How an IT Consultant Can Help You Navigate the Changing Work Environment
The work environment has shifted dramatically, from the rise of the hybrid work model to a dispersed workforce, it’s hard to keep up. Learn about some of the common issues caused by the new normal and how an IT consultant can help your company adapt.
The Workplace Has Changed
The pandemic has transformed work culture globally. 53% of employers expect to use hybrid work arrangements moving forward, and an additional 24% will be exclusively remote. This has led companies to hire employees from further and further away, leading to a workforce scattered across the globe.
These changes have left companies with two choices: flex or break. One particular area that businesses have struggled in is IT. Maintaining stable networks and processes has become a key challenge in the new normal. Keep reading to see how the right IT consultant can help you navigate the changes to our work environment.
What Does it Mean to Have a Cybersecurity First Mindset?
A cybersecurity first mindset is crucial to keeping your business safe in the modern age. This means staying on top of cybersecurity trends, forming a cybersecurity framework and plan, and studying how you can defend against the latest cybersecurity threats.
The right mindset can make or break your business, as 60% of small to medium sized businesses close within 6 months of falling victim to a cyberattack. Change how your business approaches your cybersecurity now to avoid disaster later.
How Can an IT Consultant Help?
Partnering with the right IT consultants is critical to helping your company succeed in the modern work climate. Here are some changes modern business owners face and how the right IT team can handle them.
Workforce Digitization
Businesses have been forced to digitize their systems. Relying on paper and in-office attendance just doesn’t work anymore—employees expect flexibility, and physical means of record keeping don’t make sense.
Digitization has kept businesses effective throughout the shifts in our work environment. However, there have been issues in the transition. Data tends to get lost in the move to digital processes, and a company’s bandwidth can struggle with increased server demand.
How IT Consultants Can Help With Digitization
IT consultants can assist with digitization in three key ways. The first is through training. Training eases employees into digitization, reducing the likelihood of errors and making your teams more efficient. While training does take time, it leads to faster and more accurate employees.
The second way that IT consultants can simplify digitization is by implementing cloud computing solutions. These solutions ensure that your business’s data is easily accessible anywhere and anytime. How many times have your remote employees struggled with information access? Cloud computing is the answer.
The third way is through security. Digitization has made platforms like email even more popular. IT consultants can protect your company against emerging cyberthreats like business email compromise. The cyberthreats of today are extremely advanced—modern problems require modern solutions. An IT consultant can give you the tools you need to defend against cyber threats with AI and machine learning, which are both staples of modern email-defense systems. Acquire these tools easily by partnering with a security provider.
IT infrastructure consulting is another option that optimizes your network. Moving high volumes of information to the digital sphere can tax your systems—investing in IT infrastructure consulting keeps your online process smooth and scalable.
Workforce Decentralization
Gartner analyst Suzanne Adnams estimates that 60% of white collar workers will work from home full time. Remote and hybrid models are here to stay and only growing in popularity. This has created huge managerial and IT challenges. How do managers go about monitoring and tracking the progress of their employees? What do managers do with unused office space?
IT deals with similar challenges regarding decentralized systems. The convenience of one local network that provides for a single space is mostly gone—IT consultants now have to consider everything from mobile devices to employee locations.
How IT Consultants Can Address Decentralization
IT consultants are key in keeping your staff connected and on the same page. One helpful solution that IT consultants offer is virtual desktops. Virtual desktops provide a secure data center that gives employees the agility to access their data anywhere. Virtual desktops also offer increased security measures that protect against new cyberthreats that have emerged in the hybrid work environment.
Virtual desktops are especially helpful in modern times because of their flexibility. A virtual desktop lets employees access data anytime, anywhere. We know that hybrid work gets chaotic. Virtual desktops lets your employees jump into work regardless of what time it is or what device they’re using.
Cycling Employees
40% of workers are considering quitting their jobs in the next 3 to 6 months. There has been a colossal shift towards job mobility in recent years, and you’ve probably felt the impact yourself. Technology is constantly changing hands nowadays—by the time an employee is properly trained and hooked up, they may already be on their way out.
How IT Consultants Can Keep Employees Moving
An IT consultant can streamline the process of onboarding new employees with the right hardware and software. This sets up employees effectively, making onboarding smooth and helping them settle into their roles quicker.
What does your onboarding process look like now? Employees are constantly cycling in and out of new positions since The Great Resignation—partner with an IT consultant and keep your onboarding processes fast.
Flexible Work Times
Employee shifts have become chaotic. Work from home flexibility has led employees to work irregular hours. Time slicing has become common, where workers split up their personal and professional time in slots throughout the day. This creates unavailable employees, which leads to broken lines of communication and inefficient work processes.
How IT Consultants Can Help Workers Stay Flexible
IT consultants can support your employees’ erratic work hours. A simple solution is changing system access schedules. If your employees need flexibility in their hours, they’ll also need flexibility in when they can access your corporate systems. IT consultants can open up access to software so employees are able to get their work done whenever they need to.
IT teams must also adjust their schedules to better fit employees needs. If many employees are working past 5 p.m., consider extending or modifying the hours that your IT team is available.
Partner With Virtual-Q for IT Help Desk Services
Regardless of your schedule or work model, Virtual-Q offers managed IT services that can benefit any business. From traditional IT support like consulting to desktop as a service offerings, we can fulfill your IT needs. Contact us today.
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