CPS Energy, a municipal utility serving San Antonio, hired consulting firms Karta and Motorola to assess its aging wireless and IT systems and develop a mobility strategy. Karta identified CPS's top 10 mobility goals through interviews. Motorola performed a maturity assessment and gap analysis to evaluate CPS's current capabilities and architectural recommendations. This revealed that CPS needed to upgrade its wireless network and create an overall mobility strategy to provide employees reliable access to information from any location. CPS is deploying a new Harmony wireless system and working to converge its communications networks and systems to achieve its long-term vision of enabling mobile access to any needed information.
This report by the Aberdeen Group on how since 2008 the mobile devices have changed how companies deal with the growth of mobile devices in the enterprise. And ask the question should business control what devices come into their business with a mandatory device or let employees bring their own devices and create the infrastructure to support them.
Accenture Communications Research Pts Digital Lifestyle To Digital Lifeblood[1]khogan25
油
Communications & High Tech
As technology becomes more integral to consumers' lives, they increasingly need technology to work well and reliably. Providing technology services that meet consumers' needs represents a major market opportunity. However, it also poses challenges due to the complex technology landscape and high expectations of users. Key considerations for providers include viewing this as supporting a changing ecosystem, specializing services for specific customer segments, ensuring convenience for users, and providing consistent, high-quality support through an industrial-strength solution.
This document discusses best practices for disaster recovery and business continuity planning. It begins with an agenda for presentations on the business aspects of IT disaster recovery, technical best practices, and a networking opportunity over lunch. It then provides information about the presenting company, The Signature Group, and their client base and services. Finally, it discusses defining objectives for disaster recovery planning by determining recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives based on a risk analysis of different systems. The key aspects are balancing recovery needs with costs while building an automated, documented plan.
Many of L+Ls premier accounts large corporations in the pharmaceutical and
electronics industry require extensive documentation of internal quality control
processes. And, while L+L had this documentation, it had lost its relevancy while it
was gathering dust on the general managers shelf for over a decade.
TMA World Managing Remote Workers webinarTMA World
油
Remote and flexible working is increasingly common and the challenge for the remote worker is to get the very best from employees when their primary, or only, means of interacting with them is via technology.
This TMA World e-Class webinar provides an overview of skills and best practice strategies for maximizing the productivity of remote employees.
3i, an international investment firm, needed to upgrade its aging data center or outsource management. It chose SunGard Availability Services to relocate over 100 servers to one of their resilient technology centers in a military-style weekend operation. The transition was a success with no disruptions, and 3i avoided capital costs while gaining increased efficiency and service.
The document discusses the need to transition from the current outdated intranet towards a digital workplace of the future. It outlines three scenarios: continuing as is, moving towards a distributed model, or achieving an integrated global platform. The vision is an intranet that empowers mobile workers, strengthens culture, and increases productivity. Next steps proposed are establishing a business case, conducting a digital audit, and launching initial initiatives in 2013 to begin the transition.
Understanding Social Business Excellence - Enterprise2.0Summit 2012, ParisRawn Shah
油
The document summarizes a keynote presentation by Rawn Shah on social business excellence. Shah discusses how social media has opened up conversations across organizational silos and lines of business. He outlines how social interactions can create value for businesses at different levels from capturing unstructured data to enabling transformation. Shah also maps how this value creation relates to key business scenarios in product innovation, customer insights, and workforce optimization.
Future-Ready Government Powered by the Social, Mobile & Cloud Revolutions o...Krassi Genov
油
This document discusses how governments can adopt a future-ready approach powered by social, mobile, and cloud technologies to improve citizen experience. It emphasizes that governments need to take a holistic, cross-channel view of citizens to understand their needs and efficiently deliver integrated, consistent services. Adopting modern technologies can help governments streamline processes, increase responsiveness, and provide customized, timely assistance to citizens.
Communication Collaboration Mobility Presentation Stn 2 24 11mcini
油
The document introduces members of the Signature Group and discusses their areas of expertise including managed IT services, business consulting, and systems integration. It then introduces the Signature Technology Network (STN) as a membership group for senior IT executives to share best practices, learn from peers, and access independent experts. The document discusses how communication and collaboration needs have changed in recent years with increased mobility and use of video. It highlights trends around video traffic growth and the future of the workplace being more collaborative and experience-driven.
Mortgage Outreach Services provides alternatives to foreclosure by working with borrowers and lenders. It has experienced exponential growth in demand for its services, requiring rapid expansion of its call centers. To support this growth while maintaining high customer service, Mortgage Outreach implemented a Mitel communications solution including the Mitel Communications Suite virtualized on Sun servers. This scalable solution allows hot desking across locations and centralized management of resources to efficiently support continued growth.
