The workforce of tomorrow: How to prepare for the future

We’ve seen a tidal shift from traditional working patterns, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. And what has been most compelling is the evidence that businesses can operate at the same, or even more productive levels, with flexibility on workforce location.  

A lot of success has been seen for those companies who have adopted agile technology to seamlessly shift their working practices. However, many businesses are facing the stark reality that the systems they have in place are unable to respond at pace to remote usage and overall continuity. VPN technology is only set up to be able to withstand around 10 to 20% of employee activity, which is no match for the current corporate environment, which is also shaping up to be the future of work.  

As the Government begins to reopen the economy, many employees are resistant to return to the office, signalling a longer-term transition to remote working for many UK businesses. One such technology, that will prove a heavyweight for the workforce of tomorrow, is Edge Computing. 

Edge Computing sits within a distributed computing framework, one that brings enterprise applications closer to the ‘edge’ of where data is produced and consumed. Businesses that deploy Edge Computing architecture are subsequently able to save on bandwidth costs while the processing and storage of data is executed with greater speed allowing for better functionality across real-time applications.  

Security is even more crucial during this transition period and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is up for the task, creating an especially effective remote desktop experience. It also has the advantage of reducing the bandwidth used by the entire business and allows applications to operate within the more secure and reliable limits of the business network. This feeds back into Edge Computing, where a break is created allowing users to log into the ‘edge’, giving companies the reassurance that their ecosystem is safeguarded, regardless of how many updates are installed by workers, wherever they are based. The security and efficiency gains for all teams cannot be underestimated when using a VDI, as the location of workers is no longer an issue. ‘Remote working’ will soon become an extinct term.  

Edge Computing combined with VDI can significantly reduce an organisation’s over reliance on the internet for network connectivity. This includes both hybrid and multicloud environments. Since the shift from office to remote working, the internet has garnered some bad press, highlighting that it is a finite resource. By adopting these technologies, both resilience and reliability is vastly improved to move businesses away from their heavy reliance on the internet alone. 

Centralised, distributed edge capability will be a transformational asset in the move towards the future of work. Unified by a network interconnection platform, the edge will mean all distributed clouds can be adjusted when needed, at any one place or time by those with secure access. No matter the size and scale of your business, remote or office-based, this strategy will offer more intelligent models of connectivity and business flexibility now and beyond. 

Workplace culture has, within a matter of months, changed course for good and this evolution calls for a more sophisticated approach. Edge Computing adoption will be part and parcel for companies who are looking to upscale their efficiency. The implementation of an Edge Network Interconnected Platform (ENIP) will provide companies with the tools to construct their edge from the inside out and greater agility to adapt to internal needs while ensuring a robust security infrastructure. The time to take a promising stride into the future workplace, is now.