Planning a flexible technology strategy for hybrid work

A second shift in working practices

As the world learned to live alongside Covid-19, much of the corporate sector faced a second shift in practices, moving in a relatively short time from being fully office-based to fully remote, and now to a new model of office, remote and hybrid working. Technology is at the heart of this shift, meaning organisations need to review their current IT portfolios, plans and procedures to ensure they can be adaptable enough to support staff moving between locations, but with the safeguards in place to keep company data secure.

Lessons from one sector can benefit another. Digital strategy had already been a significant conversation for the education sector for several years, with schools reviewing and streamlining a growing number of education solutions to form evidence-based, strategic and sustainable plans. When the pandemic threw them a curveball, schools that had already done this work were arguably better placed to adjust to new circumstances, and some of the same considerations translate directly to corporate organisations.

Auditing technology before adding to it

Auditing a company's technology is a mammoth task, but, done well, it will sweep away lots of redundant legacy tech and associated processes, providing a clean, streamlined base to work from. Knowing the specifications of IT assets, their location and how often they are used is a good starting point. From there, organisations can decide which devices are to be upgraded, updated, repurposed or retired, and work out which solutions, processes and tech-related procedures currently work well, and which do not. Where it is uncertain, a useful test is to ask: would anyone notice if it were gone?

• Catalogue asset specifications, location and usage frequency before deciding what to change
• Sort devices and solutions into upgrade, update, repurpose or retire categories
• Apply the 'would anyone notice if it were gone' test to uncertain cases

Building security in from the outset

Security needs to be the cornerstone of any new technology setup for hybrid working, rather than added as a bolt-on afterward. Data will need to be fully protected regardless of an employee's work location, so ensuring security and encryption measures are considered from the start reinforces their importance as discussions progress. This is a matter of sequencing as much as substance: security decisions made after the rest of the plan is fixed tend to be compromises, whereas security considered from the outset shapes better choices throughout.

Judging technology plans by more than device provision

In the new hybrid working landscape, it is not just a matter of providing the technology to get the job done. A creative and forward-thinking organisation will debate how new developments can aid additional areas, such as ensuring easy connection, looking after employees' wellbeing, better visibility and communication across the entire business, and saving time and money. On a technical level, IT managers will also think about choosing device-agnostic solutions, making data more accessible through cloud storage where appropriate, and providing flexible tools for employees to use wherever they are.

• Choose device-agnostic solutions rather than locking staff into one hardware type
• Use cloud storage where appropriate to make data accessible from any location
• Weigh wellbeing, communication and visibility benefits alongside pure device provision

Involving staff at every level

For new technology plans to be successful, there needs to be a broad discussion with input from everyone at every level of the business who uses technology day to day. Staff representatives from every area need to be involved, with barriers of hierarchy removed to give people the agency to contribute their thoughts and experiences. Managers cannot assume that because the job is getting done, some aspects of the technology being used are not a major headache; if staff can see a better way than a convoluted existing process, they should be able to say so without repercussions.

Greater staff involvement pays off because it may highlight issues that can be solved quickly, allow employees to feel their contributions are valued, and give them ownership of the changes that inevitably lie ahead.

Budgeting properly for training

A critical strand of any organisation's technology refresh must be incorporating time for training. Left to their own devices, virtually no employee will find time to learn how to get the most out of new hardware or software, so training time must be provided by the company to maximise its investment and help staff achieve familiarity with the technology. It is no longer enough to know what to click on to make things work; the objective needs to extend to helping staff realise the full potential of the technology they use and apply it creatively, so the business can achieve real impact in areas such as production, communication, logistics and administration.

As a benchmark, schools working on digital strategy found that allocating similar budgets to both the purchase of technology and the provision of professional training was the right balance to be effective. Those costs can look off-putting laid out on paper, but skipping training is a false economy that risks reducing both the impact and the potential benefits any new system can deliver. By keeping everyone informed, reviewing existing technology and making evidence-based decisions on new solutions, business leaders can be confident they are investing in scalable technology that will flex regardless of the twists and turns their working landscape may take.