IBM Global Financing can tailor financing solutions to your specific IT needs. For more information on great rates, flexible payment plans and loans, and asset buyback and disposal
The document discusses the evolution from traditional travel management to global mobility management. It highlights key factors driving changes in the travel industry over the past few decades, from multi-channel distribution to the challenges of managing travel in today's digital world. The document envisions an approach centered around simplifying access to services for users, standardizing processes, and maximizing opportunities through a centralized mobility management platform.
Leading Virtual Effectiveness: Four Strategies for Effective CommunicationCitrix Online
油
This new eBook by Camille Preston of AIM
Leadership reveals 4 steps to mastering effective virtual leadership and communication and provides the tools for managing the shift to the virtual workplace.
Capgemini implements new mobile banking service concepts to provide innovative services and increase revenues for financial clients. A new era of mobile banking has emerged with smart phones allowing location-based services, touch interfaces, and increased mobile internet access. Banks face challenges keeping up with technology changes and applying innovations individuals already use. Capgemini's Direct Banking Service Concept provides on-demand access to IT resources and services to help banks more quickly develop and deploy new mobile banking applications and experiences that meet evolving customer demands.
Adaptive case management (ACM) is an approach that focuses on the case information rather than predefining all possible processes up front. It enables non-technical users to collaboratively manage unpredictable work in a flexible manner. In ACM, core entities, tasks, and guidelines are defined, but users have freedom to adapt the workflow as needed. This allows knowledge work to be handled without forcing strict process adherence.
Dell Services provides IT solutions to help customers succeed through virtualization, cloud computing, mobility, and data management. It offers consulting, infrastructure, applications and security services globally through flexible engagements. Dell Services aims to standardize, consolidate and automate customer IT environments to reduce costs and increase productivity and innovation.
Last week, I visited University of New South Wales, in Australia, and gave a talk providing an overview on research work over the past couple of years to establish a framework for Cognitive Enterprise services, specifically on how the lifecycle of enterprise services from sales to delivery and operation is transformed in the cognitive era. I provided an overview of the research assets we have produced, some of which is in industry or the company in various ways.
The presentation discusses the future of supply chain management. It argues that current supply chain processes are flawed in that they are designed for machines but use humans, assume more information always leads to better decisions, rely on batch processing, and feature isolated data exchange between partners. The presentation proposes designing processes that recognize human cognitive limitations, focus on information-centric rather than human-centric processes, enable real-time response, and facilitate integrated planning across partners through virtual marketplaces. Adopting these approaches could significantly improve metrics like profitability, utilization, sales and customer ratings.
This document discusses improving customer experience through better network and IT quality management. It proposes a three-level framework to: 1) fix basic technical issues, 2) align network/IT workflows with customer perspectives, and 3) exceed customer expectations through predictive analytics. The approach considers both improving customer experience and agent work conditions. Incremental benefits are gained at each maturity level.
Cognitive Work Assistants - Vision and Open ChallengesHamid Motahari
油
Cognitive assistants aim to augment human intelligence by performing administrative tasks and providing guidance, advice, and assistance to humans. Key challenges for cognitive assistants include building extensive domain knowledge, adapting to new domains, evaluating system performance, addressing user privacy and trust, and enabling natural language interaction. Developing cognitive assistants that can understand tasks, take proactive actions, and interact contextually remains an important area for future research.
Smart Grid Operational Services: Selecting the Right Mobile SolutionCapgemini
油
Whether you manage field service operations within the utilities industry or some other large business operation, a mobile computing solution can strengthen your field service capabilities, lower your operating costs and improve customer service.
With mobile devices in hand, field technicians, engineers and supervisors alike discover that information flow increases and costly data entry errors become issues from the past.
The mobile computing market abounds with cool devices, but embracing innovative technology alone can easily distract an organization from finding an intelligent mobile solution that will ultimately meet the needs of its users.
In other words, preparing for the technology is every bit as critical as selecting it.
This paper describes the 3 stages recommended for deciding on, and ranking the importance of, available solution options, and how proper planning can improve the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the solution. It also reviews common obstacles that impede deployment and thwart a positive return on investment.
Smart Grid Operational Services Selecting The Right Mobile Solution Fact SheetGord Reynolds
油
This document outlines a six stage process for selecting and deploying a successful mobile solution. The stages are:
1. Create a business requirement plan by defining objectives, requirements, users, and geography. Consult business unit experts.
2. Assess input against objectives and write the business requirement plan, defining non-technical requirements.
3. Define solution requirements by translating business requirements into technical details. Research available technologies.
