As companies around the world tighten their belts in the face of worrisome economic headwinds, it can be difficult to find a way to keep your business running efficiently for the foreseeable future.
As component shortages hit the supply of essential workplace technology across industries, making sure your workers have the right equipment to be efficient and productive is harder than ever.
However, even in these tough market conditions, there are plenty of ways to get the most out of your IT infrastructure without breaking the bank.
Let’s start with the fact that PCs and laptops that your employees use every day do not have to be expensive anymore. FROM latest data from Gartner (opens in a new tab) global spending on new devices is expected to fall significantly, finding powerful yet lightweight devices with long battery life is easier than ever, and a number of technological advances mean that such products are now much cheaper than they used to be.
As the world’s PC and laptop manufacturers vie for market share and profitability, the cost of high-performance devices in the workplace is rapidly falling, so it should be much easier to get plenty of devices for employees.
This explosion of devices also means much more choice than ever before, so finding a cost-effective solution that allows your employees to do their jobs can be a much simpler task. Buying in bulk is always a good way to close a deal, which means company-wide deployments or upgrades no longer have to be mired in sourcing purgatory – there’s the freedom to make multiple purchases.
Another aspect of these new freedoms revealed by the development of hybrid work is the huge advances made in remote access and management systems. With employees no longer working in an office where they have easy access to IT and security systems, the need for remote access services has never been more important – and that can also be good news for those companies facing resource challenges.
Remote access is possible via both local networks and the Internet, which means that with the right software your employees can access the information and data they need to do their job, and you can ensure that they remain productive and efficient, and all of this with much lower costs for you and your business than doing hands-on office work.
The rise of hybrid working has also led to widespread cybersecurity concerns, with employees not used to working outside the office at risk of falling victim to fraud and cyberattacks.
Managing all these devices in the office can be a huge headache, and complaints and requests pile up quickly, but remote access and device management services mean IT teams can get the work they need done quickly and without much disruption. Deploying security patches or updates for your entire workforce can now be done without them being in the office, so your employees can get back to doing what they do best.
In terms of the systems themselves, the emergence of low-code and even “no-code” platforms has been one of the most intriguing technological successes of the last few years. With software development and development more accessible than ever, such platforms require little or no programming experience to build applications and services, opening up the possibility for any employee to get involved if they choose.
Allowing employees to get their hands dirty with creation and development can also have the benefit of freeing up IT support to focus on current tasks, making everyday working life more enjoyable for everyone.
While times are undoubtedly difficult for many businesses, there are many services and platforms available to help lighten the burden. Ultimately, having the right devices to work efficiently, whether it’s a reliable desktop or a portable but strong and durable laptop, should always put you in good stead, so choose your investment wisely and your business should be set up for success.