BLUEPRINT FOR A

BORDERLESS WORKPLACE:
Empowering Users in the
Anytime, Anywhere Workforce

IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 INTRODUCTION

6 THE WORKPLACE TODAY

8 UNDERSTANDING USERS

10 CREATING THE BORDERLESS WORKPLACE

16 CHANGE MANAGEMENT: THE MOST DIFFICULT PROCESS

19 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CIOs are faced with the challenge of creating new opportunities and
enhancing collaboration while monitoring emerging threats and managing
and deploying adaptable technology. At the same time, they have to
accommodate five generations in the workforce and all the different
work habits they bring with them. The CIO must take on a new role of
enabler rather than enforcer—a change manager who takes proactive steps
to both empower employees and exploit IT.

Mobility and on-demand access to data and services are dissolving the
four walls of the enterprise. Connected endpoints, location technology
and leading-edge visualization technology are blurring the lines between
the virtual and the physical.

 Enterprise technology is going the way of consumer technology, with an

application-based interface on a mobile operating system that works on a
desktop computer as well as a smartphone or any other connected device.

The mobile workspace puts technology in the hands of users when and
how they need it. By combining the power of analytics with the ubiquity of
mobile, organizations can serve up rich data on demand, with contextual
understanding, based on user preferences and behaviors. To optimize the
environment requires an understanding of a day in the life of the end-user.

 Unified endpoint management can provide secure access to enterprise data

and systems no matter what device or who owns it. A mobile management
system can collect and collate intelligence that can improve both
understanding and efficiency about the way people work and what they
need to work better.

 Mobility is already redefining operating and engagement models for

organizations and consumers, and it can help shift the design of enterprise
systems to focus on the experience of the end-user. These changes are
fundamentally transforming the relationship between employee and employer.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 3

 INTRODUCTION

The workplace as we know it is undergoing Unified device management can help provide
a seismic shift. Mobility and on-demand secure access to enterprise data and systems
access to data and services are dissolving no matter what device or who owns it. A
the four walls of the enterprise. Connected mobile management system can collect and
endpoints, location technology and leading- collate intelligence that can improve both
edge visualization technology are blurring the understanding and efficiency about the way
lines between the virtual and the physical. people work and what they need to work
The potential for cognitive and analytics better. We are moving to an app-based world.
capabilities to augment the amount of insight, Enterprise technology is going the way of
knowledge and automation of repetitive tasks consumer technology, with an application-
will transform the way we work. based interface on a mobile operating system
that works on a desktop computer as well as
What does this mean for the end-user? Most a smartphone or any other connected device.
of us just want to be able to use whichever
device we choose and have it work the way For users, the mobile workspace should feel
we expect, whether it’s a blood pressure as familiar and intuitive as hitting the home
monitor connected to a hospital system, a button on a smartphone. But creating a
mobile application for a conference call or seamless user experience requires a strategic
an engineering workstation to simulate multi- refresh in the way devices are provisioned and
dimensional rocket dynamics. the way data is accessed and secured to attain
the greatest cost savings, develop the best
Creating and maintaining that technological productivity tools for the anywhere, anytime
agility—and keeping it secure—is a challenge workspace, and help the business achieve
for CIOs. If end-users don’t like what their strategic goals.
organizations’ IT department has to offer, they
will go out and find what they need, putting “This is an exciting time in our business as
enterprise data and intellectual property IT continues to evolve. We have entered
at risk. New tools and technologies allow an era of the unified workspace—a virtual
employees to work where they want, when space with applications, services and
they want, but simply giving employees a information on demand from any device,”
choice is not enough. Without a transition says Carol Zichi, strategy and portfolio executive,
plan and a coherent implementation strategy Digital Workplace Services, IBM. However,
that includes change management disciplines, this convergence of end-user computing
device migration and support limbo can cause activities is outpacing the capabilities of an IT
a flood of downtime and complaints. At the management framework designed for an era
same time, most IT departments face pressure of desktop computing. “CIOs need to move
to cut budgets. to a modern IT infrastructure,” she adds. At