By following these stages, an organization can develop a clear understanding of needs, requirements, and available technologies to select the optimal mobile solution that meets objectives and improves business processes. Consultation with stakeholders and experts at each stage helps ensure the chosen solution is well-defined and will provide benefits.
How to optimize cloud and virtual infrastructure resource utilization, manage the sprawl, troubleshoot and control cost.
IT administrators and managers need a comprehensive strategy to optimize and manage their infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Smart Grid Operational Services: Utilities Mobile IT AdoptionCapgemini
油
Utilities companies are increasingly adopting mobile solutions to improve productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations. Mobile technology allows work to be completed more efficiently in the field and facilitates the exchange of information between the office and field workers. Some key benefits of mobile technology include increased worker productivity, reduced costs through process improvements and inventory management, and improved decision-making through better access to up-to-date information. Utilities must select mobile solutions that are usable, integrated with their existing systems, and address their specific business needs to fully realize these benefits.
This document discusses strategies for organizations to reduce their total cost of occupancy through transformation. It recommends adopting alternative workplace strategies like telecommuting to reduce real estate costs by up to 60%. It also recommends using building information modeling and facilities management software to improve space and cost forecasting, enable collaboration, and gain insights to help lower occupancy costs and meet organizational goals. The document emphasizes that the right technology tools are needed to centralize data and provide intuitive visualization to help professionals optimize their real estate portfolio and lower costs.
Understanding Social Business Excellence - Enterprise2.0Summit 2012, ParisRawn Shah
油
The document summarizes a keynote presentation by Rawn Shah on social business excellence. Shah discusses how social media has opened up conversations across organizational silos and lines of business. He outlines how social interactions can create value for businesses at different levels from capturing unstructured data to enabling transformation. Shah also maps how this value creation relates to key business scenarios in product innovation, customer insights, and workforce optimization.
Future-Ready Government Powered by the Social, Mobile & Cloud Revolutions o...Krassi Genov
油
This document discusses how governments can adopt a future-ready approach powered by social, mobile, and cloud technologies to improve citizen experience. It emphasizes that governments need to take a holistic, cross-channel view of citizens to understand their needs and efficiently deliver integrated, consistent services. Adopting modern technologies can help governments streamline processes, increase responsiveness, and provide customized, timely assistance to citizens.
Communication Collaboration Mobility Presentation Stn 2 24 11mcini
油
The document introduces members of the Signature Group and discusses their areas of expertise including managed IT services, business consulting, and systems integration. It then introduces the Signature Technology Network (STN) as a membership group for senior IT executives to share best practices, learn from peers, and access independent experts. The document discusses how communication and collaboration needs have changed in recent years with increased mobility and use of video. It highlights trends around video traffic growth and the future of the workplace being more collaborative and experience-driven.
Mortgage Outreach Services provides alternatives to foreclosure by working with borrowers and lenders. It has experienced exponential growth in demand for its services, requiring rapid expansion of its call centers. To support this growth while maintaining high customer service, Mortgage Outreach implemented a Mitel communications solution including the Mitel Communications Suite virtualized on Sun servers. This scalable solution allows hot desking across locations and centralized management of resources to efficiently support continued growth.
IBM Global Financing can tailor financing solutions to your specific IT needs. For more information on great rates, flexible payment plans and loans, and asset buyback and disposal
The document discusses the evolution from traditional travel management to global mobility management. It highlights key factors driving changes in the travel industry over the past few decades, from multi-channel distribution to the challenges of managing travel in today's digital world. The document envisions an approach centered around simplifying access to services for users, standardizing processes, and maximizing opportunities through a centralized mobility management platform.
Leading Virtual Effectiveness: Four Strategies for Effective CommunicationCitrix Online
油
This new eBook by Camille Preston of AIM
Leadership reveals 4 steps to mastering effective virtual leadership and communication and provides the tools for managing the shift to the virtual workplace.
Capgemini implements new mobile banking service concepts to provide innovative services and increase revenues for financial clients. A new era of mobile banking has emerged with smart phones allowing location-based services, touch interfaces, and increased mobile internet access. Banks face challenges keeping up with technology changes and applying innovations individuals already use. Capgemini's Direct Banking Service Concept provides on-demand access to IT resources and services to help banks more quickly develop and deploy new mobile banking applications and experiences that meet evolving customer demands.
Adaptive case management (ACM) is an approach that focuses on the case information rather than predefining all possible processes up front. It enables non-technical users to collaboratively manage unpredictable work in a flexible manner. In ACM, core entities, tasks, and guidelines are defined, but users have freedom to adapt the workflow as needed. This allows knowledge work to be handled without forcing strict process adherence.
