Since COVID-19 drove workers home earlier this year, adoption rates of workforce mobility solutions have skyrocketed. Yet, according to Morgan Stanley, most remote work systems were built to accommodate fewer than 20% of employees prior to COVID-19.
A meaningful investment in a complete, scalable, and permanent work anywhere solution is, therefore, required to accommodate the estimated 50% of employees now working from home. This article will examine the rise in popularity of workspace solutions and help you determine which one is best for your business.Over the past decade, remote workspace and productivity solutions have spread across the IT landscape. Google Workspace and Microsoft Azure WVD are the latest entries into this once niche technical space.
Evolve IP (Workspaces), VMWare (Workspace ONE), Citrix (Citrix Workspace), and Amazon (Amazon WorkSpaces) are just a handful of companies that now offer persona-based products and remote access solutions. As businesses embark on technological transformation, the demand for workspace as a service, digital workspace, and virtual desktop solutions is rising significantly.
The popularity of this technology is largely due to the familiar feel of the browser-based solutions. Users enjoy an office desktop experience on the device of their choice without compromising security or functionality. Employees can continue to participate in work activities as if they were still physically present in the office.
With more and more companies selling digital workspace solutions, it may be difficult to determine which vendor is right for your business’ long-term remote strategy. After all, not all products that contain the word “workspace” do the same thing or operate in the same way.
For example, some providers deliver a workspace that is essentially repackaged cloud computing / DaaS (Desktop as a Service). Other providers integrate VoIP communications solutions. Evolve IP goes the extra mile by integrating contact center software, identity and access management, and features like call recording.
Here are five things to consider when evaluating remote workspace providers. Only Evolve IP Workspaces addresses ALL these issues:
- Flexibility – Is the software designed around the end user’s workflow? Digital workspace software should place your employees, not technology, in control. Evolve IP’s Workspaces solution aligns with the personas of workers – delivering only the applications that users need based on their job function. Mixing and matching user types saves clients 30 – 40% compared to traditional virtual desktop solutions.
- Compatibility – Is the solution easy to use, and does it work well with your line-of-business applications? Does it enhance or impede your employee’s productivity?
With Evolve IP Workspaces, every employee gets a secure personal ‘home page’ and a single network password. Users enjoy a consistent experience on every device – mobile, tablet, laptop, and desktop. Evolve IP Workspaces also integrates with Active Directory (AD) and app servers or hosted IaaS systems at Evolve IP. - Security – It is essential to provide the flexibility and interoperability that supports business stakeholders and delivers an improved user experience without compromising security. When considering a workspace solution, make sure that the provider has a robust compliance and security program in place to protect your business’ sensitive data.
Over 200,000 Evolve IP Workspaces users’ data is secured daily with single-sign-on and multifactor authentication. Evolve IP is also 3rd-party audited, including HIPAA / HITRUST, PCI, SOC 2 & GDPR. - Reputation – Is the solution tried and tested with a history of quality performance? Is the provider new to the game, or have they been a thought leader in the virtual desktop space from the technology’s inception? Do they provide a highly trained customer support center that can rapidly and effectively respond to your needs? Evolve IP has enabled remote work solutions for over a decade and deployed purpose-built ‘Work Anywhere’ solutions for 500,000+ users at some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Workspaces is a top-rated solution by Gartner-validated clients with a 92% recommendation rate. Plus, Evolve IP is VMware’s top multi-tenant Horizon DaaS provider in the World. Evolve IP Workspaces customers also enjoy 24x7x365 US-based support across multiple channels.
- Reliability – A solution is only as good as the infrastructure supporting it. What is the provider’s reliability rating? How do they ensure complete business continuity and disaster avoidance for your company? Evolve IP has a proven history of 99.999% uptime due to its geographically dispersed data centers, redundant connections, and product architecture.
Lastly, before you start talking to providers, speak with your employees about what they need to perform their job more successfully. Identifying the must-have features that users want and the functionality requirements they need will help you select the right workspaces solution for your workforce.
Whether at home, in a conference room, or in a coffee shop (eventually), by transforming any space into a workplace, businesses can provide their employees with the familiarity and flexibility they crave during these unprecedented times.
