By
Robb Henshaw, Co-Founder & CMO of Cameyo
Like most things in 2020, the unpredictability caused
by COVID-19 prompted many large companies to revise their near-term plans. In a recent e-mail,
the CEO of Google-or rather Alphabet, its parent company-told employees that
the company would be delaying their return to the office by a couple of months.
The new anticipated return date is September 2021.
News of the postponement also came with news of
changes to their workplace approach. Instead of a full-scale return to the
office, Google would instead be adopting a "flexible workweek" pilot
plan. Employees would be expected to be in the office at least three days per week
(dubbed "collaboration days") and work from home the other two.
Of course, Google isn't the only company that's
embracing the idea of the "new normal"
and treating the pandemic as an opportunity to rethink the status quo. Back in
August, a Mercer survey found that 83% of companies were considering expanding their
implementation of flexible work environments
over pre-pandemic levels. A full 73% of the survey's respondents intended to
evolve toward a mix of in-office and remote work.
A perfect storm
with digital workspaces at its center
This kind of major cultural shift across the
enterprise isn't something that just comes out of nowhere. It requires a
perfect storm of circumstance, vision and resources.
And while the current shift was no doubt accelerated
by the pandemic, the technology also has to exist to support it. That's why there's been a boom in demand for virtual app delivery, desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) and virtual
desktop technologies. Solutions like these have made it possible for companies
to contemplate the move to hybrid workplaces in the first place.
The post-pandemic adoption of permanent hybrid models
also shows how pivotal these solutions will be in the future. Employees will
need to be able to transition seamlessly from remote to in-office work. To
ensure uninterrupted productivity, they'll need to have a workflow and user
experience that are consistent across any location: a unified digital
workspace, regardless of environment.
Seamlessness and
security through virtual application delivery
A digital workspace based on virtual application
delivery offers that essential mix of consistency and flexibility. It's a way
for organizations to easily provide employees with the apps they need-wherever
and whenever they need them.
When virtual application delivery is done right:
- There's reduced administrative overhead. Provisioning employees with
business-critical software is less work because management is simpler. There
are fewer moving parts, which streamlines deployment and configuration.
- Remote workers find it to be transparent and convenient. Access to their apps is
always a few clicks away. It doesn't involve downloading a bunch of software
clients or carrying out complicated VPN-style login procedures.
- It's secure. Not having to rely on a VPN or throw open the doors to the
company's internal network helps to mitigate risk. Apps are provided via an
HTML5 browser session.
- Infrastructure shrinks as scalability increases. Compared to conventional
digital workspaces like VDI, virtual application delivery is cloud-native and
seamlessly scales to support large, dynamic user pools.
With
virtual application delivery, employees can switch fluidly between in-office
and remote work because the way they access their business-critical
applications doesn't change. Although their devices and surroundings might
vary, their workflows remain the same. And that consistency and simplicity is
as true for modern software as it is for legacy Windows applications.
Digital workspaces will continue to
bolster hybrid workplaces
As
with any transformational shift, cause and effect can become mutually
reinforcing. The evolution of the workplace toward hybrid models will only end
up increasing demand for the technologies that are making that evolution
possible. IT staff as well as employees will come to expect access to the same
kinds of digital workspaces that are empowering large companies' remote
workforces and enabling them to remain productive as they segue between the
company office and the home office.
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About the Author
Robb Henshaw is Co-Founder
& CMO of Cameyo where he oversees all global marketing initiatives. His
team is responsible for all branding, demand gen, communications, channel
marketing, customer advocacy, and enablement at Cameyo. Robb brings 18 years of
marketing and communications experience across the SaaS, IoT, and wireless
industries with a track record of developing emerging brands from challengers,
to thought leaders, to market leaders.
Prior to Cameyo, Robb was the
Head of Global Communications for the IoT Business unit at Cisco, where he led
messaging strategy, PR, AR, corporate communications, and social marketing
efforts. Robb joined Cisco when they acquired his previous company, IoT
platform leader Jasper, for $1.4B in 2016. Before joining Jasper, Robb was VP
of Marketing at GetGoing (acquired by BCD Travel), Director of Global
Communications at SugarSync (acquired by J2 Global), and Sr. Director of Global
Marketing at publicly-traded Proxim Wireless.
Robb is a member of the Forbes
Technology Council, has authored dozens of articles on SaaS technologies &
trends, and was a technical editor of the 2017 "IoT Fundamentals" book.