Business Leaders Must Drive Better End-User Technology

“My end-user technology at work sucks.” This sentiment is echoed by many executives and employees alike across enterprise organizations. Frustrations stem from outdated tools, restrictive security measures, poor technology understanding, and a lack of holistic leadership commitment to improving the overall user experience. Here’s how business leaders can tackle these challenges and drive meaningful improvements in end-user technology:

1. Recognize the Problem

Business leaders often complain about poor end-user technology without fully understanding the root causes. It’s crucial to shift the mindset from merely implementing point solutions like VDI, collaboration tools, or device offerings to a more integrated strategy focused on delivering comprehensive end-user outcomes and experiences.

Key Action: Conduct an audit to understand how current technologies meet or fail to meet user needs. Involve end-users in this assessment to gain firsthand insights into their challenges and frustrations.

2. Move Beyond Low-Value Functions

Many IT departments are bogged down with maintaining outdated systems and are underfunded, leading to increasing tech debt while investment shifts to newer, more glamorous initiatives like AI. This approach often leaves IT far removed from end-users, fostering a culture of complaints and low morale.

Key Action: Prioritize investment in updating and modernizing core end-user systems. Allocate budgets to eliminate tech debt and improve foundational technologies that directly impact user productivity.

3. Shift to Holistic Strategies

End-user technology should not exist in silos. A disjointed approach leads to a fragmented user experience, cynicism, and poor morale. Business leaders must drive a comprehensive employee experience strategy that integrates end-user technology with broader business objectives.

Key Action: Develop a unified end-user technology strategy that includes input from various departments. Ensure this strategy aligns with overall business goals and user experience objectives.

4. Embrace Modern Productivity Solutions

Outdated on-premises software with cumbersome customizations hinders productivity. Modern productivity software, especially SaaS solutions, offers greater flexibility, security, and up-to-date features.

Key Action: Assess and transition to cloud-native productivity solutions that enable unique workstyles and enhance user capabilities. Regularly review and update software to keep pace with advancements.

5. Offer Diverse Access Options

Modern work environments require diverse access methods. Whether it’s mobile access, laptops, VDI, DaaS, or browsers, providing flexibility is key to meeting varied workstyles.

Key Action: Evaluate and expand the range of devices and access methods available to employees. Ensure these options are secure, easy to use, and support the diverse ways people work.

6. Integrate Physical and Digital Workspaces

The post-COVID work environment demands an integrated approach to physical and digital spaces. Meeting rooms and collaboration tools should reflect and enhance your company culture and operational needs.

Key Action: Align your physical office setup with digital experiences to create a cohesive work environment. Invest in modern meeting room technologies and collaboration tools that support both in-person and remote work.

7. Leverage Modern Workflows and AI

Innovative technologies like AI offer new ways to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. It’s essential to look beyond just adopting the latest tools and focus on how they can improve work processes and outcomes.

Key Action: Identify key workflows that can benefit from AI and automation. Implement AI-driven solutions that align with your business goals and improve user efficiency.

8. Demand Cost Transparency

Traditional IT models often obscure costs through depreciation and blended chargebacks. Moving to SaaS and flexible OpEx models provides more levers for business leaders to control spending based on value consumption.

Key Action: Transition to cost models that provide transparency and flexibility. Evaluate and adjust spending based on actual usage and value delivered to the business.

The Call to Action

The narrow definition of End User Compute (EUC) as merely a set of compute-related tools is outdated. To drive your business forward, it’s imperative to adopt a comprehensive employee experience strategy with well-defined outcomes and value propositions.

Key Action: Business leaders should ask, “What is our strategy to enhance the end-user experience and technology? How can we ensure our tools and systems help people work better?” Drive the IT agenda with a clear focus on delivering holistic user outcomes.

Empowered leadership and a forward-thinking approach are crucial to transforming end-user technology from a source of frustration to a driver of business success.