4 | BLUEPRINT FOR A BORDERLESS WORKPLACE: EMPOWERING USERS IN THE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORKFORCE
the core of this will be analytics, automation
and cognitive. “CIOs must transform IT by
bringing in innovation that establishes a
secure infrastructure, leading to business
transformation,” says Zichi. “This is not a
simple convergence. Change management
disciplines must be embraced.”
“This is not a simple convergence.
Last year, Forbes Insights and IBM
published “The Digital Workplace in the
Change management disciplines
Cognitive Era,”1 a study of how cognitive must be embraced.”
support is transforming the helpdesk and
parsing vast amounts of information to CAROL ZICHI, STRATEGY AND PORTFOLIO
learn what people need to do their jobs EXECUTIVE, DIGITAL WORKPLACE SERVICES, IBM
more effectively. This paper will explore
what unified workspace management
means for the borderless workplace and
the role that virtualization, collaboration tools and unified device management can play in the
convergence. We’ll explain:

• How to transform the workplace into a secure, collaborative and productive environment.

• How to give users the technology they need to work anytime, anywhere by enabling and
refining devices, applications and services for an individual task or employee.

• How to create cost-efficient capabilities for a more effective digital workplace with all the
advantages of agility, team collaboration, tailored business applications and cognitive
capabilities.

1 “The Digital Workplace in the Cognitive Era,” Forbes Insights and IBM, 2016:
https://www.forbes.com/forbesinsights/ibm_mobility/index.html.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 5

 THE WORKPL ACE TODAY

“There is so much power in the hands of the end-user today,” says Zichi. “People carry incredible computing
power with them wherever they go—and they expect to be able to work wherever they go,” she adds.

As employees and consumers, we want to be able to do what we need to do, anywhere, anytime with tools that work
intuitively. Millennials in particular don’t understand why corporate technology doesn’t work the way their consumer devices
do. That sort of on-demand availability is causing pressure around security for data, network devices and applications. Add
that to the convergence of work and personal in our digital lives and it’s easy to see the challenge faced by CIOs in every
organization. “The workforce continues to challenge the idea of a traditional workplace,” says Zichi.

One of the biggest changes is that you don’t necessarily need to go to a preordained workplace to work anymore,
explains Henry Cipriano, senior client technical architect, Digital Workplace Services, IBM. Something as simple as
finalizing a report after an offsite meeting used to mean a trip back to the office. Now details can be entered remotely
or even automated in some cases.

The idea of a meeting no longer means everyone gathering together in the same room. “There is a belief that you
need to sit next to each other, but people want to work where they are,” explains Cipriano. And sometimes they
have to work where they are. Think of an engineer on an oil rig, a specialist in a hospital or a factory manager. In a global
marketplace, collaboration tools allow colleagues, partners, clients and suppliers to work where they are, even when they
are needed on the other side of the world. At the same time, tools that allow simultaneous editing and real-time sharing
of visual aids can accommodate an “agile scrum” approach to a lot of knowledge work, with an iterative process that
encourages teamwork, self-organization, high accountability and as little overhead as possible.

IT models have not always kept up. The traditional corporate one-size-fits-all model worked well in a world of desktop
computers where everything was hooked together and people worked at their desk. “Now we have a spectrum of
devices and we’re getting much more focused on the ways that people choose to engage and do their work,”
explains Pat Bolton, IBM Distinguished Engineer
and chief technology officer for Digital Workplace
Services. “We see the new model of computing
as being very experience-centric.” Video chat,
for example, changed the way we as consumers
experience communication. Now, as employees, we
want to compose these types of experiences on our
devices, not from a corporate data center, but from
services and applications that are streamed. Many of
these applications use a back-end service that is not
available through the average corporate network. “We see the new model of computing
as being very experience-centric.”
“The way we all interact is becoming more
automated, more electronic and more mobile,”
PAT BOLTON, DISTINGUISHED ENGINEER AND
says Bolton. “Think about how you can use your
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER FOR DIGITAL
phone to bank or the ability to view results from a
medical test online. Mobility is a reality already, and WORKPLACE SERVICES, IBM
it is becoming a business differentiator,” she adds.

