More people than ever are enjoying the benefits of connected working – where the latest technology tools are used to allow employees to do their jobs smoothly and productively, no matter where they are located.

But as individuals, connected working means different things to different people, depending on the specifics of the task at hand. For employees performing creative or admin roles based primarily at home, it might mean flexible access to office systems, using multiple devices, wherever they are in their house. For a field engineer, meanwhile, it might be more about having a single point of contact to log their completed jobs while out on the road. The common thread, whatever the circumstances, is giving people the right tools to do their job - anytime, anywhere.

For organisations looking to empower connected working, it is important to remember that there is no standardised approach to deployment. IT departments can be guilty of attempting to impose blanket technology solutions on workers, even if they are not suited to the needs of the end-user. It is far better to take a more dynamic approach to connected working, supported by flexible device ownership and evergreen management techniques, to ensure that employees are fully equipped for the task at hand with intrinsic intuitive security embedded.

Take Time to Assess

How do you go about achieving that? The key is to sit down and plan properly from the outset – to take stock and thoroughly assess your organisation’s needs. That means asking some fundamental questions to understand workflows across multiple types of role. How do remote workers consume IT services today? How might they want to do so in the future? What happens to the data in a connected environment? How are security and compliance managed? What types of devices might be required? These are all questions that need answers from the outset if remote workers are to operate most efficiently.

Then it is important to take a structured approach to ensure that all this information is captured effectively. This might include conducting a detailed 'understanding' phase that drives out assumptions and makes sure your connected strategy is based on facts. Assessments can be part of this understanding phase. By clearly establishing the needs of the connected workforce, you can establish a solid foundation for the design and implementation of a well-informed plan that can deliver secure, seamless, agile and cost-efficient working approaches.

Deployment and device management are crucial parts of the equation, too. CDW takes an agnostic approach to technology partners, ensuring the right solutions for your organisation’s need. These can be supported by evergreen management approaches, where iterative updates ensure that your IT landscape is always fit for purpose – eliminating the need for complex technology refreshes.

Additionally, CDW offers a range of hardware management strategies such as Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) which comes with flexible commercial options that make connected working a possibility no/minimal CAPEX spend. With DaaS, CDW conducts a complimentary workshop defining user personas across the organisation, then recommends the best devices for each user group. We also deliver a range of comprehensive support and can offer digital experience management toolsets which provide users with a simple touchpoint for ordering, supporting and upgrading devices.

A Matter of Choice

Ultimately, connected working is about choice. It is about ensuring that employees have the right range of tools available to keep them happy and productive irrespective of the working situation. For the organisation, meanwhile, it is about ensuring that secure, seamless, flexible and cost-effective strategies are put in place. Get those things right and connected working – delivered without technological constraint – can be a catalyst towards your digital transformation.

Kyle Davies - CDW Practice Lead , Integrated Technology & Matt Roberts - CDW Practice Lead, Workspace Solutions.

For any enquiries contact: info@uk.cdw.com | 020 7791 6000