We are currently living through history in the making with the global spread of COVID and the effects it is having on our lives. One such change taking place is the work from home (WFH) new norm, and no one knows and is catering for this change better than Killer Cloud and Microsoft.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us have been forced to work from home to avoid contracting and spreading the virus. This is only a temporary measure for some. Yet, with the realisation that many businesses can still operate as a business, as usual, WFM could become a permanent move for many.
After all, there are several benefits for WFM, such as:
• Reduced time spent commuting to work
• Less traffic due to fewer cars commuting
• Saving money on commuting
• Better well-being by not being stuck in said traffic every day
• Saving money on commuting
• Less pollution from cars thus better for the environment
• Better for a business profit as they cut down commercial office space
• More productive as time spent commuting can be spent working
• More quality family time instead of commuting
Of course, there are some cons as well for WFM, but not going to focus on that. Instead, in this article, we will discuss how to make WFH business as usual through utilising Microsoft Office 365 and Managed Desktop service.
Suppose you are wondering whether to shift your organisation to WFH. In that case, I can assure you it can still be business as usual with the right technology in place. Doing so will ensure you and your team can stay safe and healthy while still working during these uncertain times.
Microsoft 365
Although new, Microsoft 365 has been around for years,m formally called Office 365. In short, Microsoft 365 is their primary productivity suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excell, etc.) delivered to you in the cloud. As such, all your documents are stored in the cloud. What this means is, no more saving work to your computer at risk of losing or an on-premise database. Instead, all your work is stored safely in the cloud which you can access from anywhere, e.g. home, as long as you have an internet connection.
Subscriptions for Microsoft 365 start from $99 per year which presents excellent value considering you can pretty much run a business remotely with it.
Defining digital transformation
In today’s climate, as we become more mobile, we expect to be productive whenever and wherever. However, if we are to work remotely effectively, the ability to collaborate with colleagues and communicate with customers is essential. By doing so, you and your company gain a competitive edge by enabling their agility and ability to be productive no matter where they’re at. Just try not to work while you’re on a family holiday in the Whitsundays!
But it’s one thing fostering at work from anywhere environment, but giving your team a great employee experience while still ensuring the security of your environment, is something else entirely. And it’s here where Microsoft truly shines.
87% of technology decision-makers agree they need to value workplace experience, which in turn drives revenue and other business benefits – Microsoft
The Brilliance of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is workplace collaboration software. Think Slack, Google Meet, Zoom, or Box, but only better (IMO). Teams allow you to, well, create teams of people working on the same project.
Within the project, team members can communicate by text, phone call or video call, including conference calls. Amazingly, you can conference up to 300 people in a call. And every meeting is recorded and available to download after.
Teams members can also upload documents and media to the project. These can be added to subsections such as “logo design” or “content writing”, with assigned tasks to individual team members. Moreover, you can update the status of the progress of the tasks.
One of my favourite features is the ability to share screens. For example, say you needed to demonstrate or present something on your computer screen, you can share your screen with the other team members. Furthermore, you can gain, or allow, control of someone else’s screen. Yes, this can seem a little “hackerish”!
Microsoft Managed Desktop
The Microsoft Managed Desktop is the latest offering from MS. Here, they deliver you and your team a Microsoft computer with everything pre-built into the system – including the migration of all your business data. This means that you can hit the ground running with everything already set-up to work from home, or anywhere.
Your Microsoft Managed Desktop comes right out of the box with Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus already installed. Moreover, Windows Autopilot automatically configures settings, security, policies, and productivity tools. Brilliantly, your custom line-of-business applications are also included. And all this is delivered from the cloud.
I suspect this kind of next-level service will play a significant role in the future of work. It is the ultimate workplace computing experience. By combining Microsoft assets like cloud intelligence with their integrated software and services, while managing the IT side of things, MS has really hit the nail on the head here. They have simplified and streamlined the process of transitioning your business to the cloud Journey to MMD to enable you to work from anywhere.
Benefits of MS Managed Desktop include:
• Frees up time for the IT team to focus on the running of the business
• State-of-the-art productivity and collaboration tools through Microsoft 365
• In-person whiteboarding sessions
• Remote collaboration via Microsoft Teams
• Live co-authoring of meeting notes
• Avoid work stoppage of lost devices or system crashes since data is backed up to the cloud
• Device configuration
• Security monitoring and remediation
• App deployment
• Update management
• Analytics
• User IT support
In short, Microsoft Managed Desktop gives you the ultimate workplace computing experience.
If your business is looking to make the transition from on-promise to at-home as seamless as possible, or are interested in the Microsoft Managed Desktop service, reach out for information below.