6 | BLUEPRINT FOR A BORDERLESS WORKPLACE: EMPOWERING USERS IN THE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORKFORCE
 BLURRING BOUNDARIES: CIOS BELIEVE INDUSTRY
CONVERGENCE IS THE BIGGEST TREND ON THE HORIZON

63% 56% 55%

Industry convergence Rising cyber risk The “anywhere” workplace
In “Redefining Connections: Insights from the Global C-suite Study—The CIO perspective,” the
overwhelming majority of CIOs—77%—say they are experiencing the disruptive influence of new
technologies. They believe mobile solutions, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) will have
the most significant effect on their organizations over the next three to five years, even though these
technologies have been available for a long time.
Source: IBM C-suite 2016 survey

TECH SPEC: THE TECHNOLOGIES CIOS EXPECT

TO REVOLUTIONIZE BUSINESS ARE L ARGELY IN PL AY

77% 66% 61%

Mobile solutions Cloud computing Internet of Things
and services

What’s disconcerting is the fact that only six out of 10 CIOs are reassessing their strategic direction in
light of the advances they expect. Many of the infrastructure decisions the IT department makes are no
longer purely technological; they’re core components of an organization’s business strategy—essential
elements in the scramble for market advantage.2
Technology is a big disruptor in all industries. Is your organization ready?
Source: IBM C-suite 2016 survey

2 Brown, Doug, Justin Chua, Nate Dyer, Eric Lesser and Jacqueline Woods. “New technology, new mindset: Strategic IT infrastructure to
compete in the digital economy.” IBM Institute for Business Value. September 2015. http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?
subtype=XB&infotype=PM&htmlfid=GBE03698USEN&attachment=GBE03698USEN.PDF&ce=ism1002&cmp=IBMSocial&ct=M164
02CW&cm=h&IIO=BSYS&csr=blog&cr=casyst&ccy=us&s_tact=M16402CW&s_pkg=ovxxxx.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 7

 UNDERSTANDING USERS

Workplace technology has one essential purpose: to

securely deliver the appropriate IT business capability
to the end-user on the best device, refined for the user’s
role in the enterprise. It sounds so simple and so logical,
but to truly provide the best device and create the right
capabilities would challenge the IT practices at most
organizations today.

Does every employee need a desktop computer and

a landline? Or is better access to data, well-designed
“To optimize the environment, you
applications and seamless security what they really need? have to understand a day in the life
Should all hardware be supplied by the organization or
of the end-user.”
does it make more sense to give users access to the
enterprise system through their own devices?
HENRY CIPRIANO, SENIOR CLIENT TECHNICAL
To optimize the environment, you have to understand a ARCHITECT, DIGITAL WORKPLACE SERVICES, IBM
day in the life of the end-user, says Cipriano at IBM. “Do
you really understand what they use, when they use it,
why they use it and have some level of contextual awareness about how they use it?” he asks. “If you can deliver the data
and the applications so users can do their job and be efficient on any device at any time, you will reduce your total cost per
user, increase productivity and provide a superb end-user experience.”

DIRT Y, DANGEROUS AND MOBILE

Smartphones and tablets may have freed many office on the crew’s arrival and progress can be sent automatically
workers from their desks, but not everyone works at an to affected customers while the dispatcher and customer
office. Wearable devices using geolocation, orientation, near- service personnel field calls about the outage.
field communications, voice interaction, picture, video and
fingerprint identification capabilities have increased safety and The crew can find colleagues, view the circuit and learn
efficiency in many dangerous and physical occupations. This about assets and outages as needed. They can utilize
technology can leverage specialized connected devices, such as cognitive capabilities to learn best practices or turn to
thermal cameras and RFID readers, and interact across multiple subject matter experts with questions. Other features
systems to support functions such as scheduling and dispatch, include preloaded data and voice dictation and weather
outage reporting, billing, mapping and asset management. The updates. If there is an injury on the job, an
technology can also support external traffic, weather and social SOS feature provides one-touch access to
media platforms. alert dispatch, emergency services and a
supervisor.
Take this day in the life of a utility repair crew, for example.
The crew downloads a schedule at the beginning of their As the crew finishes, a reminder prompts
workday on a mobile device. First appointment: Assess and them to add a note and a photo of
repair a utility pole hit by a car. The job description includes the completed work. This helps to
GPS directions to the site of the damaged pole. Updates close out jobs more quickly.3

3 Adapted from IBM Institute for Business Value analysis, “Mobilizing the utility workforce: How mobile technology
and analytics will transform work,” Feb. 2016.

