The COVID-19 pandemic has forever reshaped the way we work. At the onset of the pandemic, companies were forced to rapidly transition to working from home. A year and a half later, it appears remote working won’t be fading away anytime soon. One found that 87% of professionals hope to continue working from home, even after the pandemic is over.

As a result, the pandemic has also impacted talent recruitment and retention. Employers are having a difficult time attracting and retaining high-quality employees and a are coming to the conclusion that a of work is the most effective solution. With this model, employees can decide whether they want to work from home or work in the office.

However, once enterprises decide to utilize a hybrid work model, the next problem is ensuring users have the technology they need to be successful.

Keep reading to learn three reasons why investing in cutting-edge, modern technology will successfully guide your business forward in the new era of remote working.

1. Improves Employee Experience

Having up-to-date technology, like modern desktops and laptops, empowers the remote workforce to be productive day in and day out by making work easier and more enjoyable. Giving your team the right tools will allow them to reach their full potential by accessing resources and staying connected to their team members, whether they are working remotely or working in an office.

Additionally, having the right tools boosts employee retention. When you make a great first impression on new hires by offering the latest and greatest technology, their productivity is strong right away. This also strengthens the company culture and improves employee morale. When it comes down to it, offering a positive employee experience starts with providing team members the tools they need to do their work technology is a huge part of that.

2. Modern Technology Ensures Business Continuity

When you invest in , you get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your employees in the office and remote aren’t being bogged down by slow and bothersome systems. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about little things like hardware or software incompatibility and inconsistent internet connectivity.

Having modern technologies allows every employee to access internal resources and applications. If you’re worried about unauthorized logins or if an employee accidentally downloads a virus, invest in modern PC lifecycle management platforms (MPCLM) that enable IT to manage machines remotely. You’ll be able to ensure your remote workforce and in-office employees are always working productively when you invest in new desktops and laptops alongside modern IT tools to keep your business connected.

3. It Allows Your Remote Workforce To Innovate

Modern technologies offer a variety of benefits, but the most important by far is innovation.

By ensuring your remote workforce has the tools they need to succeed, you empower your team to reach their full potential at work every day. Through these modern technologies, you enable your team to have real-time connectivity and collaboration, which allows your team to brainstorm, test and implement new ideas faster than ever before.

This, in turn, speeds product development and reduces time to market, which offers your enterprise a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Additionally, it helps your team find and focus on high-value activities, further boosting engagement and output. Empowering remote employees is the key to success when growing your company and allowing them to have the technology to guide them is absolutely essential.

Dell’s Technology Solutions Can Help You Find Success

It boils down to this: Choosing which desktop and laptop devices will power your operations is the most important decision you can make for your remote workforce. With Dell’s wide range of models and excellent specifications you can’t pick incorrectly. Partnering with an organization like WEI can also help with this decision and build a program that helps empower your remote employees.

Are You Ready To Transform Your Remote Workforce?

is committed to helping enterprises transform the way they do business. To support this, innovation is at the forefront of all their solutions, enabling you to transform your infrastructure and accelerate the innovation you need to stay competitive. If you’re ready to make the change now, contact WEI to begin building a custom solution for your business. We have expertise across all Dell systems and can help architect a custom solution to achieve your desired business outcomes.

NEXT STEPS: this executive brief to learn the TOP FIVE factors for driving digital innovation in your enterprise.

The post Three Ways Modern Technology Supports Your Remote Workforce appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

Someday, the daily struggle and uncertainty of the pandemic will only be a memory. However, the way we do business has been forever altered and remote workforces are likely here to stay.

In early 2020, companies were forced to rapidly transition to working from home. More than a year later, as vaccines roll out and the virus subsides, it appears as though the remote work trend won’t be going away any time soon. In fact, one found that 87% of professionals hope they can continue working from home.

Although the want teams to return to the office, employers are increasingly coming to the realization that they might have a hard time attracting and retaining top talent if they don’t allow their teams to work remotely. For this reason, the majority of employers are moving forward with plans to continue with a remote workforce or implement a , where some folks work from the office and others work from home.

To support hybrid or remote workforces, companies need to invest in powerful laptops that enable employees to do their best work, regardless of their location. Utilizing laptops is one way to be sure your users have the tools they need to be successful.

Here are five reasons the right technology will help your organization get to the next level and thrive in the new era of distributed work.