Dell Services provides IT solutions to help customers succeed through virtualization, cloud computing, mobility, and data management. It offers consulting, infrastructure, applications and security services globally through flexible engagements. Dell Services aims to standardize, consolidate and automate customer IT environments to reduce costs and increase productivity and innovation.
Last week, I visited University of New South Wales, in Australia, and gave a talk providing an overview on research work over the past couple of years to establish a framework for Cognitive Enterprise services, specifically on how the lifecycle of enterprise services from sales to delivery and operation is transformed in the cognitive era. I provided an overview of the research assets we have produced, some of which is in industry or the company in various ways.
The presentation discusses the future of supply chain management. It argues that current supply chain processes are flawed in that they are designed for machines but use humans, assume more information always leads to better decisions, rely on batch processing, and feature isolated data exchange between partners. The presentation proposes designing processes that recognize human cognitive limitations, focus on information-centric rather than human-centric processes, enable real-time response, and facilitate integrated planning across partners through virtual marketplaces. Adopting these approaches could significantly improve metrics like profitability, utilization, sales and customer ratings.
This document discusses improving customer experience through better network and IT quality management. It proposes a three-level framework to: 1) fix basic technical issues, 2) align network/IT workflows with customer perspectives, and 3) exceed customer expectations through predictive analytics. The approach considers both improving customer experience and agent work conditions. Incremental benefits are gained at each maturity level.
Cognitive Work Assistants - Vision and Open ChallengesHamid Motahari
油
Cognitive assistants aim to augment human intelligence by performing administrative tasks and providing guidance, advice, and assistance to humans. Key challenges for cognitive assistants include building extensive domain knowledge, adapting to new domains, evaluating system performance, addressing user privacy and trust, and enabling natural language interaction. Developing cognitive assistants that can understand tasks, take proactive actions, and interact contextually remains an important area for future research.
Smart Grid Operational Services: Selecting the Right Mobile SolutionCapgemini
油
Whether you manage field service operations within the utilities industry or some other large business operation, a mobile computing solution can strengthen your field service capabilities, lower your operating costs and improve customer service.
With mobile devices in hand, field technicians, engineers and supervisors alike discover that information flow increases and costly data entry errors become issues from the past.
The mobile computing market abounds with cool devices, but embracing innovative technology alone can easily distract an organization from finding an intelligent mobile solution that will ultimately meet the needs of its users.
In other words, preparing for the technology is every bit as critical as selecting it.
This paper describes the 3 stages recommended for deciding on, and ranking the importance of, available solution options, and how proper planning can improve the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the solution. It also reviews common obstacles that impede deployment and thwart a positive return on investment.
Smart Grid Operational Services Selecting The Right Mobile Solution Fact SheetGord Reynolds
油
This document outlines a six stage process for selecting and deploying a successful mobile solution. The stages are:
1. Create a business requirement plan by defining objectives, requirements, users, and geography. Consult business unit experts.
2. Assess input against objectives and write the business requirement plan, defining non-technical requirements.
3. Define solution requirements by translating business requirements into technical details. Research available technologies.
By following these stages, an organization can develop a clear understanding of needs, requirements, and available technologies to select the optimal mobile solution that meets objectives and improves business processes. Consultation with stakeholders and experts at each stage helps ensure the chosen solution is well-defined and will provide benefits.
How to optimize cloud and virtual infrastructure resource utilization, manage the sprawl, troubleshoot and control cost.
IT administrators and managers need a comprehensive strategy to optimize and manage their infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Smart Grid Operational Services: Utilities Mobile IT AdoptionCapgemini
油
Utilities companies are increasingly adopting mobile solutions to improve productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations. Mobile technology allows work to be completed more efficiently in the field and facilitates the exchange of information between the office and field workers. Some key benefits of mobile technology include increased worker productivity, reduced costs through process improvements and inventory management, and improved decision-making through better access to up-to-date information. Utilities must select mobile solutions that are usable, integrated with their existing systems, and address their specific business needs to fully realize these benefits.
This document discusses strategies for organizations to reduce their total cost of occupancy through transformation. It recommends adopting alternative workplace strategies like telecommuting to reduce real estate costs by up to 60%. It also recommends using building information modeling and facilities management software to improve space and cost forecasting, enable collaboration, and gain insights to help lower occupancy costs and meet organizational goals. The document emphasizes that the right technology tools are needed to centralize data and provide intuitive visualization to help professionals optimize their real estate portfolio and lower costs.