8 | BLUEPRINT FOR A BORDERLESS WORKPLACE: EMPOWERING USERS IN THE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORKFORCE
SHADOW IT

The first step in understanding users, says Cipriano, is assessing the technology they already use. “When we go through that
assessment process with clients, we usually uncover a lot of shadow IT and applications that the IT department doesn’t
know about and doesn’t support,” he explains.

When users are given tools that don’t work, they will find their own solutions. At one firm, engineers were provided with a
virtual desktop that didn’t have the computing power they needed to do their work. Their solution? Reverting to the desktops
they were accustomed to using. “This company was doubling its costs because the IT department never thought to ask
these engineers, ‘Does this work?’ or check to see if they were actually using it,” says Cipriano.

End-users are particularly impatient when it comes to mobile technology.

A 2016 CCS INSIGHT SURVEY REVEALED A STAGGERING

of total spending on
74% mobility is happening
OUTSIDE IT departments
69% UP from
in 2015.4

One example that will sound familiar to many comes from the trading floor of a major financial institution where
employees relied on hulking desktop computers and an array of screens for decades. Traders lobbied the IT
department for tablet devices so they could move around the floor and take their data and applications with them.
The IT department refused to provide any hardware beyond the sanctioned thin-client desktop computers already
installed. So the floor managers did what so many other business line managers do and bought tablets for their team,
creating redundant costs for the firm and potential security problems.

End-user experience is ultimately where the IT pain points are, whether they originate with sanctioned IT or shadow IT, says
Cipriano. “If you can remove that pain, you will resolve most of your problems,” he says.

A user-based approach also changes the way success is measured. Traditionally, service-level agreement scores take
into account things like server availability and uptime, he explains, when what really matters is productivity. “If users
are able to do their job well, who cares about server availability?” he asks. New mobile app-based software can
track end-user experience and produce a score around a series of relevant metrics. A low score can help pinpoint
where problems and pain points are and begin to anticipate and mediate them over time. Such scoring also creates a
baseline to improve delivery year over year.

4 CCS Insight, “Decision-Maker Mobile Technology Survey, 2016,” http://www.ccsinsight.com/blog/it-buyer-survey-reveals-changes-in-mobility-

and-digital-workplace.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 9

 CREATING THE BORDERLESS WORKPL ACE

How can IT help to empower users to work independently and collaboratively wherever they are? How can
organizations tailor information platforms to each employee’s specific needs and dynamically reconfigure
workflows to get the right information (and only the right information) to the right people, at the right time, in
the right place?

One thing is clear: The answer will be mobile, and it lives in the cloud. Mobility is already redefining operating
and engagement models for organizations and consumers, and it can help shift the design of enterprise
systems to focus on the experience of the end-
user. Cloud services, whether public, private or
hybrid, mean data, systems and services can be
accessed anywhere there is connectivity. They can
also be monitored and controlled automatically to
increase security.

By combining the power of analytics with the

ubiquity of mobile, organizations have the
opportunity to serve up rich data on location, within
the proper context, based on user preferences
“Two years ago, mobile meant and behaviors.5 What’s more, mobility solutions
phones and tablets....Now, even will increasingly serve as a cognitive extension,
empowering employees and organizations to
desktop computers can be quickly acquire new skills, work more and better
managed with mobility tools.” together, and make better decisions.

“Two years ago, mobile meant phones and

GENE MORITA, GLOBAL OFFERING MANAGER,
tablets,” explains Gene Morita, global offering
DIGITAL WORKPLACE SERVICES, IBM manager, Digital Workplace Services, IBM. But
mobility isn’t only for mobile devices anymore.
Now, with the release of Windows 10 by Microsoft,
even desktop computers can be managed with mobility tools. In an app-based world, organizations can realize
the full transformational potential of mobility for the workplace and the enterprise.

