Are you working with the right device?

The way that we work has changed forever. According to a recent survey, more than 74% of organisations are planning to permanently shift to a more remote way of working, with 83% of employees stating that they would like to continue to work from home at least occasionally.

Charities have, so far, been able to make the switch to remote working on an ad hoc basis. But building sustainable remote operations for the future will require a greater degree of planning and investment.

As charity leaders look at prospective remote working systems and solutions, it’s important to make the right investments that benefit your employees and volunteers and improve their productivity - whether they are sat at a desk in the office, at their home, in town centers gathering donations or interacting with service users or external partners. Hardware that works seamlessly with your existing systems and can be remotely managed is crucial for the success of your organisation, and your ability to enhance productivity and collaboration.

Does a device really matter?

Have a think about the device you are using right now and ask yourself the following questions:

1. How old is it?

Old devices tend to run slower. They also take longer to complete simple tasks and may not be able to run certain modern applications. Older devices are also an increased risk factor when it comes to security issues.

2. Does it hold you up in your daily tasks?

A device that runs slow, or takes a while to do things, can cause frustrations and impact your productivity.

3. Is it lightweight and portable?

Being able to quickly and easily move around with your device is key. This is truer than ever as we are all so active in our roles right now.

One minute we’re at our makeshift home office, the next in the actual office, then perhaps visiting a beneficiary or out soliciting donations from members of the public. We need to be able to use a device that isn’t big or heavy and can be packed up and then booted up again easily.

4. How secure do you feel it is?

What security does your device have set up? Can you quickly login with bio-secure identifiers such as face recognition, or other secure methods which speed the process up?

5. Do you feel proud of the device or does it just let you do your work?

Research shows that when an employee has a great device they are more likely to feel valued, take care of the device, and be more likely to stay with the organisation – helping with staff retention levels.

In fact, 80% of people recently surveyed by Microsoft agreed that a Surface device helps to position their organisation as a top employer3.

Those are just a few areas to think about, but there are so many other features to consider when looking at new devices, such as making sure that the device offers the following:

• Lightweight and portable
• Consistently connected for data and report uploads as well as communication
• Durable for use when on client or partner sites
• Pen capable for relevant sign-offs
• Quick device setup with site inspection software and productivity apps
• Can be managed by IT remotely
• Easy to provision and de-provision
• Predictable and easily scalable payments