The way we work is changing. In a spirit of innovation and transformation, companies are throwing out the old rule book about how work is supposed to get done and trusting their employees to make their own choices. It makes sense: why hire the smartest, most talented people you can find if you’re just going to stuff them into a one-size-fits-all work experience? When they’re able to do things their own way, employees become more productive, engaged, and creative — and the business wins. If that change hasn’t reached your organization yet, it should… and you can help make it happen.

If you’re in IT, why would you want to push for more workplace flexibility? Security and management are challenging enough as it is; wouldn’t allowing more device types, network connections, work locations, and so on just make it that much harder? Not necessarily. In fact, flexibility and simplicity can go hand-in-hand.

In reality, employees are already embracing greater flexibility whether IT likes it or not, using their own devices and consumer services, along with public networks, whenever it suits their needs. Talk about management and security headaches! You can’t hold back the tide, but you can bring it under control. Instead of letting shadow IT wreak havoc throughout your environment, Citrix Workspace, a digital workspace, lets you offer flexibility people crave through your own, IT-sanctioned flexible workplace initiative — with an experience that’s even better for them, and easier for you to manage and secure.

Better for employees — more simple, secure, and successful for IT

You can’t have a great IT experience without a great user experience. After all, no IT initiative can succeed if it fails adoption. You may be familiar with the term “The Great IT Choke,” referring to the average 17 percent productivity loss caused by stalled usage. By giving employees the flexible, people-centric experience they need to become more engaged and productive, you can earn valuable buy-in to make everything you do more effective.

With Citrix Workspace, people in any location can use any device on any network without having to resort to shadow IT. And now, instead of juggling an ad hoc mix of IT and consumer services, they can use a single, simple-to-use interface to access all the apps and data they need. Their network connection is optimized in real time for the best possible experience, and secure access policies are applied automatically in the background, freeing people from annoying technical details. From the employee’s perspective, everything just works — smoothly, seamlessly, and satisfyingly.

Here’s what this means for IT.

  • Simpler, more effective rollouts. A centralized approach to IT lets you implement new software in a fraction of the time it used to take, from business and industry apps to full-fledged OS migrations. People can provision their own software as easily as they’d download an app, and put it to work more quickly and easily to drive value for your business.
  • Fewer helpdesk calls. With Citrix Workspace, a simple and intuitive experience reduces the number of things people might need help with. Networking and security configurations are handled invisibly on the back end. The interface always looks the same, no matter which device people are using. All types of apps are presented side-by-side as they would be in a consumer app store. People may still need help now and then, but not nearly as often.
  • Better security. A single, complete solution to manage and secure apps, data, and devices makes it easier for you to protect sensitive information and comply with privacy mandates. Single-sign on helps combat poor password habits, strengthening security. Contextual access policies let you manage risk with precision and consistency in every scenario while allowing a transparent security experience for users. Just as importantly, the people-centric experience you provide makes users much less likely to resort to shadow IT, helping to close gaps and reduce your attack surface.

The movement to workplace flexibility is already well underway and gaining momentum across the industry — this is one change that won’t be rolled back. By taking the lead and acting as a change agent for your organization, you can make sure that this flexibility is delivered correctly, with the great experience employees demand, and the simplicity and security IT needs.

Want to learn more about enabling a flexible workplace with Citrix Workspace? You can begin with our white paper on best practices to make device management simple and secure.