The Underserved Frontline Opportunity Sponsored by Connecting the Deskless Hybrid Devices XDR & MFA Headless E-learning VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 | Q1 2023 | rwsmagazine.com
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14 24 10 18 22 CONTENTS VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 | Q1 CYBER-SECURED 8 Factor it In Why multi-factor authentication is nonnegotiable in the work from home era By Nelson Cicchitto 10 The Extent of Detection Where your customers stand with XDR By Brady Hicks AT THE EDGE 14 An Evolution of DaaS Remote and hybrid operations must manage more than desktops By Bruce Christian EX & CX 18 Connecting the Deskless The underserved opportunity to connect with frontline workforces By Martin Vilaboy 22 Working Smarter Cloud telephony and AI improve contact center workflows By Grace Lau REMOTE CONTROL 24 Productivity and Privacy The delicate dance of employee monitoring technology By Bruce Christian 26 Losing Its Head E-learning platforms see improvements with tailored front-end interface By Bruce Christian ON-PREMISES 28 The Case for Audio Capture, Reduced Clutter Leading audio and video conferencing solutions deliver dramatic improvements to meeting setup and videoconferencing spaces 30 Hybrid Hardware Shows Up The latest devices designed for remote and hybrid workstyles By Martin Vilaboy 6 Editor’s Letter 34 Ad index 4 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
The war between employers who want workers to return to the office and the employees who want to maintain the flexibility and work-life balance of remote and hybrid working is just beginning to play out. The eventual winner in this showdown more likely will be determined by outside and macro-economic forces than by any particular battle won on either side. In the meantime, there appears to be an emerging equilibrium around remote work, said researchers at the Conference Board. Despite the buzz around RTO orders, surveys at the end of last year show just 4 percent of CEOs in the U.S. and Europe are looking to reduce remote work initiatives, while 5 percent are looking to expand them. A similar 5 percent of CEOs in the U.S. and only 2 percent in Europe list “returning workers to physical workplaces” as a human capital management priority in 2023. By last count, across a wide selection of surveys in the fourth quarter of last year, somewhere between a third and half or more of companies still embrace remote and hybrid work arrangements. (That compares to the 2 to 3 percent of companies that did the same pre-pandemic.) And those companies, research and data from the fourth quarter suggest, express little or no interest in abandoning their spending on solutions and technologies that enable remote and hybrid working. That’s pretty good news considering remote work tech has been a major emphasis for IT executives the past few years. Priorities have changed, of course. After the initial mad dash and massive dollars spent to keep suddenly out-of-office workers connected and collaborating, attention has turned to managing, optimizing and securing flexible workforce and workplace arrangements, as well as correcting some of the compromises that had to be made early on for the sake of basic business continuity. And since company workforces and their IT assets both directly impact virtually all parts of an operation, emerging interest in remote solutions now can be found up and down the technology stack. For a trusted technology advisor, this means expertise in dealing with the challenges of remote, hybrid and mobile working can offer a natural inroad to all manner of network, communications and managed IT solutions. It’s not hard to understand, after all, how an inevitably increasing number of remote and mobile employees, smart machines and IoT devices goes hand-in-hand with increasing demand for several ancillary solutions such as quality connectivity, security, edge computing, backhaul, storage, device and device management, remote monitoring, collaboration and human capital management, among others. The necessity of this solution ecosystem to optimizing flexible workforce strategies is likely why more than a third of businesses recently surveyed by 451 Research said having the technologies to effectively support remote work is a top challenge their organization will face in supporting a distributed workforce. Attack the Technology Stack with Remote Solutions 6 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Bruce Christian Senior Editor bruce@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks Contributing Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Rob Schubel Digital Manager rob@bekabusinessmedia.com Jennifer Vilaboy Production Manager jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com (480) 503-0770 Anthony Graffeo Publisher anthony@bekabusinessmedia.com (203) 304-8547 Michael Burns National Account Executive michael@bekabusinessmedia.com (262) 993-9116 Beka Business Media Berge Kaprelian President and CEO Corporate Headquarters 10115 E Bell Road, Suite 107 - #517 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Voice: 480.503.0770 Email: berge@bekabusinessmedia.com © 2023 Beka Business Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in any form or medium without express written permission of Beka Business Media is prohibited. RWS and the RWS logo are trademarks of Beka Business Media
