by: VMwre on VMware staff
Part one of this series provided an overview of the VMware IT Performance Annual Report 2021, part two dealt with cultural transformation and part three delved into cloud transformation.
This blog will take a closer look at workplace transformation and its impact on innovation.
COVID-19 ushered in a tumultuous and uncertain time. Virtually overnight, organizations were forced to equip and support mass migration of the workforce as they moved to working remotely. In addition, organizations grappled with how to ensure business-critical functions could continue uninterrupted.
VMware IT positioned itself to meet this challenge by reimagining how the business can use workplace transformation to align technology, colleagues and business processes to meet our goals. An example of this preparedness is how 95 percent of the VMware workforce managed to transition to remote work over a single weekend.
There are three phases vital to ensure future readiness for workplace transformation:
- Respondrapidly to equip colleagues to thrive in a secure, distributed environment
- Adapt with targeted investments to increase automation and flexibility, new models for collaboration and zero-touch onboarding
- Accelerate howrapidly IT introduces new technologies in the workplace
Equip
To provide better support in the hybrid workplace, we shifted our Oasis tech bars from offering in-person support to being completely remote. Online chat quickly became the most popular way to request support, and we deployed chat across all major collaboration platforms, including our intranet, Microsoft Teams, Slack and VMware Social.
We also onboarded Oasis Online teams in new countries in Central America and Asia. In addition, we began offering local language support in Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese to meet the individual needs of our colleagues. The response was enthusiastic.
Adapt
Creating opportunities for colleagues to collaborate and share information with other business units is essential to promote innovation. VMware IT took steps to encourage this behavior, including using virtual whiteboarding tools to improve collaboration for productive problem-solving and design discussions.
Additionally, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), we identified end-user preferences through predictive analytics and adaptive learning to personalize future experiences. For example, voice-first technology uses simple voice commands to connect colleagues with the people and applications they need.
VMware IT took our virtual reality (VR) investments out of the lab and into production. Colleagues can now borrow VR headsets to participate in virtual meetings, workshops, offsites and fun social events. The Workspace ONE® platform allows us to manage these headsets like any other mobile device, ensuring a safe and secure experience.
Accelerate
As work is continuously redefined, onboarding for new hires is greatly affected. Historically, managers do most of the work for onboarding new hires. To accelerate this process, VMware IT moved to VMware Workspace ONE and token-based authentication, simplifying the process and preventing unauthorized access. Now, new hires receive a token authentication link, create a password, enter an email address, and set up a token. These easy steps provide a frictionless, secure experience that has new employees set up and ready to start working within one hour—without visiting an office or contacting the different people involved in onboarding.
Now that most of our work is online, so VMware will continue enabling a diverse and inclusive workplace. We published our first System Accessibility Policy to answer this call, which requires that all systems bought or built be reviewed and approved for industry-standard accessibility requirements.
VMware IT continues to work closely with cross-functional teams to define and implement our strategies for the future to equip and support colleagues with all the tools necessary to thrive in the digital workspace.
Part five, the final part of this series, will explore the our security transformation. Check out more blogs about different aspects of the IT Performance Annual Report 2021.
VMware on VMware blogs are written by IT subject matter experts sharing stories about our digital transformation using VMware products and services in a global production environment. Contact your sales rep or [email protected] to schedule a briefing on this topic. Visit the VMware on VMware microsite and follow us on Twitter.
