Cloud and Hybrid Work Priorities for Business Leaders

When it comes to choosing a platform for cloud-based unified communications and collaboration (UCC), the research further shows that IT leaders prefer an approach that is inclusive of integrated chat, video, virtual events, security and other modules. ESG notes, “Whereas cost considerations have historically been at the very top of justifying IT investments, it’s clear that the focus of UCC is on operational efficiency and ensuring an optimal user experience.”

One of the roadblocks to addressing these challenges is complexity resulting from having to support multiple platforms and multi-vendor environments. More than 90% of organizations support more than one meeting and collaboration platform, with the chief concern being the need to meet service-level agreements (SLAs). As ESG points out, “The focus on SLAs further validates the criticality of meeting and collaboration platforms and raises the question as to if and when businesses will consolidate to fewer or a single platform.” 

When you examine the top 2022 hybrid work priorities for unified communications, it is clear that an integrated, end-to-end portfolio of cloud-based UCC services from NWN is uniquely positioned to enable IT teams to meet their most pressing challenges. Top hybrid work priorities for IT decision-makers and the advantages of working with NWN as your UCC provider ensures that your organization can rise to the challenge of this new phase of hybrid work.

Top 5 Hybrid Work Priorities

Looking at hybrid work through the lens of IT decision-makers, ESG’s research identified several critical opportunities in 2022 for UCC and end-user computing. Top priorities are:  

1. Simplifying IT management and improving operational efficiencies
   For the UCC platform, simplified IT management was the No. 1 priority of IT decision-makers, cited by 55% of survey respondents. Improving the IT organization’s operational efficiency was also the top priority for end-user computing, cited by 42% of respondents.

2. Delivering meaningful employee experiences with communication and collaboration solutions
   Delivering an optimal user experience was the next highest priority for the UCC platform, cited by 51% of IT decision-makers. For end-user computing, the second highest priority was “improving employee experience with communication and collaboration solutions,” cited by 32% of respondents.  

3. Providing end-to-end security
   For the UCC platform, 50% of respondents said improved security is a top priority. For end-user computing, 32% cited the ability to detect security incidences, vulnerabilities and areas of risk. In addition, 27% cited managing user expectations of secure access, device choice and application preferences, while 26% cited consolidating endpoint security tools.

4. Supporting users across multiple geographies, with a focus on improving employee productivity
   Improving employee productivity was cited by 48% of IT decision-makers for the UCC platform. Supporting desktop users in multiple geographic regions was cited by 27% for the end-user environment, with 26% identifying support for remote and hybrid work scenarios as a key priority. In addition, 26% of respondents said improved connectivity is key to end-user computing and another 26% cited “optimizing for employee productivity.”

5. Aligning technology with business practices to improve the employee experience 
   For the UCC platform, 47% of respondents said they are looking for a solution that is a “simplified match to business processes.” Perhaps surprisingly, only 31% of respondents deemed lowering costs critical, putting it below some of the other priorities. For end-user computing, reducing cost of ownership for end-user computing experience was cited by 27% of respondents, which placed it among the top five priorities. Also rated highly was accelerating toward a cloud operating model, cited by 26% of IT decision-makers. 

How to Achieve Your Hybrid Work Priorities 

Among all Unified Cloud Communication Solution Providers (CCSPs), NWN offers a best-in-class portfolio to help you meet the challenges of hybrid work because it is comprehensive and strategically designed as an integrated platform to unify all workers – on-site, remote, and hybrid – across your value chain.

Our UCC portfolio is comprised of Device-as-a-Service, Unified Communications, Contact Center, Security, Visual Collaboration & Workspace, Advanced Technology Solutions and a proprietary Experience Management Platform.

The entire platform enables IT teams to achieve their key 2022 hybrid work goals by:

• Improving IT operational efficiency with highly automated solutions that leverage intelligence to enhance visibility, control, support, analytics, reporting and administration.
• Enhancing employee experience with communication and collaboration solutions that are cloud-based, unified and supported by advanced networking, device management and device-as-a-service flexibility.
• Strengthening security with built-in, end-to-end integrated security protections that enable IT to design and implement a platform-based security architecture. This transforms the organization’s security posture from reactive to proactive, while improving detection of security incidences, vulnerabilities and areas of risk.
• Supporting desktop users in multiple geographic regions with unmatched flexibility in device choice as well as end-to-end advanced connectivity solutions—from the cloud to the network to the device—including next-generation visual collaboration tools that empower workers at home, in the office or remotely.
• Aligning technology with business practices using an industry-leading experience management platform that empowers organizations to maximize return on technology investment and centralize information into a single source of truth across integrated communication and collaboration technologies.

IT leaders have identified their top hybrid work priorities for 2022 in the business-critical areas of unified cloud communications and end-user computing environment. NWN provides the portfolio of cloud communications services IT organizations need to deliver on these demands. 

Learn more about our Unified Communications & Collaboration Practice