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By Nelson Cicchitto Factor it In Why multi-factor authentication is non-negotiable in the work from home era Two trends have converged during the last few years to create a dire security situation for private companies, which makes multi-factor authentication (MFA) more important than ever. The first of these is the pandemic and the resulting spike in remote work. Regardless of your opinion about the mass adoption of work from home (WFH), employees are now routinely accessing sensitive company materials from unsecured access points far outside a given company’s network. The second of these trends is the recent surge in cybercrime. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, there has been a 300 percent increase in cyberattacks since the start of the pandemic. Bad actors are lurking around every corner and exploiting every unsecured access point they can find. MFA has a vital role to play in keeping companies safe, which is why MSPs should help relevant IT professionals implement it at their companies as soon as possible before the worst-case scenario transpires. MFA Defined Basically, MFA is password-plus. Password plus a series of personal questions such as, “What street did you grow up on?” or “What was the name of your childhood dog?”. Password plus a six-digit code sent to your cell phone or email address. Password plus a biometric indicator like a fingerprint or voiceprint. The logic is that a password is much easier to steal than one’s cell phone (which is likely password-protected itself) and that a cybercriminal isn’t liable to know the name of your childhood poodle. It’s an extra layer of protection (or extra layers of protection if you use three or more authentication methods) in a world where we need as many layers of protection as we can get. Millions of people already use MFA on a daily basis to access their banking information, sign in to social media or pay their electricity bill. And yet, despite the widespread adoption of MFA for consumer purWhat is your organization’s maturity with regards to visibility and control over identity security across on-premises and cloud systems? Source: Sapio Research, Keeper Security, 2022 Source: Forrester XDR rechnology is the top security priority for firms during the next 12 months Low maturity We leave it to employees to set their own passwords, and access is often shared “Which of the ollowing security operations tools or services is your organization currently evaluating/using?” Planning to implement in the next 12 months Interested, but no plans to implement Average maturity We provide guidance and best practices governing passwords and access management High maturity We o er a highly sophisticated framework to govern access to our system 30% 44% 26% 24 23% Extended detection and response (XDR) solutions Managed detection and response (MDR) solutions Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions Security orch stration, automation and response (SOAR) solutions Security information and event management (SIEM) solutions Intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) solutions User and entity behavior analysis (UEBA) solutions Vulnerability detection and response (VDR) solutions Managed security services provider (MSSP) solutions CYBER-SECURED 8 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
poses, private businesses have been remarkably slow on the uptake – to their extreme peril. The Case for MFA At any given time, the decisionmakers at a business have roughly a thousand priorities to work through. They may know abstractly that MFA is a good thing to implement, especially when a significant percentage of their workforce is operating outside of their own network on a daily basis – but that doesn’t mean they’re making it a top priority. This is why it’s incumbent on trusted advisors and IT professionals to aggressively make the case for MFA. The fact is that all of a company’s valuable work can be vaporized in an instant with a sufficiently destructive breach. At least one study suggests that most businesses that suffer a critical breach end up going out of business within six months. The stakes could not be higher. Implementing MFA Once you’ve managed to get the decision-makers on board, it’s time to implement MFA. The first step is to assess a company’s current use of MFA. Figure out precisely how many user accounts and apps are currently protected by it and determine whether or not the MFA efforts implemented to this point actually correspond with the security challenges of remote work. From there, you’re going to want to rank priorities. Resources are inevitably limited, and you’re not going to be able to implement MFA uniformly across the board, at least not at first. For instance, it may be decided that increasing coverage to all tier 1 apps is the top priority. Next, you’ll have to sort out your customer’s hardware needs. It helps if the employees have company phones that codes can be sent to, but it can be risky to rely on a single backup option (because what if their smartphone is lost or broken?). Specialized hardware such as a YubiKey are a great help. The YubiKey is a hardware authentication device that protects access to computers, networks and online services with support of one-time passwords, public-key cryptography, authentication and the Universal 2nd Factor and FIDO2 protocols. Post-implementation Of course, the process doesn’t simply end once you’ve implemented MFA for all or some of a customer’s accounts. Proper MFA implementation requires constant vigilance. For one thing, the MFA procedures must be codified into a company’s IT policies. Best-practices security training surrounding cyber threats and MFA must be offered to employees. And the technology project team must be organized to install new solutions if they find that the current MFA implementation is lacking. Finally, companies also need to make sure