Digital Workplace: what it is, solutions and benefits

The evolution to a digital workplace had been a long time coming, but the global health crisis accelerated the change considerably. As companies all over the world shifted from a traditional setting to working entirely from home or blending home and office work in a hybrid solution, it became clear that even after the height of the pandemic was behind us, the workplace would never be the same again.

What is a digital workplace?

A digital workplace is an environment that uses technology to improve communication among employees and enables smoother collaboration and sharing of information, simplifying access to data and keeping everyone on the same page whether they are working from home or commuting to work every day.

It is important to note that a well-designed digital workplace does not put technology first, but rather uses technology to put people first, launching your team into a new era and helping you achieve your business goals.

Digital workplace: components and features

No two digital workplaces are the same. A digital workplace is first and foremost a set of tools to enhance your work experience, and just as different jobs need different sets of physical tools, your digital workplace needs to adapt to your particular company culture and to the specific tasks at hand.

A good digital workplace should be a synergy of hardware and software that ensures all processes are intuitive, accessible from the widest possible range of devices, safe and free of security issues, open to input from all employees, and geared towards the smoothest possible exchange of information.

Designing a digital workplace is not limited to ensuring everyone has a device: it is about maximising the potential of tools such as cloud storage, conferencing software and even artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a productive, collaborative work environment. 

The benefits of a digital workplace

The digital transformation of the workplace has also changed its physical design, and the positive effects are evident: remote and hybrid working have reduced the need for office space and shifted investments from traditional infrastructure and hardware to cloud services and digital communication platforms, thereby reducing costs and freeing up significant portions of your budget.

But the benefits do not end there: an appropriate use of technology in the workplace can increase productivity by making it easier to exchange and update information, promoting creativity and innovation, and allowing a more centralised control of all relevant hardware and software.

Keeping up to date with the latest technology can also make your company more attractive to fresh, new talent: the generation that is now entering the workplace has come to expect technology as a constant presence rather than an exciting novelty and will find a digital workplace comfortable and conducive to a better quality of life.

Finally, a digital workplace can improve your customer experience as well as that of your employees: whether you are offering new services to established clients or attracting new ones, integrating innovative technology into your workplace can give you an edge you have never had before.

How to create a digital workplace

Creating a digital workplace may begin with a sufficient number of devices, but it does not end there. Ensuring that everyone on your team has a fair and equal opportunity to take part in your new, collaborative environment and does not suffer from the digital divide is important, but it is not the be-all and end-all of transitioning to a digital workplace.

A functioning digital workplace is a place where people not only have access to the latest devices, but are also educated on how to use them safely and efficiently and how they can benefit from the right technology for the job.

If you are thinking of designing or upgrading your own digital workplace, you should ask yourself what digital technologies and tools your employees need the most and how you can provide them in a cost-efficient way. Ask questions, compare solutions, and come up with the combination of hardware and software that best suits your individual needs. Do your employees work in person, from home, or both? Are they more likely to need desktop computers or mobile devices? How can technology improve the specific tasks they have to accomplish, and what apps or suites are now the industry standard for your field?

Once you have answered these basic questions, it is time to look at your budget, and whether it is more convenient to field the costs of owning the technology or to turn to a rental model.

Acer DaaS: a digital workplace solution

DaaS, or Device as a Service, is a long-term computer rental model that is not limited to the hardware alone, but includes the costs of additional features such as accessories, software, maintenance, and even disposal in a predictable monthly fee.

Designing a digital workplace from scratch, or even upgrading an existing one, can be an overwhelming task, particularly when it is associated with the not insignificant costs and responsibilities of owning the technology outright and maintaining it when needed. However, a rental model such as DaaS can reduce some of those costs and shift some of the responsibility away from the employer and the IT department.

Acer DaaS offers a well-rounded hardware and software package that grants access to the technology you need for your digital workplace while paying for it in convenient monthly instalments rather than upfront. It also comes with updates and help desk services, and is flexible enough to adapt to the rapid changes in your industry.

With the helpful features of Acer DaaS, the workload of your IT employees shifts from solving the day-to-day issues that can occur in a digital workplace to providing solutions that can help you reach your goals, and you are free to modify your contract if your original package is no longer a good fit for your needs.

Whether you are taking your first steps towards making the shift to a digital workplace or you are considering revamping your current technology, DaaS may be the ideal solution for you.