1. Boosting the employee experience

With the right tools in place, you’re equipping your team with what they need to reach their full potential. Instead of struggling to access resources or stay connected to the team, employees that are given Dell laptops are empowered to work productively day in and day out, using up-to-date technology that makes work easier and more enjoyable.

Utilizing new technology can also help your enterprise make a great first impression with new hires, which increases productivity and engagement while strengthening company culture. This, in turn, boosts retention.

2. Facilitating meaningful connections

A found that 45% of workers missed the social interactions they had with their coworkers after being forced to transition to remote work.

Although technology can’t completely replace face-to-face interactions, it can help remote workforces stay connected to their teams. New cloud-based project management tools and real-time chat platforms are allowing users to work collaboratively from home. And when coworkers need to talk through something in more depth, they can hop on a video call in a few clicks and “see” each other for a little face time.

That said, these new communication tools and platforms need hardware they can run efficiently on. There are few things more frustrating for employees than having to fight against their technology during video calls or missing important messages due to computer malfunctions.

With the right tools, your remote workforce can collaborate together on an increasing number of projects and form meaningful connections with each other, which makes work more social once again, just in a different way.

3. Keeping operations humming along

When you invest in modern technology, you enable your remote workforce to work with purpose and accomplish more. On top of that, you won’t have to worry as much about things such as incompatibility, slow-loading machines and a wonky internet connection that moves at a snail’s pace.

Worried that your employees will invariably download viruses and malware, misconfigure their devices and otherwise misuse their machines? Don’t be. You can also invest in modern PC lifecycle management platforms (MPCLM) that enable IT to manage machines remotely.

4. Future-proofing your tech infrastructure

By embracing the power of modern devices and tools that enable IT to easily manage them over the internet, organizations are able to future-proof their technology stance. When new solutions emerge, IT administrators can roll them out to the machines of all users automatically, empowering companies to always ensure they’re providing their employees with the best tools for the job.

Thanks to MPCLM technology, IT can deliver bespoke digital solutions to employees rapidly, without having to endure lengthy procurement and provisioning processes on a continuous basis. At the same time, IT can also test laptops and desktops remotely to ensure they are operating at optimal capacity. They can also train employees to make sure they can use every tool productively.

5. Accelerating innovation

Each of these benefits adds up to the biggest one: innovation.

By ensuring that your employees have the tools they need to succeed, and that those tools evolve with the times, you empower your team to reach their full potential at work every day. Through real-time connectivity and collaboration, the hardware you rely on can enable your team to brainstorm, test and implement new ideas faster than ever before.

This, in turn, helps you bring new products to market faster, accelerating innovation and driving competitive advantage while working more diligently to delight your customers.

Utilize Dell Laptops For Your Hybrid Workforce

What it boils down to is this: Choosing which laptops and desktop devices will power your operations is one of the biggest decisions you can make.

With so much on the line, you really can’t afford to pick the wrong models. And this is precisely why it makes sense to join forces with a partner organization that can help you build the perfect solution for your business instead of doing it on your own.

come at variety of price points and offer different options for storage, operating systems, and features. Dell laptops can also be tailored to suit the needs of each user to match the work they will be doing.

Dell also offers a number of 2-in-1 models that function as both a laptop and tablet, offering increased flexibility for your users for meetings, presentations, note taking, and more.

Are Your Looking For A Partner To Support Your Remote Workforce?

is committed to helping enterprises transform the way they do business. To support this, innovation is at the forefront of all their solutions, enabling you to transform your infrastructure and accelerate the innovation you need to stay competitive. We have expertise across all Dell systems and can help architect a custom solution to achieve your desired business outcomes.

NEXT STEPS: Your business needs infrastructure that is flexible enough to support a hybrid workforce. Take a look at the TOP TEN reasons why enterprise IT leaders run their business on Dell VxRail in our paper below.

The post How Dell Can Support Your Remote Workforce appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

For many enterprises, devices have become the next step forward in offering employees the user experience they want. However, the implementation and administration of Mac, iPad, iPhone, and other Apple devices have created unique challenges for many IT organizations that were unfamiliar with the Apple provisioning model. As part of our commitment to helping enterprises start their Apple journey on the right foot, we’ve compiled the top 5 most frequently asked questions we receive about deploying Apple in the enterprise and our answers.