The challenge will be to:

• Make it seamless
• Create and maintain the infrastructure and networks to deliver data, applications and connectivity
• Make it secure

5 IBM Institute for Business Value, “The Individual Enterprise: How mobility redefines business,” July, 2014.

10 | BLUEPRINT FOR A BORDERLESS WORKPLACE: EMPOWERING USERS IN THE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORKFORCE
THE COMPOSABLE WORKSPACE

Ideally, the mobile workplace puts technology in the hands of users when and how they need it. Pat Bolton
at IBM sees that as a matrix of users, applications and devices in a composable workspace. “You pick up your
device and compose your workspace around your role in the organization and what you need to accomplish,”
explains Bolton.

One way to understand the roles and needs of different users is to develop personas: What devices and access
does a salesperson need on the road versus a factory floor manager or an executive working from home?
This is the start to a process that can help refine device choices, select the most appropriate applications and
determine data access for different types of users. Organizing devices and workflows around personas also
helps build knowledge around how people work with their technology over time.

THE MOBILE RETAILER: WHO NEEDS A CASH REGISTER?

Some retailers are telling their customers to skip the queue. obsolete at brick-and-mortar retailers, but they are also
Instead, they are sending their sales staff out with mobile breaking down the teller desk at local bank branches. A
devices that can process payments with mobile credit card banker can sit down with a client, and with authentication
readers wherever and whenever they are ready. Near-field from the client’s cellphone, access the client’s information to
communications can turn on whichever printer is nearby to complete a transaction, apply for a loan, open an account,
create a paper receipt or invoice, if one is needed. If a customer offer advice or resolve a problem. Service organizations have
has a question or something is out of stock, the same handheld gotten the message: If we can’t do it ourselves, most of us
device can be used to tap inventory data or place an order. would prefer to speak to a human that has the tools to help us
on the spot rather than wait in line, fill out a form or navigate
These technologies are not only making the cash register the helpdesk.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 11

 CHOOSE YOUR “One of the profound changes now is that we
see the opportunity to have one kind of device
OWN DEVICE management that will span all devices regardless
of the platform.”

Everyone loves shopping with someone else’s money. With the Windows 10 migration, for example, CIOs
Most employees will appreciate being able to have a choice: to transition to enterprise mobility
choose their own devices rather than being handed a management or continue to manage with corporate
standard-issue desktop or mobile phone. images. “Many organizations are not aware that
enterprise mobility management is imageless,” says
Once an organization develops personas or archetypes Morita. “We could do away with imaging completely
around its users, it can set up a portal to offer a choice and move to a more automated provisioning and
of approved devices and help in choosing the right management system.”
one. Would a highly mobile user trade computing
power for a lighter-weight device? Some organizations In a recent survey, CCS Insight found that there will be
are beginning to ask: Do we need to provide hardware significant internal realignment within IT departments
to all our employees? For some occupations, it may with the Windows 10 migration. Eighty-three percent
make sense to give employees the ultimate in choice: of respondents said that desktop and mobility
a hardware allowance that lets them use their own operations in IT departments will converge into a
devices to access enterprise systems. single strategy team within the next three years; 44%
said this would happen within 12 months.6
“We are trying to make this very automated for users:
These are the types of devices for these types of With mobile device management, most users can
employees, here is how to use your own device for receive their phone, tablet, laptop or any other device
work-related tasks and here’s how to access what you directly from the manufacturer. As soon as the device is
need,” says Cipriano. The goal is to onboard users turned on, device enrollment begins, the designated
in an organized fashion and prevent helpdesk calls— security profile starts to apply and settings are
something that should please everyone. automatically customized for that user. Organizations
can configure the device, blocking unapproved
applications, games, movie streaming, peer-to-peer
DYNAMIC PROVISIONING clients or anything else they don’t want running on
enterprise systems. It is a one-step process.