they’re constantly measuring the results of all their hard work. Run the numbers – see how many employees are using MFA each day and consider testing other MFA options if adoption isn’t high enough. And, of course, make sure to routinely seek out feedback from managers and users on security and the login process. The two trends mentioned at the start of this article – the surges in WFH and cybercrime – show no signs of slowing down; in fact, just the opposite. MFA, of course, isn’t the only solution to this new threat: any robust IT security plan will incorporate a variety of tactics. But it’s a non-negotiable part of the package. Neglect it, and you’re putting your customers at risk. J Nelson Cicchitto is president and CEO of Avatier Corporation, specialists in ‘Identity Anywhere’ solutions for enterprise systems, which he helped launch in 1995. Which of the following investments are you planning to make around cybersecurity during the next year? Employee security awareness training 54% Creating a culture of compliance 50% Password management 48% Greater control and visibility to help detect network-based threats 44% Infrastructure secure management 42% Password authentication 37% Establishing a stronger connection between access policy and access tools 35% Adopting to zero-trust and zero-knowledge approach 32% Privileged access management to secure remote access sessions 31% Source: Sapio Research, Keeper Security, 2022 Yubikey 5-Series Family 9 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
Modern organizations have to dabble in the cybersecurity space in innumerable ways, even when they don’t fully understand it. The integrity of an information network – and overall business health – relies on the ability to proactively scan for the newest and most aggressive threats, remediating them as quickly and efficiently as possible. In many cases, this calls for automation. One service that has emerged is XDR, or “extended detection and response.” XDR employs automated services to generate security processes, cut cost and improve protection. Due to its many capabilities, however, many find the concept confusing. XDR has its roots in endpoint detection and response. An extension of EDR, the technology focuses on improving one’s insight and analysis into threats. XDR addresses many different aspects of threat-detection and response, incorporating a slew of security software to do so. This includes SIEM (security information and event management), SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response) and NTA (network traffic analysis), all available as part of a centralized SaaS. XDR targets cyberattacks, unauthorized access and misuse by scanning across servers, networks, cloud storage, endpoints and email, helping to speed threat detection, perform more detailed investigations/analysis and present concise security data to streamline incident response. Forrester Consulting, as part of a study commissioned by VMware, suggests XDR has a way to go in terms of improving the buyer’s understanding. According to its data, 75 percent of security admins are still exploring XDR’s full capabilities, while about a third of non-users want evidence of its effectiveness before buying in. It gets worse. By Brady Hicks The Extent of Detection Where your customers stand with XDR CYBER-SECURED 10 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
Just less than half of those surveyed struggle to offer a clear, industry-wide definition for XDR. For those yet to adopt it, even their base-level understanding tends to come from conducting independent investigations or pouring through published research (64 percent), ISV data (56 percent) or information from other companies (51 percent). Purchase Intent Despite apprehension of the unknown, security decision-makers have been largely accepting of XDR technology, often seeing automation as a raft against drowning due to increasing – and growingly sophisticated – attacks. Many organizations seem willing to shed worry about how XDR works, recognizing that the concern has been outsourced to parties far more knowledgeable on the subject. According to other recent Forrester data, in this case commissioned by Secureworks, 30 percent of potential business customers view extended detection and response as a “top security priority” in 2023, with 60 percent planning to launch or increase their investment in it. There are other factors in play, such as cost. Per Forrester/VMware, businesses that use XDR generally find it has “real cost savings” through improved visibility and detection. Top benefits include blocking costly breaches (61 percent), securing evolving threats (58 percent) and cutting time-to-resolution (32 percent). It’s also valuable to consider the existing tools that businesses already have in their arsenal. Eighty-three percent of XDR adopters believe that its capabilities for automation and repeatability can complement or expand on existing implementations. Meanwhile, the Forrester/Secureworks report highlighted the concern of some non-users regarding this stack, with 38 percent questioning how XDR differs from other security options. Should they update their posture to include XDR when other packages “sound similar” and daily tasks “already take up so much … time”? Balancing these issues is a fear of what could otherwise go wrong. According to the Secureworks study, top worries included loss of money (28 percent) or reputation (26 percent), plus potentially not using XDR correctly due to its complexity (25 percent), thus opening up other issues. Still, there’s reason for optimism. XDR users largely told Forrester/ VMware that the service “lives up to the hype,” with 