10 March 2015 – Intuitive technologies are all around us, helping ease the burden of our workloads by giving greater flexibility on how and where we work. These tools are more predictive, personal and helpful, offering a new type of experience, one where we control technology rather than letting it control us.
With a growing appetite for flexible working amongst the UK workforce, many organisations are moving to mobile working cultures. To truly empower people with the opportunity to work from anywhere, and at any time, on any device, technology is integral to the experience, and needs to be easy-to-use, manage and secure. That’s why so many UK organisations are turning to Microsoft devices and services, such as Windows Phone and Office 365, to help transform their business.
Recent data from Canalys showing Microsoft’s position at number two in the B2B market suggests that the wider business landscape agrees this is the future of work. Its figures reveal that Windows and Windows Phones are increasingly proving to be the platform of choice in the UK enterprise market, with market growth from 21% in 2014 to 26% in 2015. Microsoft has also emerged as a top choice for small and medium businesses – with growth rates in the B2B medium business space up from 24% to 28% in the past year.
Forward thinking organisations such as Shropshire and Nottinghamshire Councils are part of this wider trend which have determined Microsoft as the best choice for their organisations. As part of a process of IT transformation which included a device switch to Lumia mobiles and Surface Pro 3s as well as turning to the cloud via Microsoft Azure and OneDrive, Shropshire Council recently realised significant cost savings of £500,000. Its ICT manager, Barry Wilkinson, has also been able to improve the productivity of Shropshire Council’s workforce, encouraging people to work flexibly, with the option to complete their work from wherever makes sense to them. In his words: “I just want people to work how they want, where they want, and the Windows platform itself allows that single level. It doesn’t matter what device you’re looking at.”
Similarly, Nottinghamshire County Council introduced Windows mobile devices in its social care division just over a year ago. Providing the Council’s social workers with Windows tablets resulted in improved reporting and access to information during home visits, which was unavailable previously. As a result, the Council saw a 16% improvement in productivity as well as a 20% decrease in travel costs and time. In turn, this has reduced a previously lengthy reporting procedure and that time has been reinvested into care for children and families.
Shropshire and Nottinghamshire Councils are just a couple of examples of UK organisations that are prioritising and investing in secure flexible working, whilst West Sussex County Council and Natural Resources Wales have also followed suit. Ultimately, these Microsoft customers are leading the way by experimenting with new ways of working, enabling their businesses to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. Similar forward-thinking organisations that want to give their business a boost should consider how they can achieve real change through the power of the Microsoft cloud running on Windows devices.