Certain applications are mandatory at most

For the last few decades, IT staff would configure every
organizations, such as email, antivirus or security-
new computer with a corporate image: an operating
related applications. These applications are
system customized for each company and typically for
typically deployed to the user’s device at the time
each department or business unit. Only smartphones
of enrollment. If users require additional services
and tablets were eligible for dynamic provisioning.
or applications to perform their job, organizations
But now, with the evolution in operating systems and
can set up an enterprise app store that works much
innovations in mobile device management, almost any
like the consumer variety, bypassing, again, the
computer or device is eligible for dynamic provisioning
need to call the helpdesk or install the application.
over the air, bypassing the trip to the IT department.
Applications can be designed to work efficiently and
securely with the enterprise system, and updates
“Most IT departments have one system that
are pushed out automatically. Self-service features
manages PCs, one that manages Mac products,
traditionally reserved for phones, like remote locate,
and another that manages phones,” says Zichi.

6 CCS Insight, “Decision-Maker Mobile Technology Survey, 2016.”

12 | BLUEPRINT FOR A BORDERLESS WORKPLACE: EMPOWERING USERS IN THE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORKFORCE
lock and wipe, are now available for all platforms, email or applications. Administrators can restrict
including Windows and Macintosh, to provide a more the forwarding of attachments to external domains
consumer-like experience. or disable external drives. And if a device is ever
compromised, an enterprise wipe can be performed,
For the IT department, dynamic provisioning is much deleting all enterprise containers and leaving personal
more cost-effective than managing corporate images. files intact.
“Traditionally, IT would have to rebuild several
corporate images to accommodate an update,”
explains Morita. “That’s why image refreshes were UNIFIED DEVICE
usually done only twice a year.”
MANAGEMENT:

SECURING THE ANY TIME,

ANY WHERE WORKSPACE
Works out of the box
Users will always find a way to circumvent security. If
they want to work on a file at home, they will put it
on USB. If they use their personal device for work and
leave it at the coffee shop or drop it, files and data
could be lost or intellectual property and client data
could be put at risk. The key is to enable users, but
keep enterprise assets secure.
Dynamic provisioning
With enterprise mobility management tools, security
can be managed at a very granular level, says Morita.
Access can be controlled for individual users as well
as their location, regardless of which device they are
using or who owns it. For example, geofencing defines
a geographical area, like an office building, where
certain corporate resources may be accessible inside Secure access on any device
but not outside of the building. Device cameras may
be disabled in certain locations, say, in a research area
or a police station. Micro-segmentation can target
specific users, data or functions at whatever layer
needs to be secured. Unified endpoint management
makes it easier to push out patches and updates and
enforce good password practices as well. Containerization

If a device is lost, a locate-my-device feature can

help find it, lock it and, if it can’t be retrieved,
wipe it. Corporate resources can be containerized
and encrypted on any device, restricting users to a
secure browser and containerized apps when they
are accessing enterprise resources. That way, no Collaboration tools
other applications can interact with enterprise data,

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 13

 DEALING WITH LEGACY how to create a more personal experience for customers,
employees, suppliers and anyone else that interacts with
APPLICATIONS THROUGH the organization.
VIRTUALIZATION

The average firm has thousands of legacy applications,

many of which were never designed to run in a modern
environment. Converting them all is cost and time
prohibitive. “Most of the time, the people who know
the code are not even around anymore,” explains
Cipriano. As an immediate solution, applications can be
virtualized to run on a range of devices.

Longer term, it makes sense to optimize the environment.

“Cognitive capabilities can be added
Start with an assessment of what people are actually to troubleshoot common device
using. The average business unit or function uses only a problems, to time software updates
dozen or so applications, says Cipriano, not thousands.
Many of those can be further streamlined. For example,
and to minimize service desk calls with
why run multiple versions of popular software such as an intelligent self-help alternative.”
Excel or Adobe?
CARL SATTERFIELD, ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT,
A unified, cloud-based device management system opens DIGITAL WORKPLACE SERVICES, IBM
new possibilities to make legacy applications more useful
than they were designed to be. Middleware solutions can
find non-mobile-friendly applications and replicate key
“Large volumes of data are being collected, analyzed,
functionalities to run as virtual applications on any device.
and that data needs to be converted into insight and
“You can take slices of data from multiple applications
action in a highly automated manner,” he explains.
and make it run together in one application,” explains
Machine learning allows an organization to collect data
Cipriano. “Users can get what they need where they
and use it to improve the user experience and provide
need it instead of having to open multiple devices or
personalized services, says Satterfield. That data can be
multiple applications.”
used to optimize for cost, efficiency and overall resource
effectiveness.

