Your users have jobs to do, and they can’t let technology stand in their way. Waiting for logon times to complete or applications to respond can not only frustrate users, but open opportunities for costly distractions as they sit idle and unproductive. It’s the number-one reason virtual desktop projects fail to receive necessary user acceptance. It’s also one of the top cases for help desk calls burdening IT with unneeded expense and resource drain.
Yet, achieving a better desktop experience can deliver even more value than you might imagine. Consider these top six ways a better workspace experience will improve your users’ productivity.
1. It makes operating on different systems seamless. Not all users are technology wizards; in fact, most are creatures of habit. They have just the right placement for their desktop icons and know just how to access their most-used applications. Switch these around when provisioning a new system for them, and they will lose productivity as they adapt to a new desktop layout.
An advanced User Environment Management (UEM) solution eliminates this distracting issue because it delivers the users’ desktops, exactly how they want it, regardless of the system where they log in. That means fewer calls to the help desk and better self-service for the users, making them more productive the minute they log on.
2. It unchains users from their desks. An advanced User Environment Management solution enables users to roam freely, with the ability to log in to any desktop system – in the office, or even at home – and achieve the same experience. Using efficient profile management and personalization techniques, users will always receive a consistent and predictable experience, regardless of how the desktop or applications are delivered or the version of the operating system used.
This means they are free to work when and where they want without being “chained” to a single desktop or location. This workspace freedom can deliver immeasurable value to users as they no longer have to drag their desktops from meeting to meeting or even across campus while having confidence that they can access their same workspace at any time, on any system.
3. It makes receiving a new desktop simple. Getting a new PC can be frustrating for a new user. Waiting for it to be loaded with all of the applications and tools the user needs can take days for some help desk teams. Then when the user takes possession of the system, he or she typically finds that all personalizations and preferences need to be reset. From background images and screensavers to file mapping and application preferences, rearranging a new system can take hours, costing the user and the business lost productivity that can be avoided.
UEM solutions eliminate this by saving all of the users’ preferences using profile management technology that can instantly load everything a user has customized directly onto any system – new or old – at any time.
4. It’s locally intelligent. When users roam with their desktops, one of the most time-consuming practices they perform can be setting up location-based items such as printers, Wi-Fi or projectors. Advanced UEM solutions solve this by delivering location intelligence – or contextual policy control – that can automatically recognize accessible printers and Wi-Fi connections without any user interaction. This saves worker frustration, eliminates help desk calls and keeps users working without interruption.
5. It eliminates the security fear. Users want to work securely and responsibly with company data. They don’t want to risk data leaks or time-consuming virus infiltrations. UEM solutions can eliminate this fear – and the high workforce productivity cost of a virus or data breach – with built-in security at the source.
Because advanced UEM solutions only allow authorized access to systems and applications, malicious software can’t be executed. This preserves the desktop in its pristine state, protecting it and the users that rely on it from compromise.
6. It – most importantly – speeds response times. Last, but most obviously not least, a UEM solution dramatically improves desktop response times. With more efficient distribution of profile and application policies, users don’t wait for pieces of their environment to load that they don’t need. In addition, smart controls allocate CPU, memory and disk resources to improve the overall quality of service, increase user density and reduce hardware requirements. The result? Your users receive lightning-fast logon times and have a responsive desktop at all times. So, perhaps they won’t have time to run for that extra cup of coffee or take up a conversation with a co-worker, instead getting down to business right away with the productivity that will fuel business.
With a workspace, virtual or physical, that’s optimized for both high performance and better IT control, you can eliminate user frustration and drive greater productivity for the user, IT organization and business alike.
Jon Wallace is chief technologist focusing on cloud and emerging technology for AppSense, a provider of User Environment Management solutions that deliver unprecedented user productivity while securing and simplifying workspace management at scale across physical, virtual and cloud-delivered desktops. A frequent industry speaker, Wallace is a visionary in the desktop virtualization industry.