82% of business leaders are planning to support continued remote work for employees “some of the time”. Many experts agree that the future of work will be a hybrid model combing in-person and remote employees. A large portion of this new environment will be enhanced and empowered by software, access to the cloud, and easily accessible applications. However, it’s important for channel partners and their customers to remember that excellent hybrid work also relies on devices and endpoints. Even in this cloud-oriented and digital environment, employees will still need access to smartphones, webcams, audio equipment, microphones, and more to stay connected. So, how can companies effectively manage devices in the new age of hybrid work? Here are some points to consider.
Simplifying Deployment and Provisioning
The first step to managing devices correctly in a hybrid world, is making sure they’re easy to deploy and remotely manage. Today’s IT teams won’t always be on-hand to help every staff member access a new digital whiteboard or set up a meeting room bar. The age of hybrid work will require more staff members to figure out technology for themselves. This means that solutions need to be simpler, and easy to install. For instance, many of the leading video conferencing kits on the marketplace today are becoming increasingly plug-and-play. All-in-one room kit bars can give employees everything they need to join a meeting or host a presentation in one simple device. From an IT team and management perspective, these tools also need to be simple enough to provision, monitor, and manage from a distance. A company sending desk phones for a Microsoft Teams contact centre to remote employees need to be able to access and setup that device from a distance, often through a simple cloud-based portal. Companies like Microsoft are offering things like Windows Autopilot to allow business leaders to update firmware and manage components wherever they are. Channel partners can also set up portals where business leaders can check on device patches, track information and more.
Keeping Endpoints Secure
Provisioning endpoints and making sure they’re patched with the latest firmware updates are just the start for hybrid businesses. Many companies will also need to rethink their approach to security and maintaining the protection of endpoints in the new landscape. People working from home are often connecting on more hybrid networks, paving the way for increasing VPN demand, and private connection points. Increasingly, business leaders will be looking for devices with privacy, security, and compliance built-in from the ground up. Tools that automatically encrypt information as it sent back and forth between team members are a valuable investment. Companies can even improve the security of various tools by provisioning them with two-factor authentication requirements for remote and in-office staff. Many endpoints for the future of hybrid work are already designed to boost security and privacy. Biometric scanning for smartphones and multi-factor authentication accounts are common among many devices. Privacy shutters on cameras can ensure that employees don’t feel watched when they’re outside of a meeting. Companies can even set up remote control of various pieces of equipment, to remove or wipe sensitive information if a device is stolen. Endpoint protection solutions offer business leaders access to antimalware policies and firewall security for various client computers and systems in a hybrid space. Channel partners can offer their clients access to their own policy control options, or even offer security and monitoring as part of a value-added service. Service monitoring and protection are becoming increasingly desirable ways for many hybrid meeting room partners to make themselves stand out in the current environment.