86 percent believing the market will grow alongside threats. Simultaneously, 73 percent of those who have yet to buy in still see it as “the way of the future.” “Which of the following technology benefits have you experienced as a result of your XDR adoption/would you experience if your organization were to adopt XDR? Source: Forrester Source: Forrester S S Are y u r quiring work monitoring software for remote workers? XDR rechnology is the top security priority for firms during the next 12 months Mo itoring software use by industry “Which of the following security operations tools or services is your organization currently evaluating/using?” Planning to implement in the next 12 months Interested, but no plans to implement 38% 11% 14% 14% 17% 16% 16% 17% 18% 19% 30% 28% 27% 27% 27% 26% 24% 23% Extended detection and response (XDR) solutions Managed detection and response (MDR) solutions Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions Security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) solutions Security information and event management (SIEM) solutions Intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) solutions User and entity behavior analysis (UEBA) solutions Vulnerability detection and response (VDR) solutions Managed security services provider (MSSP) solutions Provides exibility, scalability a d opportunites for automation Uni es security-relevant endpoint detections from security and business tools Optimization of threat detection in real time Improved visibility for security and IT teams Better, more contextualized t reat intelligence Increased security automation More consist nt s urity controls across cloud Optimization of response in real tim Optimization of investigation in real time Optimization of hunting in real time 60% 70% 67% 55% 64% 52% 59% 49% 57% 67% 57% 56% 42% 44% 40% 40% 36% 38% 20% 27% XDR users XDR non-users Advertising & Marketing Computer & IT “Which of the following technology benefits have you experienced as a result of your XDR adoption/would you experience if your organization were to adopt XDR? Source: Forrester Source: Sapio Research, Keeper Security, 2022 Source: F rrester XDR rechnology is the top security priority for firms during the next 12 months Low maturity We leave it to employees to set their own passwords, and access is often shared “Which of the following security operations tools or services is your organization currently evaluating/using?” Planning to implement in the next 12 months Interested, but no plans to implement Average maturity We provide guidance and best practices governing passwords and access management High maturity We o er a highly sophisticated framework to govern access to our system 30% 44% 26% 30 28% 27% 27% 27% 26% 24% 23% Extended detection and response (XDR) solutions Managed detection and response (MDR) solutions Endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions Security orchestration, automation and r sponse (SOAR) solutions Security information and event management (SIEM) solutions Intrusion detecti n/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) solutions User and entity behavior analysis (UEBA) solutions Vulnerability detec i and response (VDR) solutions Managed security services provider (MSSP) solutions Provides exibility, scalability and opportunites for automation Uni es security-relevant endpoint detections from security and business tools Optimization of threat detection in real time Improved visibility for security and IT teams Better, more contextualized threat intelligence Increased security automation More consistent security controls across cloud Optimization of response in real time Optimization of investigation in real time Optimization of hunting in real time 60% 70% 67% 55% 64% 52% 59% 49% 57% 67% 57% 56% 42% 44% 40% 40% 36% 38% 20% 27% XDR users XDR non-users 11 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
XDR Triggers Why exactly are customers buying in? For starters, users cite improving threat detection, incident response and visibility, especially in cases where potential risks exceed internal coverage options. Businesses must always remain poised with better, more adaptable security options, even if internal resources don’t allow for it. Those without a dedicated expert on staff might see XDR as beneficial because it requires minimal oversight. Scanning, flagging and resolution are automatically handled. In fact, Forrester/ Secureworks noted that speed of response workflow was a top driver for 35 percent of decision makers. Today’s climate calls for more endpoints than ever, with past data from Kaseya revealing that 50 percent of businesses with up to 5,000 staffers had technicians responsible for 100 to 500 devices each. This factor further underscores the importance of automation. While there’s always risk, implementing XDR can help reduce exposure without requiring timeintensive processes. This frees up employees’ schedules and helps to improve profitability. In fact, the Secureworks-commissioned study noted that 27 percent of organizations that adopt an XDR service witnessed a “greater employee experience.” Customers also are more likely to turn to XDR to limit risk exposure. With improved security comes better corporate and customer reputation. At least that’s what 36 percent of potential XDR buyers thought, when surveyed by Forrester and Secureworks. The customer shift toward XDR can be a long-term, cost-cutting one, according to one-third of anticipated buyers surveyed by Forrester and VMware. Of those, 75 percent listed ROI as a top benefit. Other triggers for implementing XDR services include: • Improving Threat Visibility – Regardless of level