As companies around the world tighten their belts in the face of troubling economic adversity, it can be tough to see a way to keep your business working effectively for the foreseeable future.
With component shortages hitting supplies of vital workplace technology across all kinds of industries, making sure your workers have the right hardware to be efficient and productive is harder than ever.
However even in these challenging market conditions, there are a myriad of ways to get the most out of your IT infrastructure without breaking the bank.
To start, the PCs and laptops that your employees engage with on a daily basis no longer need to cost the earth. With recent Gartner figures estimating global spending on new devices is set to fall significantly, finding powerful yet lightweight devices with long-lasting battery life is easier than ever, with a raft of technological advancements meaning that such items are now far cheaper than they used to be.
With the world's PC and laptop manufacturers fighting for market share and profitability, the cost of effective workplace devices is falling fast, so getting your hands on a host of devices for your workforce should be much simpler.
This explosion of devices also means there is much more choice than ever before as well, so finding a cost-effective solution that allows your employees to get their work done can be a much more straightforward task. Buying in bulk is always a good way to a deal, meaning that company-wide deployments or upgrades no longer need to be mired in procurement purgatory - the freedom to shop around for a great deal is there.
Another side to these new freedoms exposed by the growth of hybrid working is the huge steps forward made in remote access and management systems. With employees no longer working in the office, where they are within easy coverage of IT systems and security protection, the need for remote access services has never been more important - and it can also be good news for those businesses facing resource challenges.
Remote access is possible via both local networks and the internet, which means that, with the right software, your workers can access the information and data they need to get their jobs done, and you can ensure they are staying productive and efficient, all with much lower costs for you and your business than being hands-on in the office.
The rise of hybrid working has also led to widespread concern over cybersecurity, with employees unused to working outside of an office potentially falling prey to scams and cyberattacks.
Governing all these devices in an office can be a huge headache, with complaints and tickets quickly piling up, but remote access and device management services mean that your IT teams can carry out the tasks they need quickly, and without major disruption. Rolling out security patches or updates to your entire workforce can now be done without them needing to be in the office, letting your employees get back to doing what they do best.
When it comes to your systems itself, the rise of low-code and even “no-code” platforms has been one of the most intriguing technological success stories of the last few years. Making software development and programming more accessible than ever, such platforms require little or even no coding experience to create apps and services, opening up the opportunity for any of your employees to get involved should they want to.
Allowing workers to get their hands dirty with creating and developing could also have the benefit of again freeing up your IT support to focus on the tasks at hand, making the day-to-day working life more enjoyable for all.
So although times are undoubtedly tough for many businesses, there are a number of services and platforms available to help lessen the burden. Ultimately, having the right devices to be productive, whether that’s a reliable desktop PC or portable yet powerful long-lasting laptop should always stand you in good stead, so choose your investment wisely and your business should be primed to succeed.
