Organisations maximise staff mobility, flexibility and productivity by using work-styles to define the provisioning of new technologies in a contemporary workplace

1. Vision
Set the style
Locations are variable. Work hours are flexible. Technologies are
multiple. The corporate need for greater agility, profitability and
productivity is fuelling a radical reinvention of when, where and
how we work.
Organisations maximise staff mobility, Connecting individuals and information across such a dynamic
and diverse workplace is a massive challenge – with a raft of
flexibility and productivity by using work- competing solutions. Ultrabooks, tablets, smartphones, portals,
styles to define the provisioning of new social networks, wikis: the workplace is awash with new
technologies and tools that promise to increase flexibility and
technologies in a contemporary workplace efficiency.
Pierre Hall, Director of Workplace and Software at Computacenter,
commented: “The frontiers of today’s workplace are constantly
changing. And it’s increasingly employees rather than the IT
department that are leading the march into new territory.”
According to a CIO Connect survey, two-thirds of CIOs believe
that IT users are now one of the most powerful drivers of change
in enterprises.1 With so many individual agents of change,
businesses must ensure that the desire for a faster, smarter
workplace doesn’t spiral out of control.

2. Vision
Make IT work Maximising mobility, minimising risk
To ensure the adoption of new workplace technologies improves Regardless of the added Olympics factor, greater mobility has
rather than impedes productivity or agility, organisations need to already been recognised as the key to achieving a smarter and
establish a flexible but standardised framework for ascertaining faster workplace, with more than 70 per cent of IT decision-
and meeting employee needs. Enter the concept of work-styling. makers citing increased efficiency and workforce effectiveness as
key business benefits.4
“Understanding how employees work is key to provisioning the
right IT hardware and software as well as support services to Despite its ability to deliver a positive business outcome, mobility
meet their needs – particularly as the choice of device becomes can also be a major challenge – with 41 per cent of IT decision-
much broader, and users begin to dictate their own preferences,” makers placing it at the top of the risk ratings, higher than public
comments Pierre. cloud computing.4
Although work-styles are often highly personal, it is possible to Duncan Gooding, Networking, Security and Visual Collaboration
create a portfolio of common profiles within most organisations Director at Computacenter, commented: “As more applications
– for example a field worker versus a home worker or an and data become mobile-enabled, the security risks will increase
office worker. As well as matching software and hardware to - particularly around information loss. As a result, organisations
users’ needs, work-styles also help organisations identify the need to be sure only relevant users are given mobile devices and
appropriate level of IT support for different groups, such as ‘VIPs’. access.”
The concept of work-styles has already filtered into Microsoft’s With a work-style framework already in place, businesses will
licensing model, with Office 365 being packaged and sold not only be able to simplify the mobilisation of the workforce but
according to the needs of the kiosk or information worker. also ensure the right security controls are applied based on what
information and systems are being accessed.
To characterise different work-styles, organisations will need to
consider a range of factors, including: With 59 per cent of organisations now routinely making line
• Job function of business applications accessible from mobile devices,4 IT
• Information and application access requirements departments need to be ready to adapt existing security policies,
• Internal and external interactions processes and tools for the contemporary workplace.
• Value of transactions
• Risk exposure “Rather than focusing on the end point, IT departments should
• Work locations. consider how information is viewed, transmitted and stored. This
will enable them to establish an integrated data security strategy
“Given the rise in flexible and remote working practices, location that can be applied to not only current but also future workplace
will prove a particularly influential factor for many organisations platforms,” comments Duncan.
when defining work-styles,” says Pierre.
Keeping consumerisation under control
Almost 90 per cent of businesses say they want employees to
be able to work from home when needed.2 This need is likely An organisation’s work-style strategy will also be influenced by the
to peak during the summer of 2012 when millions of visitors growing use of personal devices on the corporate network – the
descend on London for the Olympics. so-called ‘consumerisation of IT’.
With 170 miles of road closures and commute times around the A survey by Vanson Bourne claims there will be a 249 per cent
capital predicted to double or possibly treble,3 the ability to work increase in the use of personal devices in the UK workplace
remotely will be beneficial for employee and employer alike. by the end of 2013.2 Yet it’s unclear whether this usage will be
authorised or not. According to Redshift Research, 48 per cent of
Andy Goddard, Computacenter’s Practice Leader for Workplace IT managers said their organisation would never authorise the use
and Collaboration, comments: “London 2012 presents of employees’ own devices, yet 57 per cent believed workers
businesses with both a challenge and an opportunity, and could were using devices without permission.1
become a catalyst for a shift towards greater remote and flexible
“As with many emerging technologies, most businesses will
working not only during but after the games.”
probably start by taking a hybrid approach to consumerisation,
with the network being opened up for certain users and devices,”
comments Duncan. “Work-styles will help ensure this process
remains controlled while also providing greater employee
flexibility.”
The governance of IT consumerisation will be fundamental;
personal devices not only increase security risks but also the
support overhead. As Gartner warns: “The diversity of mobile
solutions and their pace of evolution put a major strain on IT
resources to assess, manage, deploy and support. Mobility
does not easily fit into the standard refresh cycle and corporate
hardware/software image.”5