of hands-on involvement. Forrester/Secureworks contends that 58 percent of administrators saw XDR improving posture against security events, with 32 percent logging a drop off in mean time-to-resolution. • Increasing Adaptability – XDR can be applied to virtually any platform, whether native, hybrid or other. • Bolstering Detection Accuracy – This is a priority for 79 percent of non-XDR users, per Forrester and VMware. • Other Areas – Centered around scalability and consolidation of security tools. Even though expectations are generally pretty high, many find that XDR provides even more value than the potential buyer anticipated. With distinct benefits for threat investigation, prioritization and overall response, the technology is certainly worth a look. Of course, worries will always abound. Customers with a lack of security expertise – or facing issues related to security automation, controls and changes in the threat landscape – may want to employ XDR to tackle these obstacles. Today’s security landscape can be overwhelming. As modern attackers grow smarter – and their techniques more sophisticated – potential customers are scrambling to find the newest, most cost-effective and efficient ways to protect their assets. That’s why XDR has grown in popularity despite the constant mystery surrounding it. XDR shines in its ability to automate complex cybersecurity aspects. And in a world where as-aservice options are constantly growing, it seems only logical that XDR may supplant many other traditional MSSP services over time. J CYBER-SECURED Which of th following business benefits have you experienced as a result of your XDR adoption/would you expect to experience if your organization were to adopt XDR? Source: Forrester Increased ROI Stop more breaches Stay ahead of evolving threats Drive high- delity alerts Provide broader visibility into your environment Uplevel existing security talent Decreased mean time to resolution (MTTR) Shifts employeees from routine to more complex tasks O oad detection engineering e orts XDR users XDR non-users 75% 61% 58% 45% 44% 37% 32% 24% 21% 62% 53% 67% 44% 41% 40% 34% 30% 19% How has your call center benefitted from conversation intelligence? 98.8% strongly agr e or agree it has created more transparency in their contact center 97.7% strongly agree or agree it has enabled better agent c aching 92% strongly agree or agree it has helped improve agent performance programs 92.1% strongly agree or agree it has helped improve their ability to engage with customers 95.5% strongly agree or agree it has helped them assign agents to the right tasks 94.3% strongly agree or agree it has helped bring down overall operating costs 93.2% strongly agree or agree it has helped improve their products or services Strongly agree Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly Disagree 12 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
Just when you thought you were understanding all the as-a-service acronyms, now they are feeding upon each other. Consider “DaaS,” for example. In 2001, with the launch of RWS Magazine, we used those four letters to refer to “desktop as a service.” Today, in the alphabet soup that is overloading us all, DaaS often refers to “device as a service.” So, how do we know which is which? “The two are, in many cases, merging,” said Falk Sonnenschmidt, senior vice president of strategy at managed service provider Everphone. “Because virtual desktops can be used with almost all portable office hardware (from a Chromebook to a MacBook Pro), virtual desktops can now be part of the overall device-as-a-service offering.” Glad that’s been settled. For our purposes here, DaaS refers to device as a service, which includes all aspects of the device, its use from start to finish, cementing its importance in the remote/hybrid/distributed workplace. “In our world, that means we supply, update, repair, replace, refurbish and recycle mobile devices and laptops for enterprise customers,” Sonnenschmidt said, referring to his company. “We deploy the hardware and software, then we send it individually – rather than in bulk – to each employee, wherever they work. At any point, if an employee has an issue with a device or if the device gets damaged, we will either fix the error remotely or overnight ship them a ready-to-go device.” CAPEX v. OPEX According to Sonnenschmidt, enterprises struggle with taking a device back from an employee. “Once devices are bought in a normal selling model, they’re spread all across the organization; An Evolution of DaaS ON THE EDGE By Bruce Christian Remote and hybrid operations must manage more than desktops 14 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
given the amount of crossover between personal and professional devices within an organization, keeping track of company devices is a nearly impossible task for IT departments,” he said. “DaaS providers solve this problem because they’re a one-stop shop. They take care of pricing, security licenses and any attached costs that come with the devices (return, delivery, etc.).” Plus, devices rented by the company can be enabled for personal use, Sonnenschmidt continued. “Business data can be erased at any time – personal data remains untouched.” The way DaaS works is customers let the vendor know what device they are using, and the vendor makes a “buy back offer,” which means the vendor purchases the user’s existing equipment and then rents it back to them. “So, with their capital expenses converted to operating expenses, all the benefits of support and self-service are reaped on day one,” Sonnenschmidt explained. “Once a rollout plan is defined, we replace older devices automatically. The new