1. Are Apple Devices Secure Enough?

Security is often top of mind whenever new technology is being introduced at the enterprise, and for good reason. Thankfully, , with advanced security built into every product from the ground up.

From system security, to data security, to app security, Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure the use of Apple in the workplace does not pose a security risk.

Here are a few of the strategies and technologies utilized by Apple to ensure security:

• Secure startup processes
• Extensive system safeguards
• Strong passcode policies
• The Apple T2 Security Chip
• Runtime protection, sandboxing, and other tools used to ensure downloaded apps are only accessing data in pre-authorized ways

In fact, Apple is emerging as an industry leader when it comes to user data privacy and security and has taken a firm stance on data protection as a corporation. In case you missed it, you can watch 12-minute opening keynote presented at the most recent Computers Privacy Data Protection (CPDP) Conference.

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Misconceptions of Apple in the Enterprise

2. Is Implementation More Complex?

Once the decision has been made to begin offering an Apple as a Choice program to employees, the next step is to plan for implementation. To make the process of rolling out Apple in the enterprise as simple as possible, we can break down the process into four steps:

• Preparation – This phase includes planning for integration with your network and other key infrastructure, as well as setting up any other systems that are required for deployment.
• Set Up – In this step, enterprises define corporate policies for data management and security, as well as setting up your mobile device management (MDM) solution.
• Deployment – Once preparation and set up are complete, enterprises can begin deployment and distribution of Apple throughout the workforce.
• Management – The final step of the process is ongoing management and maintenance of devices, which is made easier through the selected MDM and by partnering with an Apple Authorized Reseller, like WEI.

To guide enterprises through the process of implementation, Apple has created a which goes into detail on each of the above steps.

3. How Do Apple Devices Compare When it Comes to Administration?

Ensuring your team is prepared for maintenance and provisioning is vital to successful implementation and administration. Working with an Apple Authorized Reseller like WEI is critical here. We can educate your team on best practices and build them right into your processes. Or you can offload a lot of the administration work to WEI’s team of Apple experts.

While there are third-party alternatives for managing software patches and updates, Apple does offer a cloud-based service called Software Update, which enables IT teams to apply security patches and operating system updates. The service also publishes patches and updates for frequently used applications such as Safari and iTunes for added efficiency. Mac is pointed to the service by default, which automatically notifies end users of any patches and updates they need to apply, and then prompts them to execute the downloads. Putting self-service in the hands of your users keeps them focused and productive and reduces IT support tickets. Which leads us to our next FAQ

4. Do Apple Devices Complicate the Help Desk?

When it comes to user support, it really is only as complex as you make it. Communication with employees and offering specific instructions to users that make it clear who they need to contact with questions goes a long way to simplifying the help desk experience for both IT and employees.

Another way of simplifying the user experience for those employees using Apple devices is to utilize self-service applications, which can act like an app store where IT can post software that has been tested, an additional browser, or a plugin for their email program, etc. Approved applications like these can be installed to machines automatically with a simple click. Users know the applications are safe to use, and IT does not need to be involved in the installation process.

Plus, there is a good chance an overwhelming majority of your employees have personal familiarity with from using Mac and iPad at home and doing almost everything else in their life with iPhone. Familiarity with Apple cannot be overlooked and your employees will appreciate using a tool they know and love for work.

5. Can WEI Help Enterprises Get Started?

Absolutely! We are experts in helping enterprises implement Apple, as well as providing ongoing maintenance and support. Our enterprise IT experts will work closely with your team to streamline the deployment of the new Apple technology. We can also show you all the tools available to ease the integration of new devices into your organization, and how to best use them to your advantage. We know the best practices based on our own experience and we’ve been partnering with Apple since 2012. We can help create efficiencies throughout the entire lifecycle: deployment, provisioning, and maintenance. Our customers consider WEI an extension of their team.

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How to create efficiencies when managing Apple devices for the enterprise

Ready to Start Offering Apple in YOUR Enterprise?

Offering Apple as a choice to your employees drives productivity, collaboration, and creativity throughout the enterprise. It’s true, and we wrote a whole blog post about it here! Many of our customers have already made the transition to a blended Windows and Apple environment that enables employees to enjoy how they use technology in their jobs. It’s really about providing your employees with the power of choice so they can be happier in their jobs and do their best work. and we can help you get started and answer any questions you have.

