Developments that have been hinted at in recent years are set to have much more significant effects in 2023. The skills shortage, the pressure of rising costs, or the climate crisis – companies must urgently address these developments and determine how to adapt to them.
We aim to inform you about the top trends for 2023 and how companies can meet those challenges.
1
Take the skills shortage seriously
It is no understatement to say that IT experts are drowning in job offers as the skills shortage is more than just a passing phenomenon. According to Bitkom Research, there were a total of 137,000 IT positions waiting to be filled in 2022. On average, it took 7.1 months to fill a vacancy. The problem will only become more acute as many skilled workers are set to retire in the next few years. According to a McKinsey study, the effect will be most keenly felt in the public sector: There is already a shortfall of 39,000 IT specialists there. This number is projected to rise to 140,000 by 2030.
Job vacancies and new hires do not just cost money. They also harbor significant risks and can lead to potential going to waste. Ultimately, IT experts play a central role in product and service innovations and in the realization of modern, secure workplaces. In many areas, they make a key contribution toward sorely needed digitalization and are ever more critical for the success of the company.
But how can companies solve that problem? Interesting tasks are an important component that encourage IT specialists to commit to the company.
When combing the market for IT experts to employ proves difficult, time-consuming, and expensive, it is all the more crucial to retain in-house staff for the company. In addition to the salary, the technologies in use, and the culture of the company, an interesting range of functions can be an important factor for many people. They are stimulated by the prospect of driving innovation projects and realizing modern working environments. Many job profiles focus on these aspects.
However, the reality is often markedly different: Increasing security requirements, ever-larger fleets of devices, opportunities for remote working, and rising levels of solution complexity make maintaining smooth operations an ever more arduous task. There are many recurring activities that are less attractive, but of essential importance.
Managed Service offerings from external partners enable you to place all these tasks in trusted hands. This creates the internal space to focus on innovative activities, and working with partners allows companies to react swiftly and flexibly to any changes. From our point of view, working as a Managed Service partner means that we work WITH and FOR you.
2
Increasing employer attractiveness for all
As well as raising the level of corporate efficiency, the modern working world that allows working from anywhere also primarily increases the flexibility and satisfaction of employees. That is why employees and applicants are now demanding to work in environments such as these. A company aiming to be an attractive employer must invest in the modern workplace.
But what does that actually mean from a technological point of view?
Give your employees the option to choose
More than simply choosing where they want to work, employees also want to be able to select their device: a Mac or a Windows PC, an iPhone or an Android smartphone. Using devices that they have chosen increases satisfaction and helps them work more productively.
Do not shy away from an increasingly complex device landscape. Popular Unified Endpoint Management systems are able to manage all operating systems and device types in the same way. We are happy to show you how to make this a success. With our Managed Services, you can master this complexity on a long-term basis.
Provide a successful user experience
Since the advent of the COVID-19 crisis, there has been much talk of employees enjoying the same user experience from anywhere, using any terminal device. However, we often see that this is far from being the case. Do users experience login issues? Can they find any file, from anywhere? Can they recognize when colleagues are calling on the mobile device, without manually maintaining your contacts?
It is often the little things that are critical to user satisfaction. We are familiar with this and are developing solutions to address these issues. Working with EBF Files, EBF Contacts, or Conditional Access – we reveal what makes a real difference in the digital workplace.
3
Responding to cost pressure
Whether due to the consequences of COVID-19 or the energy crisis – many companies are currently faced with immense cost pressure. They are obliged to cut costs, inspecting their technology landscape as part of this process.
What is up for discussion?
Using Microsoft technologies
In the device management area, this often leads to consideration of whether to switch to Microsoft’s Unified Endpoint Management system, as many companies also use other solutions from this provider.
However, this question deserves more measured deliberation. Let us assist you as you find your way through the extensive Microsoft portfolio. Seek advice about how well Microsoft Intune could meet your requirements, what you need to take into account to ensure that you don’t miss out on any functions, and how to ensure migration is a success. In addition to our many years of experience, we also offer the EBF Onboarder tool, which significantly simplifies the UEM system switch and starts saving you money during the changeover process.
Using technologies to their full potential
Technologies are developing at an ever-faster pace, and they are joined by new ones at an equally rapid tempo. At the same time, configuration options are increasingly complex – as is the interaction with other systems.
However, the fraught staffing situation in many companies often means that there are insufficient employees, time, and know-how to grapple with the new developments. This sees a lot of potential going unused.
If internal resources are not available to focus in detail on the technologies, you need to work with external partners who can support you. We are happy to show you the options you already have when providing increased security, for example, or better meeting user requirements. We can help you to make profitable use of your investments.
4
Shifting focus to the sustainability topic
Digitalization is useful in many areas of the battle against the climate crisis: Moving to paperless processes contributes to forest preservation. Reducing business travel helps to reduce CO2 emissions. However, that is just one side of the coin: The high, and rising, energy consumption of server centers results from the realization of digital processes. Combined with fast innovation cycles for hardware, consuming resources during production, this represents a problem for our environment.
It is up to all of us to address these issues. There are no easy answers to the challenges we face. However, every step towards environmental protection is a step in the right direction.
In many respects, 2023 will demand much from companies and IT departments. We are happy to help you meet these challenges.