device is delivered to the employee, and we handle all repairs and replacements during the lifecycle, refurbishing or recycling the devices when needed.” All this can translate into meaningful time savings for IT departments, as companies can save up to six hours of IT resources per device per year. Managing the fleet Of course, not all MSPs have DaaS capabilities, but they can partner with one that does. And by doing so, an MSP can gain the opportunity to offer mobile device management (MDM), an in-demand service that enterprises need to manage their growing fleet of remote and mobile devices. Indeed, remote, hybrid and distributed workforces have been a major driver toward DaaS adoption because it is so hard for companies to know who is using what device, to replace broken or lost devices and to ensure security updates are current, Sonnenschmidt said. “Devices can be tracked through software, but the amount of tracking that’s done should be reduced to the legal framework that you’re working with,” he cautioned. “Systems shouldn’t capture private photos or anything that’s a breach of privacy. A strong DaaS offering comes with an MDM system on top and can help with setting up a standard security system.” While one-stop shops do exist, most device-as-as-service offerings generally involve a conglomerate of providers including a distributor, an MSP and possibly a leasing company, Sonnenschmidt said. “However, multiple providers come with multiple contracts, resulting in a complex setup.” At the same time, DaaS generally comes at a higher price point because it entails a complete outsourcing of devices and covers all security aspects of those devices. And security, of course, is a major issue when it comes to the modern work from anywhere paradigm. So how can a partner provider be confident that using DaaS keeps their customer’s data safe? “For companies without a DaaS provider, they usually have discovery software running through their network,” Sonnenschmidt said. “There are three large providers in the market right now that can track what type of software is running on a device. These management tools are extended to IoT so all devices can be secure.” He added, “As a DaaS provider, we have a dedicated team for device security. We can install and manage MDM software that can restrict app access and downloads, remotely lock or wipe devices, enforce password policies, push software updates and protect against malware.” While insisting that doing the above is not a replacement for a company’s cybersecurity and compliance infrastructure, Sonnenschmidt called this “an extremely beneficial layer of protection, especially with the rise in data breaches.” That said, the MSP definitely has a role to play in keeping the organizations it serves secure. “Whether you’re an MSP looking to add DaaS to your offering or a company looking to bring on a DaaS partner directly, you should focus on finding a DaaS provider who prioritizes device security,” Sonnenschmidt warned. “I recommend [enterprises] look for an MSP that can either do everything together (from a security perspective) or that is extremely well-versed in the industry, so they’ve learned through experience and use cases. “Always ask the MSP about their process, how they implement security processes within DaaS, and what the customer share of securing and enabling mobile devices has typically been. Make sure they observe the most up-to-date security standards, including GDPR compliance,” he concluded. J DaaS Provider Checklist When shopping for device-as-a-service providers and partners, Falk Sonnenschmidt, senior vice president of strategy at managed service provider Everphone, advises MSPs and enterprises consider these questions: • Can I return rental devices whenever an employee leaves the company? • Do you offer unlimited replacements for broken devices? • Do you provide a REST-API with my ITSM (e.g., ServiceNow)? • Can we get an exact monthly price quote? • Do you offer a self-service portal for users or partners? • Do you have the capacity to deliver the number of devices I need in my desired timeframe? 15 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
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By Martin Vilaboy Connecting the Deskless The underserved opportunity to connect with frontline workforces Organizations that operate with large deskless workforces are suffering from a communications breakdown. Quite simply, they are in need of more robust and customized internal communications applications and services. According to surveys and research sponsored by Deckless, a research hub and community of organizational leaders responsible for deskless and frontline employees, internal communications with deskless workforces are “fractured” and inefficient – often unidirectional, unmonitored, outdated and incapable of facilitating current objectives. Indeed, at a time when employee experience and training are top-of-mind among C-suite residents, executives and managers of organizations with large deskless workforces find themselves operating with limited or non-existent feedback loops and often guessing whether or not messaging is being heard. And make no mistake; this is no small problem. More than 2.5 billion workers across the globe, in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, construction, retail, distribution, manufacturing and transportation do not sit behind a desk to do their jobs, show data from investment firm Emergence. Deskless workers make up nearly 80 percent of all employees, and often these employees serve in customer-facing roles. Yet these deskless, frontline workforces have largely been on the sidelines of digital