NEXT STEPS: We’re here to help you prepare for Apple in YOUR enterprise. Our eBook below is jam-packed with insights, best practices, and guides to help you prepare your team for Apple. Check out the eBook below and then reach out to our team with your questions. We’re here to offer guidance and support as much as possible as you develop your Apple device management strategy.

The post Top 5 FAQs About Apple and Mac In The Enterprise appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

One of the smartest things a company can do to support their employees is allow them to work from their own customizable devices. Enterprise mobility and flexibility are prized in the workplace, but it also entail a lot of extra work for IT to keep corporate data secure. Fortunately, provides smart ways to manage both corporate data and apps discreetly- seamlessly separating work data from personal data while keeping users informed on how their devices are being managed.

Apple’s unified management framework for enterprise mobility

Apple’s unified management framework for iOS supports both corporate-owned and user-owned, as well as personally-owned, devices. With it, IT can:

• Configure and update settings
• Deploy applications
• Monitor compliance
• Query devices
• Remotely wipe or lock devices

The framework is already built into iOS, allowing devices to be managed with a light touch as well as full control by third-party (MDM) solutions without degrading user experience or compromising employee privacy.

Managing corporate data

With iOS, IT doesn’t have to lock down employee devices. Key technologies control the flow of corporate data between apps and prevent any of it from slipping through the cracks to the user’s personal apps or cloud services.

Managed content

Managed content covers the installation, configuration, management, and removal of App Store and custom in-house apps, accounts, books, and domains.

• Managed Apps: These apps can be from the App Store or custom in-house apps, and are installed over the air using . Managed apps often contain sensitive information and provide more control than apps downloaded by the user. The MDM server can remove managed apps and their associated data on demand, or specify whether they should be removed when the MDM profile is removed. The MDM server can also prevent corporate data from getting backed up to iTunes and iCloud.
• Managed Accounts: MDM gets your users up and running quickly by setting up mail and other accounts automatically. Account payloads can also be pre-populated with a user’s name, email address, and certificate identities for authentication and signing.
• Managed Books: With MDM, books, ePub literature, and PDF documents can be automatically pushed to user devices, so employees always have what they need. When no longer needed, the materials can be removed remotely.
• Managed Domains: Downloads through the Safari browser are considered managed documents if they originate from a managed domain. MDM ensures that downloads from those domains comply with all managed document settings and are managed by default.

Managed distribution

Managed distribution lets IT use the MDM solution or Apple Configurator 2 to manage apps and books purchased from the Apple Business Manager. Users can be prompted when apps are ready to be installed on their device, or they can be silently pushed through without prompting.

Managed app configuration

With managed app configuration, MDM uses the native iOS management framework to configure apps during or after deployment. This allows users to start using them right away without requiring custom setup and demonstrates to IT that corporate data within the apps is being handled securely.

Managed data flow

MDM solutions provide specific features that enable corporate data to be managed at such a level that none of it leaks out to the user’s personal apps and .

• Managed Open In: Open In management keeps attachments or documents originating from managed sources from opening in unmanaged destinations, and vice versa
• Managed Extensions: App extensions give third-party developers a way to provide functionality to other apps, or even to key systems built into iOS like Notification Center, which enables new business workflows between apps

Managed security

When a device is managed, an MDM server can perform a variety of administrative tasks to ensure corporate data is kept secure without compromising enterprise mobility. This includes changing configuration settings automatically without user interaction, performing an iOS update on , locking or wiping a device remotely, or clearing the password lock so users can reset forgotten passwords.

With iOS 9.3 or later, your MDM solution can place a device in Lost Mode remotely. This locks the device and allows a message with a phone number displayed on the Lock screen. Supervised devices can also be located if they are lost or stolen because MDM remotely queries their location the last time they were online.

Contact WEI about corporate data management solutions today

Apple’s unified management framework in iOS gives your enterprise the best of both worlds. IT is able to configure, manage, and secure devices, as well as control corporate data, while users enjoy enterprise mobility on the devices they love to use. Contact WEI today to learn how we can help your design a custom corporate data management solution.

The post Tips for Managing Corporate Data on Apple iOS appeared first on IT Solutions Provider - IT Consulting - Technology Solutions.

