The document discusses the transition from the traditional workplace to the workplace of the future. It notes that the traditional model, with fixed employee locations and devices, is being replaced by a more flexible model where employees expect to access the same digital services as in their personal lives. This transition is driven by trends like consumerization, mobility, cloud computing and big data. It will require organizations to adopt a more user-centric IT model and will change how IT departments procure and support infrastructure to prioritize end user needs and experiences. Barriers include lack of support and change resistance, while benefits include cost reductions, flexibility and improved employee productivity and satisfaction.

1. The workplace of the future
What is the difference between
the workplace of today, and the
workplace of tomorrow?
Daniel Biondi, chief technology officer,
financial services, HP (DB): The
traditional workplace, where employees
work at desks at fixed locations on fixed
devices supported by device-centric IT
infrastructure, is quickly becoming a distant
memory. Enter the workplace of the future,
where employees expect the same digital
experience and services they consume
in their private lives to be available at
work. The implications are significant,
necessitating a shift in the principles and
priorities that have guided organisations.
To leverage the intellectual capital of the
workforce and maintain a competitive
edge, organisations must integrate a much
more flexible and user-centric IT model into
their long-term business strategies.
The workplace is moving from a
device-centric model, where hardware,
operating systems, applications and
end-user data are bonded to a single PC,
to a flexible model where each component
is independent and the user is the central
driver. Such a flexible model, architected
for the cloud, delivers multiple applications
to multiple devices and personas.
What key technologies and
digital trends are fuelling the
workplace of the future?
DB: The changes are exacerbated
by one key trend – consumerisation –
and the advent of mobile computing
via smartphones and tablets, which
is increasingly rendering enterprise
applications archaic. If users can’t access
it on their tablets, they don’t. The key is
to provide a ‘unified user experience’
focused on usability, collaboration and
mobility, so organisations can deliver to
employees’ expectations of having the
same digital experience and services
they consume in their private lives at
work. Specific technologies bringing this
together are: Cloud computing, mobility,
big data, security, collaboration, unified
communications (including a virtual,
interactive, 3D environment), social
networking and augmented reality.
The increasing use of big data and
shorter cycle times means we will also see
the skills mix for employees change. Tasks
that can be automated will be, and much
greater value will be placed on employees
who are problem solvers, creative and
comfortable working with ambiguity and
fast paced development.
Robert Mesaros, vice-president and general
manager, HP PPS (RM): It’s no longer
about work/life balance, but a work/life
blend that sees users completing their work
tasks outside of the 9-to-5 business day
using a range of devices at their disposal to
respond, review or create. As users we are
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mobile, and our technology must move with
us. The smartphone and tablet are testament
to this, and have even resulted in the new
‘hybrid’ PC platform that bridges the needs
of the tablet user and the notebook user to
offer the best of both worlds.
How does user-centric
computing impact how IT
departments interact with users?
DB: The expectation of instant connection
to information is driving a shift to what
HP calls the ‘new style of IT’. This
is business-led, with IT supporting
organisational goals. It is efficient, open,
flexible, scalable and collaborative. Going
forward, it will predominantly be made
up of as-a-service and consumption-
based models for speed, agility and
cost effectiveness. It’s a world where
cloud, security, big data and mobility all
converge in comprehensive solutions to
better connect with end users.
Moreover, the consumerisation of IT is
driving end users to adopt technology faster
than it is incorporated at a corporate-grade
level. This is why IT and organisations in
general need to start thinking less about
machines and more about how technology
helps solve the user’s issues.
RM: This new style of IT places a
greater emphasis on the collaboration IT
departments need to have with their end
users, and the potential value IT can deliver
as a catalyst for business change. End
users have been adopting ‘shadow IT’ for
years as a means of taking advantage of
the productivity gains that smartphones,
personal mobile data or public cloud
storage and sharing services can offer
without the rigour or red tape associated
with the corporate offering. The opportunit
Daniel Biondi, chief technology officer,
financial services, HP
048-049_CIO_Summer13_Spon_HP.indd 48 11/19/2013 9:53:04 AM

2. 49
is in how IT departments collaborate with
their users to administer policies that
enable the desired business tools to benefit
both the user and also the organisation
Does this shift also change the
way IT departments procure and
administer IT infrastructure?