transformation investments, witnessing significant investments in deskbound tools and technology while they continue to rely on clunky technology solutions or even manual or paper-based process to do their jobs. Too often, say researchers at Deckless, tools built for the office environment are “tweaked or reskinned, but the process remain deskbound by nature, purpose-built for workers in an office, at a desk, in front of a computer.” After COVID-19 lockdowns hit the world, digital transformations schedules accelerated, as IT departments quickly pushed new cloud, connectivity and communications technology to the desks of newly remote and hybrid workforce. Meanwhile, the story was very different for the two-billion-plus deskless and frontline employees across the globe. According to Emergence’s survey of deskless workers, 65 percent were provided no additional technology during the pandemic. This comes despite the fact that 75 percent of deskless workers report to spending most of their time using technology, and 70 percent believe access to new technology would help them do their jobs betCX & EX 18 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
ter. When deskless respondents were asked about the areas of their work lives that would benefit from technology, top responses included communications (96 percent), operations/logistics (93 percent), onboard/training (91 percent) and productivity boosts (90 percent). In terms of communications functions specifically, deskless workers face “a dangerous concoction of ad-hoc channels and indirect cascades” said the Deskless study. Information is coming to workers through a range of channels and sources, including peers, direct managers, head offices and automated sources. Often digital information is shared informally from managers to workers, or vice versa, and more often than not it’s through personal channels not sanctioned nor monitored by the company. More than three-quarters of frontline respondents said they check their phone at work, whether or not it’s allowed. The number one way that frontline managers and their deskless workforces receive digital company communications is through “text/calls on personal phone.” That method was second only to “in-person” interactions. Texts and calls on personal phones, along with email, also are top ways that managers and workers provide feedback to business leaders. Overall, information is more likely to be disseminated by physical binders and bulletin boards than by a company-provided communications app. Nearly one in five deskless workers sources their own communications app. Automated communications currently is reaching only about one in five deskless workers. “The reality is that frontline workers are filling the communications gap, at least to the frontline manager, by using their personal devices – because they are lacking a company-sponsored alternative,” warned the report. In other words, the bulk of information that deskless workers receive comes through systems that don’t allow for the standardization, optimization and tracking typically required for large-scale workforces, said Deskless researchers. In turn, managers are left wondering if messages are being received, while corporate leaders are left wondering if what’s bubbling up from managers is an accurate picture of what’s on the ground. “We try to email, but 60 percent of people don’t check it,” said a responding operations and logistics manager of a manufacturing company. “We run 24/7, but we don’t have time built in to do communication meetings. All meetings are voluntary and happen during breaks. To know people read and understand the things we post is very difficult.” Another manager described internal communications with deskless workforces as “sending information into the abyss.” As might be expected, what is being sent out isn’t happening very frequently. The only communications type regularly shared on a daily basis are mission-critical shift and scheduling updates, showed Deskless’ data. All other communications types were more commonly shared once a week or, in the case of recognition and cultural initiatives, once a month or less. There also may be an inordinate amount of faith being put into frontline managers to report back what’s actually happening on the ground. According to the data from Source: Forrester Shifts employeees from routine to more complex tasks O oad detection engineering e orts 24% 21% 30% 19% How has your call center benefitted from conversation intelligence? Source: Obser ve.AI 98.8% strongly agree or agree it has created more transparency in their contact center 97.7% strongly agree or agree it has enabled better agent coaching 92% strongly agree or agree it has helped improve agent performance programs 92.1% strongly agree or agree it has helped improve their ability to engage with customers 95.5% strongly agree or agree it has helped them assign agents to the right tasks 94.3% strongly agree or agree it has helped bring down overall operating costs 93.2% strongly agree or agree it has helped improve their products or services 97.7% strongly agree or agree it has helped them make strategic business decisions Strongly agree Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly Disagree Frequency of communications sent according to frontline workers and managers Source: Deskless; the Starr Conspiracy 13% 9% 11% 13% 12% 10% 12% 11% 21% 14% 12% 13% 17% 20% 21% 21% 21% 20% 20% 25% 19% 18% 12% 17% 14% 17% 4% 13% 13% 18% 22% 25% 22% 23% 22% 41% 19% 20% 21% 14% 20 12% 18% 20% 18% 10% 21% 21% 18% 17% 12% 12% 11% 10% 4% Recognition Cultural initiatives Safety/protocol updates Updates on sales initiatives or other contests HR News Updates on products or services Updates on sales or promotions Company updates Shift and sheduling updates Every day A few times a week About once a week A few times a month Once a month Less than once a month How Frontline Managers & Workers Receive Information In-person 67% Text/calls on personal phone 56% Email 54% Conversations with manager 46% Physical (binders, etc.) 32% Company-provided communications app 28% Company intranet 22% Social media 18% Independently sourced communications app 17% Surveys 16% None of the above 1% Source: Deskless; the Starr Conspiracy 19 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