As businesses begin to realize the many benefits of mobility, both in terms of the increased productivity and the improved employee satisfaction that it delivers, the interest in enterprise mobility management (EMM) to organize and secure those efforts increases as well. The road to EMM implementation isn’t an easy one though, as enterprises often face a road fraught with serious complication that can overwhelm or undermine their EMM initiatives, and mobility efforts in general.

This blog looks at some of the pitfalls that organizations most often face when implementing an EMM solution, as well as some steps that they can take to mitigate those problems.

Mistake #1 – The Lack of a Clear Vision and Strategy

Have a clear idea of your objectives for EMM implementation from the earliest stages. Are there definable KPIs that you can establish to help you determine the success of your EMM program? Your EMM strategy should address core topics, such as:

• Email data sharing controls
• The separation between work and personal information on BYOD devices
• The power of your IT team to remotely wipe company data
• Questions around connectivity and file sharing security

While forming your EMM strategy, it may be helpful for your IT department to see the rest of your company as clients who are trying to serve in the same way they would an external customer. This mindset can help IT better measure end-user satisfaction and provides a sense of urgency and focus to EMM implementation and maintenance.

Finally, IT should do a good job communicating the value of this strategy to stakeholders. According to the Global State of Enterprise Mobility report, low stakeholder engagement undermined EMM deployment in 38.5% of the polled businesses. To convey the value of EMM, focus on tangible benefits like security and emphasize its strategic importance to future, mobile-first technology initiatives.

Mistake #2 – The Failure to Provide Holistic Security

Security is one of the leading reasons that organizations look to implement an EMM solution, but simply adopting an EMM platform doesn’t lead to tight security. Your EMM platform must be accompanied by up-to-date intelligence about the security challenges that your organization faces, a risk-based strategy to mitigate the most pressing threats, and vigilant maintenance of both your EMM platform and overall cybersecurity posture.

At the most basic level, this means supporting your EMM solution with an employee training program that covers mobile security best practices. Don’t overlook the basics of security in a rush to tackle the more technical aspects. A system for establishing and managing device passwords and lock-out mechanisms can provide a crucial line of defense when devices are lost or stolen, a common occurrence in medium-sized and larger enterprises. Other basics that shouldn’t be ignored involve how to identify and avoid suspicious content and best practices for safely using social media.

At a higher-level, security means paying close attention to mobile applications. According to a study from Adobe, while most companies (62% of those polled) see the value of maintaining an aggressive posture in terms of maintaining , more of them (66%) consider themselves on par or behind the curve in doing so. While EMM solutions can help automate certain aspects of application management, your IT staff must also be vigilant about choosing applications that meet the needs of your organization, and keeping those approved applications patched and updated to ensure that security holes are closed promptly.

Throughout the deployment, keep in mind that the biggest EMM security risk is your employees. A recent study conducted by the polled 18,590 endpoint security professionals who overwhelmingly pointed to “negligent or careless employees” as their chief security concern. By combining your EMM implementation with proactive education about the risks of increased mobility, you can help deliver true mobile security to your organization.

Mistake #3 – Not Responding to Shifts in the Technology Landscape

While EMM platforms are reaching new levels of maturity and can now provide high-granularity control of mobile devices, applications, and data, the goal of worry-free enterprise mobility is a moving target that must be followed closely to ensure long-term success.

This has several dimensions, the first of which is the shifting mobile security landscape. Just as new threats emerge to endanger traditional wired networks, new forms of cyberattacks target mobile networks and devices as well. Take the upsurge in mobile malware attacks that occurred in just the last twelve months as a recent example. The constant emergence of new security challenges will force your IT and security staff to aggressively monitor and adjust your EMM solution to meet new threats before they undermine the time and money you’ve invested in enterprise mobility.

Another important aspect to consider is changing regulatory and security frameworks, which may demand new forms of auditing or penetration testing to ensure compliance. Achieving compliance across several mobile platforms presents much greater complexity than doing so on a network of PCs. Building a complete database of devices that may contain regulated data and using software tools to regularly test your mobile devices can help make sure you don’t fall afoul of regulators.

WEI is Your Expert in Mobile Security

WEI is a trustworthy technology partner with a range of resources and services that will benefit both companies that are looking to launch a new enterprise mobility initiative or increase the scale or security of their existing program.

For more information about the current state of mobile security, and for insight into strategies you can use to mitigate the many cyber risks inherent in enterprise mobility, read our tech brief

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