This blog post was co-authored by Neir Benyamin, Sales Engineer.
We are at an inflection point globally, which in a business sense means it’s “a time of significant change in a situation, a turning point.” To look at this time from the correct perspective and for companies to position themselves better for the future, we have to consider where we were, where we are, and where we need to be.
Where We Were
For those who work in a traditional office, Friday, March 13, was the last day many “went into work.” The physical office space we left behind has, for the most part, remained unchanged for decades, dating back to the inception of the cubicle in the 1960s. There have been different approaches since then — the open office concept, for example — but overall, not a lot has changed.
While the office has been mostly unchanged, technology to support remote work has made enormous leaps just in the last 20 years — Wi-Fi, smartphones, laptops, home broadband. But, still, we were required to commute to access technology we needed to do our jobs. Why? Ask, and the answer you’d likely to get was: “We’ve always done it that way.” Other than technology and the shape of our physical office space, other aspects of office life have been static for decades. (Why do many people still have to work 9 to 5, Monday through Friday?)
Where We Are
In mid-March, companies all over the globe were scrambling to get employees connected remotely. Work from home became a reality, though many companies didn’t have a strategy or a business continuity plan in place. Organizations opened access to internal resources to get employees connected quickly, overlooking proper security. Employees who didn’t have company assets at home quickly leveraged what they had: personal PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, tablets, and more. Many of these assets weren’t registered with the company, leaving gaping holes for hackers to exploit. Public Wi-Fi, home broadband, and unregistered devices were used without firewalls or virus protection. Employees started using Gmail or Facebook Messenger for business communication and storing company data on personal Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud accounts. These products aren’t in and of themselves insecure, but storing company data outside the control of the business creates vulnerabilities.
Where We Need to Be
While we are adjusting to the “new normal” we need to be hyper-focused on the “next normal.” We have an opportunity to do things differently, and we must. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work. The number of people working remotely at least part of the time is expected to increase, and technology will need to address this.
But, how do we build this next normal?
We can start by not defining the office as a physical place and by not building our strategy based a brick-and-mortar space. Instead, we must focus on how we work. Can we really expect an inflexible, one-size-fits-all strategy that depends on a physical office to be successful? We will learn from the data collected during the quarantine and further develop methods for managing a mobile workforce. After all, we cannot apply old methods to our new paradigm. As Albert Einstein said, “The world as we have created it is a process of thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Changing our thinking will be the key to our future success, even if we don’t get it perfect out of the gate. Technology will be the foundation, but what will it look like?
The solution should be “PC Plus” in nature — not just Windows, Mac, Android or iOS, but something that transcends all these platforms. The interface needs to be context-aware because different devices require different displays and interactions. It has to be easy to use, so a worker can complete most tasks from the same interface, without having to switch apps. And when you must switch, seamless integration means you have just one login for everything.
The solution needs security based on the user not the app, location, or device. Analytics will play a key role in ensuring performance optimization and security. And it shouldn’t require investments in capex infrastructure or software licenses. Business consumers are already moving to a cloud-based, as-a-service, pay-by-month model that enables them to operationalize expenses and pay only for what they use.
This solution can help users focus more on what they do and what matters and less on how (or where) they do it. Subscribers wouldn’t have to use one technology in the office and another on the road or at home. That is the future.
Citrix Is Ready Now for the Next Normal
Citrix is a leader in helping companies enable their users to get work done remotely and securely, on any device, and counts as its customers more than 90 percent of the Fortune 500, as well as some of the world’s largest service providers. We focus on the employee experience, not just the technology, to deliver what’s needed to enable the future of work.
The great news?
The solution we’ve described above is already here — Citrix Workspace.
We also know that for our partners and customers to be successful, they need a great program behind the technology. The Citrix Service Provider program allows for monthly consumption of licensing on a per user basis. With no commitments, maximum flexibility, and cutting-edge technologies, we enable our partners to go to market successfully. And with Citrix Cloud, we’ve taken the complexity out of the equation.
This is the future of work, and it’s here now.