3. Vision
A flexible virtual infrastructure “IT departments must find a balance between user choice and
To simplify the management of mobile devices in the workplace – corporate control,” comments Pierre. “By establishing different
enterprise or employee owned – many organisations are starting to work-styles, businesses will be able to provide flexibility where it is
turn to desktop virtualisation. needed without adding unnecessary cost or complexity to their IT
operations.”
According to IDC, almost a third of European oranisations
have either begun a desktop virtualisaton pilot or have already Computacenter helps customers identify and implement not only
implemented a full solution.6 work-styles but also wider workplace IT strategies. As Pierre
explains: “Our consultants will determine the IT platforms and
“With its centralised model and personalised client images, virtual policies needed to establish a flexible workplace infrastructure that
desktop infrastructures (VDI) help mitigate issues around local leverages current investments.”
data access and protection,” comments Pierre. “It also enables IT
departments to package up applications more easily to align with Computacenter can also simplify the ongoing management and
specific work-styles.” deployment of multiple client images through its Configuration
Centre, which has the capacity to build 6,000 items a day, and
VDI is also a major factor in enabling flexible working, as it means its Service Control Centre, which has packaged more than 1,000
employees can access their data and ‘desktop’ from any device or different applications for customers.
location. Severn Trent Water deployed VDI to support its adoption
of flexible working practices as part of an IT transformation project Technology will be fundamental to unlocking new ways of working.
with Computacenter. But new doesn’t always mean better. Adopting a work-style
approach will help organisations prioritise and optimise the
Myron Hrycyk, Chief Information Officer at Severn Trent Water, utilisation of new technologies so they can achieve a faster and
comments: “By embracing new technologies we can improve the smarter workplace without increasing risk, cost or complexity.
quality of customer services and enhance the delivery of services
to our customers, while supporting the company’s goal of ‘being
info
the best’.”
Further
Balancing choice with control
The water company also deployed Microsoft Windows 7 as part
Download Computacenter’s brochure, Creating a Workplace for a Contemporary
of its new workplace technology landscape. “Windows 7 has World: www.computacenter.com/excluded/downloads/workplace/
been specifically designed to support more flexible work-styles,”
comments Pierre. “As well as providing secure remote access Download the IDC Analyst Connection to discover how the workplace service
revolution presents challenges and opportunities:
options, it offers improved wireless networking and file-sharing
www.computacenter.com/excluded/downloads/IDCWhitepaper/
across multiple devices.”
Windows 7 also provides a foundation for businesses to adopt References:
1. www.computerweekly.com/news/2240114743/Mobile-devices-set-to-
and fully exploit the latest online collaboration tools – from become-company-policy
video-conferencing and team portals to IP telephony and instant 2. www.computerweekly.com/news/2240146402/UK-leading-in-personal-device-
messaging. use-in-workplace
3. Clearing Olympic Hurdles, JBA Consulting and Citrix, 2011
4. State of Mobility Survey 2012, Symantec
These tools are essential for enabling greater flexibility and mobility 5. Market Trends: Mobility Solutions in Vertical Markets, Gartner, October 2011
in the workplace, but, like any new technology, need to be 6. The Workplace Services Revolution Presents Challenges — and Opportunities,
provisioned based on business need. IDC, January 2012