020] 

This additional investment was described as giving schools the extra budget for “the odd little piece of kit that they need*” – more specifically, “whiteboards and a couple of computers*”. This will be a one off capital payment direct to schools, averaging £10k per primary and £50k per secondary school.

The government have experienced a huge backlash across the country, with Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, saying “It is a sign of the government’s priorities that it is spending more on fixing potholes than on fixing the school funding crisis.”**

We agree that it is a small investment, and it certainly isn’t enough to help schools stretch to all the necessities they need. However, with our help we can make that additional budget go a lot further than just “a few little extras”. Our experience in doing more with less has supported schools in meeting their goals despite restricted budgets. Innovative technology solutions needn’t cost the earth. They just require careful planning, consideration and future proofing.

We pride ourselves in taking a consultative approach, by taking the time to understand your environment, challenges you currently face, and what your objectives are as a school.

Our specialist Schools team are ready to help you do a little extra with your “little extras”. Get in touch with us today so we can help your budget stretch further.

If you would like a member of our Schools team to contact you to discuss doing a little extra with “Little Extras”, please complete the fields below:

*The Guardian, 2018

** Schools Week, 2018

It’s an exciting time for any organisation. The right tech, whether hardware or software, can transform a firm’s growth potential, helping your business take the next step in its success story. However, it can also be a stressful time as smaller firms don’t necessarily have the kind of in-house IT procurement expertise needed to make important tech investment decisions with confidence.

With so many alternatives on offer, working out the best IT solution for your business isn’t always straightforward – and the implications of getting it wrong can be costly. Here are our thoughts on some of the steps that smart SMEs are taking in order to make sure their technology investment decisions have the desired impact

1. Start at the end

Just like any kind of capital expenditure, the intended benefits of the investment should be well understood before the procurement process starts. The primary reason that SMEs buy new technology is the need to improve performance or optimise a business process, so look at the processes in your business and ask, what should or could be done better, more quickly or more efficiently?

Often the best people to identify these pain points are your workforce. A staff survey can be an effective way to work out how much time is being spent on different activities, which can help to identify and prioritise inefficiencies.

Then you can ask yourself, could technology help to address this?

Are staff spending hours on end in team meetings, for example? Perhaps they need a more effective tool for collaborating, like an Instant Messaging system or a project management app?

Are they taking an age to locate customer files in filing cabinets? In that case, a scanning solution could make that process far more efficient and productive, freeing them up to make an impact elsewhere in the business. A business should only invest once it has clearly identified the processes it needs to change and how new technology can effect that change.

2. Consult and report

So, now you know what you want your new technology to be able to accomplish, it’s essential to consult all the staff who will ultimately be using it about the functions they need.

These are not vague ambitions, but clear objectives that tie in to the needs of the business.

You can also ask them about any other desirable features that would help them do their jobs better.

All these factors should also be ranked according to importance, as budget limitations may not allow you to tick every box, so prioritise the most critical.Some of the issues you will want to consider include usability, security, scalability, functionality, reliability, quality, the provision of support and compatibility with existing systems.

Once your analysis is complete, create a written report that lays out exactly what the investment is designed to achieve, that can be shared with, and signed off by everyone that will be affected. This document will prove invaluable when it comes to navigating through the huge variety of potential solutions that are available.

3. A systematic solution

The huge amount of technology aimed at SMEs can be seen as both a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, it makes it more likely that there is a product out there that precisely suits your circumstances, on the other, finding it could be a real challenge.

Now you have your comprehensive list of requirements, one option is to create a spreadsheet comparing them against a selection of potential solutions.

You can then start narrowing down the list by working out which option fulfils the most criteria to find the best solution.

Of course, cost will be a factor too, but look beyond the initial investment to consider the long-term value, such as the print cost per page provided by a new printer.

If this still seems a little overwhelming, then teaming up with a technology supplier could be the way forward.

4. A helping hand

Don’t think of us just as a supplier with a sharp salesman who’s trying to sell you the most expensive solution they can, regardless of its suitability.

We function more like a trusted procurement partner, who can support you through the decision-making process, installation and bedding in of any new technology.

We want to build a long-term relationship with your business, so it’s in our interest to ensure we provide the right long-term solution for you.

We work hard to understand what businesses need from their technology and develop integrated solutions that enable customers to achieve their goals. And work with you to understand the challenges you face, then introduce services and products that will help you to work smarter and stay ahead of your rivals.

5. Teething troubles and training

Most IT professionals will tell you that, however well planned an installation is, some degree of teething troubles are inevitable.
For small businesses, any period of downtime can have a huge impact, so ready access to technical support and training is essential, especially in the first few months.

Again, we can provide some added value by managing the installation process.

Training ensures that your staff are getting all they can out of a new technology, using it to its full potential and generating the maximum positive impact on productivity, as well as delivering a better Return On Investment (ROI). We can offer training, so you have plenty of options to get the right solution for your business.

Learn how organisations from various sectors are deploying technology to their advantage by visiting our Success in Action page.