Deskless, frontline workers largely rely on managers for receiving company communications. Certainly, direct communications between deskless workforces and frontline managers will always be important, but managers are being asked to decipher and disseminate what could be a cascade of in-person conversations, calls, text, emails and automated responses. Not surprisingly, as the primary contact between frontline employees and corporate leaders, frontline managers reported difficulty in finding enough time to surface feedback and source answers to questions and other necessary information. When they do have enough time, ill-suited or outdated communications, feedback, training and execution systems ae forcing them to shoulder a heavy load acting as the intermediary between corporate and staff, said Deskless researchers. “They’re trying to bubble up feedback and employee insights while also communicating crucial information back to their staff and implementing cultural, product and promotional initiatives – all while simply trying to stay afloat on a day-to-day basis,” the Deskless report exclaimed. As such, some disconnects between what workers say and what corporate leaders hear are to be expected, and when asked on a scale of 1 to 10 how effective their organization’s communication is, 65 percent of corporate leaders scored their communications an 8 or higher, while only 35 percent of workers did the same. A disconnect also was discovered when talking about investing in technology, showed the Deskless data. When asked whether they agreed with the statement, “I believe my organization invests in new technologies for frontline workers,” 73 percent of corporate respondents strongly or somewhat agree, while only 39 percent of frontline workers feel the same. In fact, managers have reported that low-tech analog solutions, such as whiteboards and binders, not only are still being used but are still being actively adopted and encouraged. Likewise, just 4 percent of corporate leaders say the availability of training and upskilling for frontline employees is inadequate, while about 30 percent of frontline employees see them as inadequate. The EX Breakdown Considering the large deskless workforces that frontline organizations employ, there’s a wealth of information that can be used to finetune messaging, improve task and campaign execution and even predict turnover, argued researchers at Deskless. “There’s also a massive opportunity to tap into the frontline perspective on the insights they’re communicating, which can lead to continuous improvement and improved business outcomes,” said the research firm. The largely “top-down” approach to communications, typically shoehorned from the desked world into deskless environments, along with the mostly unstructured feedback loops are limiting organizations’ abilities to tap into these resources or ensure that insights and feedback are finding their way to the right people. “Furthermore, there’s a concern among managers about the results of the feedback they share,” said the Deskless report. “The large, sweeping initiatives that are implemented and shared back down to frontlines feel misaligned against the original feedback or concerns, and managers feel like corporate is out of touch with the ‘day-to-day chaos’ of the frontline experience.” Nearly 40 percent of frontline respondents said that fractured communication was very or extremely challenging to their day-to-day work. An infusion of communications technology, meanwhile, can consolidate channels to allow for one fluid, company sanctioned channel for information to flow down – and back up, Deskless researchers pointed out. Communications applications can embrace the ad-hoc, in-the-moment communications, harnessed into a more consistent and scaledup approach, reducing the load on managers and opening up opportunities for continuous feedback loops in one place, they continued. “This allows for organizations to scale up communications, delivering information to the frontline more directly, with the analytics in place to measure effectiveness and knowledge retention companywide,” concluded the research report. The good news is, there is general consensus among all participants that technology investments can help alleviate existing challenges. According to the survey of deskless organizations, 84 percent of corporate leaders, 78 percent of frontline managers and 69 percent of deskless workers believe that investing in new technologies for frontline workers can improve the overall success of their organizations. J CX & EX How Frontline Managers and Workers Share Feedback In-person 59% Email 44% Text/calls on personal phone 42% Conversations with manager 41% Company-provided communications app 23% Surveys 19% Independently sourced communications app 16% Company intranet 15% Physical (bulletin board, binders, etc.) 15% Social media 14% None of the above 5% Source: Deskless; the Starr Conspiracy 20 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
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