In the IT world, workspace-as-a-service (WaaS) is used to describe a desktop virtualisation that is completely device-independent – allowing a business to provide their employees with company-related information, applications and data at any time from any location, using any device with an internet connection.
But this wasn’t always the case. In the past, companies were forced to acquire desktop or laptop computers designated for their employees to accomplish their work-related tasks. Whether purchased or rented, this exercise was at a huge cost to the business; only to be repeated in the next few years when hardware needed to be replaced.
The hardware was supplied either stock-standard from the factory with a pre-installed operating system and applications, or they went to a desktop deployment group (representing a physical environment) for configuration. Every system was created identically and then distributed to the employees that required them.
As computers became more affordable, many users preferred to use their own devices – making things a bit more complicated. The issue was that you now had a wide variety of dissimilar computing ecosystems that had little to no commonality or standards shared between them.
Workspace-as-a-Service solves the commonality issue and standardises your working environment. Users can use their own devices and have them tailored to their personal preferences, all while still having a safe and secure workspace to complete work-related tasks.
WaaS also offers a multitude of benefits to the employees and businesses that use these environments. Recently, the whole WFH (work from home) concept has skyrocketed to become a commonly-used term. Based on our research, it is obvious that there are different benefits for employers and employees; and both groups experience the new normal of remote working differently.
For employees, less time and money is spent on commuting to and from work every day, enabling them to have vastly increased flexibility and more time available for personal matters. This has proven to provide employees with greater job satisfaction, and consequently has increased employee retention where absenteeism is also lower.
Employees are also given more flexibility as they are no longer shackled to a stationary desktop computer. The mobility of devices like cell phones and laptops has resulted in a new type of workforce that is agile and adaptable; and able to work from wherever they want.
Notable benefits for companies include increased employee productivity and overall morale and job satisfaction, all while saving hugely on real estate costs. The cutting of a daily commute is also not only beneficial for employees, but employers too: chances are that employees will spend more time on work-related tasks due to non-existent travel time, meaning they can start work earlier and don’t have to rush home to avoid afternoon traffic.
The result? As well as having employees that are less stressed, remote workers have been found to be more open to saying yes to extra work as their typical day is so much more flexible. Not only do these employees have better mental health in general, but better physical health too; whether having more time for getting some exercise, eating a healthy lunch or seeing a doctor or specialist. Healthier employees means less time off too.
The conclusion: it has never been easier to have a remote capable workforce and still be productive. At Dotcloud, we take pride in being able to facilitate the WFH revolution for all our clients who have been taking advantage of this flexible and remote workspace for years already. Check out more detail on this service if you’re ready to make the jump and join the remote revolution.
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