With more people working in different locations, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a consistent user experience for all. The security implications of hybrid work, for example, mean remote workers might encounter more barriers to logging in, while those coming into the office might still want the flexibility to work remotely.
An optimal user experience is essential, and ensuring employees are equipped with the right devices is core to this. Happy employees are productive employees and they expect a smooth digital experience – not one laden with barriers to getting their work done.
It is difficult to maintain an ecosystem of devices that cater to a wide array of shifting needs, including imperatives to maintain a robust security posture for a distributed workforce. However, the latest thin-and-light Windows laptops, powered by the Intel vPro® platform, are a fundamental piece in this puzzle, delivering on the promise of a frictionless user experience while offering the manageability and security tools businesses require in today’s marketplace.
Why devices are key to productivity
According to Gartner, one key route to retaining employees is through the devices they use. This crucial interface can make or break the employee experience as workers today are much more likely to interact with colleagues through technology, whether at home or in the office.
Verint’s pre-pandemic research confirmed the decisive link between the quality of the digital experience and productivity – and the pivot to remote work further underscored this association. The study ‘Engagement in the Always-on Era: How Humans and Technology Work Hand-in-Hand to Meet Rising Expectations’ surveyed 34,000 people and was published in 2019. It found almost three-quarters (72%) of respondents reported reduced stress levels when given access to productivity enhancing technology. Furthermore, just over half (55%) of respondents had also asked their employer for better technologies to help them work more efficiently, showing an unfulfilled appetite for more digitally robust devices.
Striking the right cyber security balance
Key to the equation is maintaining a robust security posture across a distributed organization. Cyber criminals have made no hesitation in attempting to exploit how COVID-19 gave rise to the hybrid work era, with critical business assets now accessed beyond the traditional security perimeter.
Increased security, as a result, has often been characterized as negatively impacting productivity by erecting barriers – whether that’s through the emergence of two-factor authentication (2FA), connecting to virtual private networks (VPNs), or other measures.
It's believed that the more steps and hurdles in place, the more likely employees will circumvent them and therefore introduce more risk to your entire organization. Businesses, however, must take every necessary precaution when faced with the prospect of critical losses due to a cyber attack. Thankfully, rather than considering cyber security and productivity as competing priorities, Intel vPro Platforms delivers a solution that fulfills both. Taking a layered approach is key to this, and the Intel vPro Platform is engineered to offer organizations best-in-class cyber security tools while maintaining a smooth and seamless digital user experience for the end-user.
A happy workforce is a productive workforce
Curating a better digital experience to increase happiness and reduce stress among employees boils down to one essential truth: happier employees are more productive, and they are also empowered to do more.
According to research by the Social Market Foundation, happy employees are up to 20% more productive in the workplace. On the flip side, disengaged employees cost businesses in the US up to $550 billion per year, according to historical research from the Engagement Institute.
While employee happiness can be influenced by a huge variety of factors, the role of technology is increasingly pivotal in shaping morale across the workforce. Indeed, roughly half (49%) of the US workforce would consider leaving their job due to frustrations with technology, according to Workfront’s 2021 State of Work research, which also highlighted a 9-point increase in the number of workers who said technology is “very important” in doing their best work.
Investing in enterprise-grade devices
With key challenges emerging around maintaining a strong and seamless user experience and cyber security posture, there are a handful of devices that have stepped up to the plate. Powered by Intel vPro, these PCs are designed with both security and productivity in mind and are engineered to ensure employees have the most portable, high-performing, and secure devices to thrive.
Intel vPro devices are designed and engineered with multi-layered security features through Intel Hardware Shield, which delivers hardware-level protection alongside application and data protection, as well as advanced threat detection. Below-the-OS protection ensures devices are less likely to be compromised with planted malware. Hardware-level security means systems also boot securely to a trusted state.
These PCs also tend to be ultra light and, therefore, portable, making them ideal for workers who move between locations. That’s in addition to great performance thanks to the 13th Gen Intel Core processors. Ultimately, investing in vPro devices equates to future-proofing your business by giving workers the right tools to get the job done well.
For more information about Intel vPro, please visit https://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/architecture-and-technology/vpro/overview.html
