There was a time
when traditional workspaces simplified the ways we worked. But as mobile devices,
BYOD, and new cloud architectures have become more prevalent, IT is experiencing
greater complexity, organizations are opening themselves up to security risks,
and employees are wanting better mobile experiences.
These facts are
placing organizations at a crossroads. Do you continue on with the traditional
workspace you’ve been using—because of the clear advantages it brings to IT?
Or, do you make the investment in a new secure digital workspace—where the
benefits apply not only to IT, but also to your wide base of users that are
increasingly working outside the confines of a traditional office?
There are
advantages for every organization in both options, but in recent years, a new
dynamic has become a key consideration on whether or not to make the switch:
attracting and retaining talent. In fact, in a recent study, 66 percent of
executives reported that a virtual workspace culture and a flexible work
mentality allows them to attract and retain superior talent.
While that stat is
eye-opening in itself, it might not be enough to get you to make a decision—so
let’s look at how these workspaces compare in three key areas.
Experience and Choice
With traditional
workspaces, users are limited to working with devices that IT is able to
support. And because of the different apps and networks they’re accessing,
users have to manage multiple passwords, which impacts productivity and creates
ongoing support calls.
Regarding
applications, the experience for users is different depending on the devices or
connections they are using, potentially resulting in configuration,
connectivity and resolution issues among other things.
With a secure
digital workspace, users can start work on one device and seamlessly continue
working in the same app on another device. Single sign-on (SSO) provides a
continuous experience so users don’t have to remember multiple passwords as
they move between mobile, virtual, SaaS, and web apps. For IT, an integrated IT
platform streamlines app, data, and device management and decreases hardware
costs—because everything is managed with a single console.
Security
In a traditional
workspace, security controls are inconsistent, siloed and fragmented. Data
encryption is primarily focused on the device, which can leave gaps and
vulnerabilities.
In a secure
digital workspace, the security policies are holistic and extend across the
various platforms you are using. Security is enforced at the app, device,
network, and user level to provide maximum protection across the organization.
Productivity
In a traditional
workspace, the perimeter is established so that the users work primarily inside
its walls. That means employees are mostly tethered to the office and limited
mainly to native apps. With this type of setup, collaboration is still done mostly
“old-school” with email being the primary tool for work communication and
interaction.
In a secure
digital workspace, work is done wherever and whenever it needs to be done
because the security surrounds the user—wherever they go and whatever device
they might be using. In addition, employees can access any app and get a
consistent experience on any connection.
