UAE- Technology to transform the workplace and workforce

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Technology today has transformed both the workplace and the workforce, resulting in an increasing number of professionals enjoying the ability to work in various locations, experts at the annual CIO Meet conference noted.

Presented by Khaleej Times and DG Business, the IT Servicesdivision of Sharaf DG LLC, the event brought together various professionals to highlight the role that technology is playing and how organisations are meeting the needs of the modern day workforce.

Speaking at the event, Nawras Sawsou, strategic alliances manager for the Middle East at Intel Corporation, noted that the workplace has evolved over the years.

"We have gone from the classic workplace model, where people would come to work for a company, sit in one place, and work on one device that was managed by IT, to professionals working on multiple devices, in different locations," he said. "People want to work everywhere and whenever they want. The current workplace has to deliver simplicity, security, a reduction in operating costs, and a seamless easy-to-use experience."

Technology's role in the workplace is also changing, he added. Studies show that 40 per cent of employees say that the ability to work remotely is a must have for them. In addition, 80 per cent of millennials say that the workplace tech would have an influence when deciding to take a job. Moreover, 83 per cent of employers found that flexible working has boosted productivity, and 61 per cent said that it had increased company profits.

When it comes to devices, old PCs will negatively impact productivity; employees could be 12 per cent less productive on PCs that are more than three years old. This results in estimated cost of $7,794 per year per user. Research has shown that multitasking is up to 1.3 times slower on PCs that are more than three years old. It has also been recorded that PCs that are more than three years old result in 65 per cent lower performance.

Sawsou noted that organisations have to be ready to meet the needs of the modern workforce by having devices that are up to date and catered to the people using them.

Rising security concerns

Corbett Hoxland, business development manager of Enterprise Solutions at HP Computing and Printing Middle East, shed light on some of the cybersecurity challenges that organisations have to face today.

He revealed that over 206 million ransomware attacks were recorded in 2018, and that over 305,000 new malware variants are active every day. Today, it is not a question of if a company will be targeted, but a matter of when.

"It is easier for cybercriminals to attack end users," he said. "Everyone is vulnerable and thinking that criminals wouldn't attack you because you are a small business is the type of overconfidence that criminals will ultimately make use of. Buying the best cybersecurity solutions is not enough, especially if your workforce isn't aware about how best to utilise the solutions. The situation is further complicated because there is a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals."

Digital transformation is a journey

Citing the surveys made by several industry leaders, AS Pillai, GM at DG Business, noted that 48 per cent of professionals have no idea what their industry will look like in the next three years. In addition, 45 percent fear that they will become obsolete in the next 3-5 years. Lastly, 92 per cent see digital business initiatives as critical to success.

"Businesses have to transform digitally in order to become more sustainable and efficient," he said. "You have to transform IT to its full potential."

There are several factors that businesses have to look at during their digital transformation journeys, he said. "Focus on your core business and let a capable partner manage your IT infrastructure. Adopt a consumption based model for any new investments, and migrate your current workloads to Cloud in a phased manner. Cloud investments can bring about 50-55 per cent TCO advantage compared to on-premises investment over 3 years period. Also, outsourcing IT management to a capable partner can bring about 20-24 per cent return on investment. Companies have gained significant quantifiable benefits from using Managed Services from partners like DG Business."

Arvind Gaba, head of Service Delivery, IT Managed Services at DG Business, urged businesses to concentrate on what they are good at and leave IT Services & Security to IT Managed Services Experts.

Nilesh Khalkho, CEO of Sharaf DG, noted that the business environment across the UAE has become much more complex, resulting in organisations looking to adopt technologies such as Artificial Intelligence as part of their business practice.

"Businesses have increasingly become more data driven and real time analytics are playing a major role in how businesses are creating their strategies. Just look at the retail sector, and how the customer journey has evolved; it has become much more complex," he said. "The amount of information that is available to consumers today, thanks to the Internet, means that they have become much more knowledgeable and informed about their purchases. Today, they want personalised experiences where retailers reach out to them with suggestions for products that are catered to their interests. Artificial Intelligence helps by sorting through and delivering information that is relevant to them. Personalisation and relevance have become key factors to deliver upon."

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