But these unprecedented opportunities come with some major challenges. Work patterns and corporate cultures are changing as employees with the knowledge and experience to make these changes demand greater flexibility and improved work-life balance. As organizations become more digital, cyberattacks are increasing in frequency and severity. And as the urgency of the transition towards carbon neutrality and net-zero goals increases, sustainability is more pressing than ever before.
To explore these challenges, I recently spoke with Kate Porter, Senior Director of Segment Insights and Strategy for Intel’s Commercial Client Business Group. Mr. Porter was happy to reveal the strategies and tactics his customers and other big companies employ as they prepare to face them. Her experience during her 18 years at the company has given her a lot of insight into how successful companies respond to new technology trends and the mistakes they should avoid. . As part of this, we’ll explore the benefits of Intel’s “built for business” vPro® platform and see how it addresses some of the issues raised along the way.
Hybrid work infrastructure
Even before the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, businesses were preparing for the transition to hybrid and remote work. The emergence of online work, the “cyber nomad” culture, and collaboration platforms like Teams and Slack were all signs of the times. But many were still amazed at the speed of change that year and the myriad effects it had on corporate cultures around the world.
“In 2020, we all learned that large-scale environmental events beyond our control move from ‘someday in the future’ to ‘what could happen overnight,’” Porter said. Smaller organizations that haven’t modernized their infrastructure aren’t as resilient, and many of them just couldn’t get over it.”
Since then, much has been said about hybrid work. There is also ongoing debate between those who are happy with the new structure and those who still prefer centrally located, face-to-face employees.
Over time, the focus of the conversation began to shift to the continued skills shortages facing tech companies. So are companies that weren’t traditionally high-tech, but are increasingly recognizing the importance of digital transformation in today’s world.
“Last year saw a huge competition for talent,” Porter asked. Masu.
This has emerged as resistance to moves by some industry bosses aimed at encouraging a return to office-based work.
“So what companies are aware of is it’s all remote or all in the office, not one or the other. I think it’s just that you have to somehow combine the two: you have to make sure that your employees feel their needs for flexibility are being met.”
Adapting to this new dynamic often means that companies must make significant changes to their technology infrastructure. Network downtime and limited external connectivity can have a significant impact on your productivity and ability to collaborate.
Porter suggests that companies begin tackling this problem by identifying their “high impact” remote team members and thoroughly understanding their out-of-office computing experiences. .
“Do you have the right PC technology in place to help you be more productive? Problems…connections, software not running smoothly, operating systems may be outdated.”
Providing these high-impact team players with the latest and future-proof tools so they can spend their time productively rather than dealing with issues caused by outdated hardware or software incompatibilities can do. PCs built with 13th Gen Intel vPro are designed for business-class performance. Double your productivity Improved user experience compared to machines that were only 3 years old.
“Now is a great time to think, ‘How can we bring them into a productive environment?’ Because they are what shape our business,” says Porter.
cyber security
Several factors have combined to create a “perfect storm” that is increasing both the frequency and severity of cyberattacks against businesses. This includes not only the aforementioned shift to hybrid and remote working, but also the ongoing digitization of life, work and society, as well as the emergence of technologies such as AI and cryptocurrencies.
Cryptocurrencies offer cybercriminals a virtually anonymous means to extort digital cash from businesses. At the same time, AI is enabling new and sophisticated forms of social engineering attacks. We already know that “deepfake” technology is being used to clone voices, as it persuades employees, friends and family to transfer funds to accounts run by thieves. I’ve seen it used in
Porter told me, “The reality of remote and hybrid work has changed the nature of cybersecurity…the walls of the office have really come down.”
Successful strategies used by organizations looking to improve their defenses range from the mundane but important of keeping hardware and software up to date with the latest security patches to the more sophisticated.
“One of the things that Intel has done is partner with security vendors in the ecosystem. We can now run more hardware scans,” Porter continues.
According to Intel, PCs running on the vPro platform have the most comprehensive security solution available out of the box. This includes hardware-based AI security algorithms and ransomware detection systems. Benefits users can expect include a 93% increase in ransomware attack detection efficiency and a 21% reduction in the number of attacks affected. security event.
Technology solutions play an important role, but human responses are often just as important—or even more so.
she says: “Companies are training their employees in increasingly creative ways.”
For example, many organizations are now introducing courses that involve employees in simulated phishing and social engineering attacks. This can include sending emails to persuade them to divulge passwords and other sensitive information.
“As soon as you click, a window pops up saying, ‘If this was a legitimate attempt, you might have inadvertently exposed company assets.’ remain strong in
sustainability
Perhaps the most important challenge is to reduce the damage done to the environment and the planet through our business activities. Often this focuses on reducing our carbon footprint, but reducing waste in all areas and striving towards a ‘circular’ way of production and the economy is an integral part of many sustainability strategies. plays an increasingly important role in
“A few years ago, the thinking was mostly about power efficiency and material choices to make sure it was a sustainable choice,” Porter said.
“But … it’s really a broader consideration than just those two factors.”
Pursuing sustainability and reducing emissions is certainly important from an environmental perspective, but organizations like Intel are increasingly realizing that it also has business benefits. Not only can there be tangible economic savings from reducing waste and increasing recycling and reuse, but purchasing choices are increasingly driven by consumer perceptions of a company’s environmental and ethical stance. It’s becoming like this.
“Everything matters, from the material vendor’s manufacturing process, to the transparent supply chain that provides trust and certainty, to ethical manufacturing, to the choice of materials,” said Porter. of energy and water is consumed.
“And obviously, it gives us visibility into how devices are being used throughout their lifecycle so that they can be repaired in an intelligent way so that they are not scrapped prematurely. And we have visibility all the way to end of life and retirement.” In terms of the materials used and how they can be recycled. “
From green manufacturing practices and performance-per-watt optimization, to automatic power management and remote support capabilities for large enterprises, Intel is raising the bar for sustainable computing at every stage of the PC lifecycle, empowering enterprises. brings visible benefits.
Many corporate leaders reiterate the importance of measuring the benefits of these technologies in driving greater sustainability. As part of this, it is important to consider sustainability over the lifecycle of the device. for example, A single use of Intel® Active Management Technology to remotely support a PC instead of sending a technician in a truck can save the equivalent of two years of that PC’s carbon footprint.. Remote device management that avoids technician travel (or employee travel to return hardware to the office) makes a big difference.
Want to know more? intel to know more about them Intel vPro Platform Note that it’s powered by the new 13th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and this is a paid partnership with Intel. However, as always, my content is independent and I only partner with brands I believe in. Intel is one of them. they.
you can click here Read the full conversation with Kate Porter, Senior Director of Segment Insights and Strategy for Intel’s Commercial Client Business Group. In it, he delves deeper into his three pressing challenges identified here, and also considers the role emerging technologies such as AI can play in finding new solutions.