THE BENEFITS OF UNIFIED For client-facing technology, organizations can run

DEVICE MANAGEMENT metrics in the background to see whether devices and

systems are working optimally, explains Satterfield.
“With the right data, cognitive capabilities can be
added to troubleshoot common device problems,
One of the greatest benefits of a unified enterprise
to time software updates and to minimize service
platform is the ability to capture data about how people
desk calls with an intelligent self-help alternative,”
work with their devices and use that data to help them work
says Satterfield. IBM’s Watson is already looking at how
better. Companies are starting to look at how they harness
people are using their devices, which applications work
data for two broad categories, explains Carl Satterfield,
most effectively and which devices in the workplace
enterprise architect, Digital Workplace Services, at IBM.
require the most maintenance.
First, how to optimize business operations, and second,

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 IN THE HOSPITAL WITH MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
Real-time locating systems (RTLS), near-field Some hospitals are beginning to test parking pla-
communications, voice interaction and advanced nners and way-finding apps to help patients, visitors
authentication capabilities are also changing the and staff use their mobile phones to navigate hospital
way hospital staff interact with patients and visitors. complexes—a particular problem for sprawling urban
and university hospitals that were built piecemeal.
Picture this: A surgeon walks into a patient’s room. RTLS location technology can also help keep track of
As soon as the doctor is in range, her cellphone equipment, whether it be wheelchairs or MRI machines.
communicates with the patient’s identity
bracelet and allows her to unlock the
patient’s medical file on a screen in the
room. Cognitive capabilities will allow the
doctor to give a vastly more informed
opinion about current research, available
treatments and expected outcomes
tailored to that patient’s condition. As
soon as the doctor leaves the room,
the connection is broken and the file is
saved and locked until an authorized
user calls it up again.

Whenever a nurse walks into the room,

the same technology can call up charts
and schedules as well as log all visits.
Vital signs, medications and any
notes can be entered and retained
automatically. More intuitive
record keeping can help minimize
medical error and improve
medical care now and in the
future. Detailed metadata from
all patient-caregiver interactions
and outcomes can be used
to minimize risks, improve
practices and comply with
insurers and regulators.

GPS and mobile app-

lications are also helping
administrators and visitors.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 15

 BUILDING AGILITY

A dynamic flow of user information can also start to Perhaps the greatest challenge to technical agility
build more flexibility into some of the more arbitrary— comes after a merger. In an always-on world, no
and expensive—elements of IT management. company can afford to spend years integrating
systems, says Henry Cipriano. In order to expedite
Organizations can start to modify on the fly, says Carol integration, you have to have a system in place that
Zichi. Most hardware is refreshed every two or three years, allows for ubiquitous access, with IT automation for
for example. But maybe some users need new devices seamless onboarding, and clearly defined personas,
sooner and others not as often. By analyzing device usage roles and profiles in place, explains Cipriano. “Also,
at a granular level, organizations can optimize expenses a detailed assessment of the environment you’re
associated with devices such as carrier plans, the devices seeking to integrate is essential for success and to
themselves and supporting applications. “The dynamics prevent the necessity of reworking your IT platform
of the information being captured today can be used to accommodate a merger,” he adds. That could cost
to help companies manage expenses and cut the total millions after the fact and have a severe impact on
cost of ownership per device,” says Zichi. “Integrating productivity, security and end-user experience.
automation, analytics and cognitive capabilities into
modern IT will be game-changing.“

CHANGE MANAGEMENT:
THE MOST DIFFICULT PROCESS
The mobile workplace has untethered people from their desks. At the same time, automation has freed many
occupations from repetitive and mundane tasks. New cyber-physical systems will change the way some tasks
are performed, from building security to autonomous vehicles. Cognitive technologies, likewise, will bring a
universe of knowledge and learning to certain occupations.

But for many organizations, technology is progressing faster than business models can keep up. These changes
are fundamentally transforming the relationship between employee and employer, bringing with it a cultural
and generational change that may unfold in unpredictable ways.