DB: It absolutely does. One of the
significant changes is how cloud computing
is transforming the IT value chain. This
encompasses everything from buying
and assembling technology, to the role of
procurement and brokerage of IT-based
services – i.e. managing a hybrid delivery
model. There is a decreased focus on the
classical ‘nuts and bolts’ of IT, such as
evaluating hardware, installing operating
systems and managing images, as much of
this is now automated and outsourced.
There is greater focus on brokering
services, while instituting a governance, risk
management and compliance framework,
and on self-service delivery through end-to-
end automation. In this space, there is a
wide spectrum of sourcing options, which
are largely determined by service, SLA
requirements and data protection guidelines.
This change is already happening and
we believe it is fundamental to building
and sustaining a competitive advantage,
because it accelerates the delivery of new
products and features to the marketplace
and enables increased agility to respond
to market changes, while preserving
capital and facilitating compliance to
instituted risk and security frameworks.
RM: HP’s Managed Print Services is a
great example of an alternate procurement
style to support the workplace of the
future. It takes a part of the IT ecosystem
that can potentially be a sinkhole of costs,
and instead employs an optimised mix of
hardware shaped specifically to end users,
including automated management and
support services, with a strategic focus of
improving workflow. And from a hardware
perspective, we are seeing greater focus
being placed on mobility features such as
HP ePrint that allows users to email their
print jobs from any device from anywhere in
the world.
What are the biggest barriers
to the workplace of the future?
DB: The typical barriers are: Lack of
sponsorship at c-suite; lack of engagement
of business units and end users; IT
initiative being driven in isolation; and an
organisation’s resistance to change.
What business or commercial
benefits does it promise?
DB: Business benefits of the workplace of
the future include:
• A significant reduction in capital
and operational costs;
• A dramatic reduction in procurement
and provisioning lead-times;
• An ability to eliminate complex asset
lifecycle management;
• An increase in operational flexibility,
consistency and agility;
• Improved customer satisfaction
and acquisition;
• Improved employee satisfaction,
retention and productivity through
providing a truly flexible workspace.
What steps should CIOs take
to build an end-user computing
focused framework?
DB: These key tips can assist in building a
framework and testing it with the objective
of achieving business benefits.
1. Keep the ‘Big Picture’ in mind:
Develop a strategy and optimal path
for addressing end users’ needs and
expectations of a flexible workspace.
Understand critical success factors,
benefits and challenges so informed
decisions can be made that build the right
path for end-user centric journey.
2. Try the model: Identify an area that
can be used as a pilot or proof of concept
to evaluate the proposed model. For
example, involve end users and try a
solution that will provide a ‘unified user
experience’ including touch devices and
the latest enabling technology to provide
a work anywhere, anytime business
experience. Keep it simple.
3. Revisit and refine: Once a solution has
been tested, it’s time to revisit the strategy
and determine what needs to be adjusted.
Once the strategy and optimal path are
refined, then it is about ensuring the
appropriate execution of the transformation
to incorporate the new solution that will
enable the business to achieve identified
bus iness benefits.
Are there metrics CIOs can use
to monitor and report back on
their progress and performance?
DB: CIOs and organisations in general
can monitor the following key metrics:
• Employee satisfaction and retention;
• Business productivity gains;
• Reduction of legacy costs.
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To leverage the intellectual capital of the
workforce and maintain a competitive edge,
organisations must integrate a much more
flexible and user-centric IT model
048-049_CIO_Summer13_Spon_HP.indd 49 11/19/2013 9:53:05 AM