How enterprises must prepare for the tech generation

enterprises prepare tech generationWith fall in full swing, HR departments are being flooded with resumes from new graduates looking to enter the workforce. But this year’s crop of new talent has some key differences from those in years past. They are widely considered to be the first class of Generation Z, the successor of Millennials, to enter the workforce. This generation is even more digitally savvy. In fact, they have never lived in a world without the internet, meaning not only are they comfortable with technology, they expect it at every turn.

In order for companies to attract top talent, they must invest in office technologies that deliver an intuitive, easy-to-use, all-in one experience for these new employees. While implementing the latest offerings is important, businesses must also select technology solutions that allow them to retain control over their content and stay compliant.

Understanding their views

This year’s graduates are truly ingrained in the digital era. Most have few memories of life without tech – they received cell phones, or even smart phones, at a young age and are using the internet almost constantly.

As technology has been a constant part of their lives, this generation expects the same level of simplicity in the corporate environment. As such, the class of 2017 prefers to experience the workplace in the same way that they experience their social channels: log in once, seamlessly navigate from one platform to the next, and close out at the click of a button. To make this a reality and attract top talent, enterprises must invest in solutions that make this a reality.

The evolving workplace culture and how tech can help

The views of this new generation, coupled with the general movement toward remote working and “work/life merge” versus “work/life balance,” have produced a shifting workplace culture. As business technology evolves, the good news is that rip and replace of legacy systems is not required.

An easy, cost-efficient and effective way that businesses can achieve this evolution is by implementing digital workspace technologies, which deliver a single-pane-of-glass experience that allows employees to access all necessary information from any device, at any time. Some digital workspace technologies deliver a customizable interface, allowing employees to create a workspace that fits their exact needs.

The importance of security

Despite the need to fit into this new on-the-go, anytime, anywhere workplace culture, businesses – especially those in highly regulated industries – must also ensure that no matter where or when it’s accessed, data is secure and compliant. As the desire for increased workplace flexibility has grown, so have the number of regulations that companies must comply with, making data security increasingly complex.

Additionally, employees are using more and more applications on a daily basis – ranging from 10-50 in a day – as well as more devices, with some employees using up to three in a day. As the nature of work changes, enterprise technology must also evolve to offer adequate protections.

Ensure content stays protected no matter where it goes

With work no longer confined to the office building, content and security must travel alongside employees. Between the needs of the remote workforce, to multi-person review cycles that generate numerous versions of the same file, a single document can travel across a variety of locations, devices and business units in a matter of minutes.

This can result in various security issues, including inadequate redaction, which allows unauthorized parties access to sensitive data and even violation of location-based regulations. Employees cannot – and should not – be responsible for ensuring that these protocols are met. Instead, companies must evaluate technologies that are able to mitigate this risk by enveloping sensitive documents in a policy wrapper that travels with the file, no matter where it goes, ensuring the appropriate permissions and restrictions are in place at all times to help companies remain compliant.

Evaluate your infrastructure

To deliver the flexible, mobile experience that the class of 2017 expects, companies are operating on top of complex infrastructures, creating a complicated web of apps, programs, software and servers both on-premises and in the cloud. IT teams are tasked with keeping track of security and permissions for each employee across these webs, making it easy for pieces to fall through the cracks, especially as numerous devices and working remotely become the norm. By creating a single profile that extends across platforms and servers, processes are streamlined, allowing IT to manage rules from one location.

Be flexible and scalable when it comes to storage

As a generation that grew up with technology automating tasks for them, the class of 2017 will expect a workplace where menial tasks – like determining where a document needs to be stored in order to be secure – will be done automatically. But as more and more information is generated from various devices and locations, businesses must not only understand what information they have access to, but also where that information is and will be stored to ensure security. For this to happen, companies must take a closer look at their current repositories and determine the best mix of software to enable automatic storage without sacrificing flexibility or security.

Reevaluate device policies

The average person owns between four and five internet-connected devices and expects to be able to work from all of them. This is especially true for members of the class of 2017, who are used to switching from laptop to smart phone to tablet without missing a beat. To deliver this flexibility to employees, companies must reevaluate their BYOD and CYOD policies, which have long been tricky to navigate.

Getting employees up and running on corporate devices can require HR and IT departments to perform complex onboarding routines that cost thousands of dollars and countless hours creating permissions, securing devices and ensuring compliance across platforms for each employee. With a single-pane-of-glass experience, however, the onboarding process is streamlined. HR and IT teams can create a single profile for an employee that can be accessed across devices, cutting down on both the time and cost of hiring a new employee and allowing for more flexible device policies.

The newest crop of young talent is already shaking up the workplace, demanding a digital-first environment that allows them to switch from checking their social channels to conducting work without missing a beat. To attract talent, businesses must meet this expectation head-on, delivering a seamless environment without sacrificing security or compliance.

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