“The workplace today has five different generations, and everybody works with a different style,” says
Zichi. “This is an interesting time for CIOs. How are they going to keep employees productive, secure their
assets, and attract and retain new talent?” she asks. This is much larger than automating the back-end or
creating a personalized experience for customers. CIOs need to be looking at how to methodically implement
some of these changes and recognize that there is a major cultural shift underway. The productivity advantages
of such innovations as automatic provisioning and cognitive assistance will be lost if end-users continue to pick
up the phone and call an agent. Managing people’s expectations and initiating a process to shift behavior is
just as important as managing the technology.

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FROM ENFORCER TO INNOVATOR

The modern CIO is faced with the challenge of creating new opportunities and enhancing collaboration while
monitoring emerging threats and managing and deploying adaptable technology for both on-site and off-site
employees, says Zichi. Not all employees are created equal, and they all have different work habits. These
factors require the CIO to take on a new role of purveyor of change management, who takes proactive steps to
both empower employees and exploit IT.

How are modern CIOs embracing the role of innovator instead of the traditional role of enforcer? By
building agile cultures where rapid experimentation, informed by reliable intelligence, is the norm, she
explains.

CIOs are paying close attention to the employee experience and the customer experience to identify new
trends and isolate problems. The modern CIO is focusing less on reducing costs and more on stimulating
innovation to deliver capabilities that are mission critical for success. “That is true digital disruption,” says Zichi.

WORKSPACE-AS-A-SERVICE
With all the changes in the workplace—from the broader generational shifts to the more specific trends
toward unified endpoint management—some organizations are employing a workspace-as-a-service
model. Rather than purchase and provision new equipment, maintain assets, update software, staff a
support desk, and manage security and privacy, workspace-as-a-service means companies can provide
their employees with the business applications and data they need on the device that makes the most
sense while minimizing capital outlays. Workspace-as-a-service:

REDUCES COST STRUCTURE GIVES EMPLOYEES A CHOICE OF DEVICES

MANAGES SECURITY KEEPS APPLICATIONS UP TO DATE PROVIDES TRAINING AND SUPPORT

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 17

 CHECKLIST FOR THE
DIGITAL WORKPL ACE
• Assess your current capabilities for how you embrace mobile, cognitive,
security and analytics within the context of the borderless enterprise

• Evaluate users and how they get work done

• Evaluate client-facing products and services

• Develop a strategy to build the flexible, scalable workplace for the future

• Prioritize opportunities to apply new digital technologies

• 
Provide mobile devices: Mobility with new powerful devices
enables employees to work anywhere and bring their computing
capabilities with them where they are needed, when they are
needed.

• Deploy location technology: The market is rapidly changing for

location technology to allow enterprises to innovate and address
business operations with new capabilities.

• 
Explore the intersection of mobility and IoT: Leverage new
capabilities, such as IoT, and mobility to create innovative solutions
in your industry.

• 
Integrate cognitive capabilities: Emerging cognitive applications
will leverage machine learning to understand and personalize the
end-user experience within the enterprise. Cognitive applications
will be able to:

• Anticipate the end-user’s and organization’s needs

• Streamline the user interactions with enterprise systems
• Optimize processes and improve cost efficiencies

• Pick an area aligned to strategic goals and get started

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Forbes Insights and IBM would like to thank the following individuals for their time and expertise.

• Pat Bolton, Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technology Officer for Digital Workplace Services, IBM

• Henry Cipriano, Senior Client Technical Architect, Digital Workplace Services, IBM

• Gene Morita, Global Offering Manager, Digital Workplace Services, IBM

• Carl Satterfield, Enterprise Architect, Digital Workplace Services, IBM

• Carol Zichi, Strategy and Portfolio Executive, Digital Workplace Services, IBM

COPYRIGHT © 2017 FORBES INSIGHTS | 19

 ABOUT FORBES INSIGHTS

Forbes Insights is the strategic research and thought leadership practice of Forbes Media, a global
media, branding and technology company whose combined platforms reach nearly 94 million
business decision makers worldwide on a monthly basis. By leveraging proprietary databases of
senior-level executives in the Forbes community, Forbes Insights conducts research on a wide
range of topics to position brands as thought leaders and drive stakeholder engagement. Research
findings are delivered through a variety of digital, print and live executions, and amplified across
Forbes’ social and media platforms.

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