An analysis of the Windows workstations monitored by Applixure reveals that Windows 7, which will lose Microsoft’s support in early 2020, is still used on every third PC. In addition, the number of different Windows 10 versions is quite high. Applixure recommends that companies check the current status of their operating system versions and plan an upgrade path as early on as possible.
Internet Explorer, the former web browser market leader originally launched in 1995, has reached the end of its life cycle. Microsoft recommended in February 2019 that the browser be finally phased out. According to data gathered by Applixure, Internet Explorer is still in use in most companies. Only in ten per cent of companies, Internet Explorer had not been used the previous month on the workstations that had it installed.
Well-functioning and modern digital tools – hardware and software – keep employees more productive and happy.
Considering that badly behaving digital tools on average cause two full weeks of wasted workdays per information worker each year, keeping your IT healthy makes perfect business sense.
The key is to put users and their needs front and center of all your development actions. Naturally, cost efficiency also comes into play.
Simply maximizing all stats is not smart or even necessary. All users do not require a top of the line power laptop. All users do not need every software at their disposal.
Our recommendation is to start improving today with these 4 practical steps.
You can only reach your goals if you know where you are right now.
Identify tools and processes that allow you to be continuously up-to-date about the current state of your IT, regarding employee productivity and satisfaction.
What are the most important short term problems that should be fixed first? What are the bigger issues that require long-term focus?
If you buy a tool but do not actually implement the data as part of your operations, you will probably fail – or at least minimize the benefits you could reach.
So, define roles, responsibilities and processes within your support organization to make sure that data becomes utilized properly.
What are the practical, measurable IT quality performance indicators that reveal how well-functioning your IT is for your business and employees?
What is the satisfactory level where you should be today? Where do you want to be in the future? How do you perform against other organisations - benchmarks and competitors?
Start by defining 3–5 most important basic metrics. Getting started and getting the foundations in place is what matters. You can always add more later.
Don’t overthink or be inflexible: performance indicators should be regularly evaluated and developed if needed.
If you are using an external IT service provider, engage them in a dialogue about the performance indicators.
What metrics can be added to the service agreement? What are the incentives for meeting set goals? Make sure your IT partner can actually influence the things related to the metrics.
Keep constant eye on your performance indicators and how you meet the goals you haveset. Revisit the metrics and goals if needed.
Spend some time also to think what other things you should looking on regular basis that may require your attention and need to be fixed too. It is a question of doing continuous improvements.
And be agile! You cannot plan the journey all the way, but you can set milestones that you want to reach.
Once you have reached a milestone, review what you have accomplished, are you doing the right things and should you change something. And then continue your journey towards the next milestone.
Monitor how your development actions are working. See that you reach the performance levels where you have set your goals. Also, make sure you continuously stay on those levels.
When you are confident, start reaching higher.
Never underestimate the importance of leadership.
Data, tools and processes lay the foundations but leadership makes the change actually possible.
As a leader, your role is to ensure your team has the right resources, but also to help everyone understand why change is needed and boost the team’s commitment to meeting your shared goals.
The user-centric, proactive attitude must be adopted by the entire team, both internally and by your IT service provider. Embrace transparency and open dialogue between all stakeholders, including end users.
Traditional 9-to-5 work performed at the home office is fast becoming a thing of the past.
Accelerated by the influx of increasingly more millennials in the workforce, several trends in the digital workplace are gaining more momentum.
Today’s professionals want to work using their favorite digital tools, from any location and at the time of their preference.
In most organizations, the company’s employees are one of its most critical assets.
This is especially true for knowledge-intensive fields, such as software, engineering, design or a variety of domains that require a high level of expertise. Talented employees are in high demand in the job markets.
So, it’s in the employer’s best interest to keep its professionals happy and productive.
According to CIO Insight’s report, 16% of employees in a knowledge-intensive domain tell that a malfunctioning computer is a major cause of frustration.
Frustration and badly behaving digital tools undermine motivation and prevent the employees from creating the best possible value to the company.
Further, continuous IT problems can cause a sense of distrust between the expert and the company.
Dissatisfied users are a major flight risk
Today, dissatisfied top professionals are a major flight risk – they are more inclined to switch jobs at their convenience. Employee retention is today a critical part of HR strategies and if done right, it helps to save significant recruitment costs.
Talented experts are high-performing professionals who know their value in the marketplace.
On top of simply earning a good paycheck, today’s employees are more and more driven by a desire to perform challenging and engaging assignments that also help them grow as professionals.
Motivated experts perform better and, as a result, create more value to their employers.
So, having modern digital tools can give an organization clear competitive advantage.
But how can you start analyzing how modern your organization is?
How well your digital tools environment is optimized to give your employees a full benefit?
Ask yourself the following questions:
Very often (or even most of the time) digital tool environments are approached from the asset management perspective. Proper asset administration is naturally important for cost control, risk management and compliance purposes.
However, from a competitive advantage or a user performance viewpoint, modern and well-functioning tools that users love to use have a much bigger effect.
Proper tools boost the user’s performance to the next level and keep employees happy and motivated.