The document discusses 10 key trends transforming facilities management:
1. Outsourcing is evolving to deliver more complex, integrated services and is expected to be a $1 trillion global market by 2025.
2. Workplaces must accommodate multi-generational workforces and balance needs of different age groups rather than focus on generational preferences alone.
3. Wellness programs that boost productivity and attract talent are increasingly important for employers.
4. Collaboration spaces that foster innovation are in higher demand.
5. Technology enables more data-driven decision making, personalized workspaces, and smart buildings with integrated sensors and systems.
6. Serviced offices and co-working spaces are growing in popularity to meet flexible
The document discusses the limitations of existing technology stacks for services-centric organizations. It describes how these organizations initially relied on ERP systems that were not well-suited to their needs, leading to the emergence of specialized PSA tools. However, PSA tools also fell short by not facilitating enough collaboration. As a result, organizations have accumulated a tangled web of different applications for tasks like project management, collaboration, and productivity. This "hairball infrastructure" decreases efficiency and makes it difficult for management to oversee operations. Spreadsheets are often used to fill gaps, but this is an inefficient and limiting approach. The document argues a new technology model is needed to address these challenges.
Flexible Work: From Workplace to AnyplaceCisco Canada
油
Flexible work arrangements can provide significant benefits to organizations. TELUS implemented a flexible work program that allows employees to work from home, mobile locations, or the office. This resulted in annual savings of up to $6,000 per employee from reduced real estate costs, increased productivity and employee satisfaction. TELUS reduced its real estate footprint by 40% while maintaining a 30% office-based workforce under the new flexible model. The program improved TELUS' financial, environmental and employee metrics, demonstrating the triple bottom line benefits of flexible work arrangements.
Best Managed Services Provider in UAE | Saudi Arabia | Oman | BahrainEmmanuel258774
油
We are considered among the top 3 IT Managed Services providers in the GCC region. Our Managed Services customers are spread across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman & Bahrain.
The document describes the Teletrips Management System, which helps organizations transition to more flexible work arrangements. It provides tools to effectively manage this transition, improve employee effectiveness, and enhance environmental efficiency. The system guides individual participation decisions, ensures proper approvals and training are in place, and allows organizations to track implementation status. It also provides real-time performance monitoring and quarterly impact reports.
Source-to-Settle Process - Rent-a-Center Case StudyEmptoris, Inc
油
This document summarizes a workshop on managing spending and driving supplier performance through procurement in the cloud. Cloud-based spend management solutions can save $40 per purchase order and eliminate 10% of annual direct/indirect materials spending. Automating procurement through the cloud cuts purchasing time by 20% and accounts payable time resolving invoice issues. It also reduces maverick spending by 33% and provides faster data to improve forecasting and prevent unnecessary spending. Leading organizations save an additional 10% of annual direct/indirect materials spending through e-sourcing and contract management capabilities in the cloud.
Gone are the days of heading to the office for a 9-5 workday in a grey office environment. Remote work is happening everywhere, from coffee shops to airports. Dynamic companies are embracing the concept of workplace agility where digital solutions, physical space and company culture influence output. Here are some ways an agile workplace operates:
IBM MaaS360 being recognized as a leader in yet another UEM research reportukasz Piotrowicz
油
Unified endpoint management may be a new industry term, but MaaS360 is no stranger to the concept being recognized as a leader in yet another UEM research report.
"Establishing positive user experience and responsible security controls begins with effective endpoint management that consolidates support for all devices used to perform business tasks," noted Steve Brasen, EMA Research Director and author of the EMA Radar for Unified Endpoint Management.
"Our evaluation has clearly identified IBM Maas360 with Watson as a market value leader for providing a feature-rich product set, outstanding cost-efficiencies, and broad heterogenous support for PCs, mobile devices, wearables, and IoT endpoints."
See why MaaS360 continues to earn top recognition in this exciting new space.
How to Better Manage Your IT InfrastructureEdarat Group
油
1) Businesses are implementing infrastructure management strategies to keep their IT functioning effectively as business acceleration requires better management of information and resources.
2) For IT organizations, better infrastructure management results in high performance, seamless configuration, and strong security.
3) Non-IT companies can also benefit from effective infrastructure management through meeting business needs, ensuring operational efficiency, optimizing resource allocation, and adopting new technologies.
The white paper discusses five principles for designing global IT infrastructure to support distributed enterprises:
1) Distance doesn't matter - employees expect to collaborate in real-time regardless of location.
2) Applications and data must be available everywhere through consolidation but also decentralized access.
3) Knowledge and data must be easily shared and managed across the enterprise.
4) Business operations must be continuous and resilient to failures or disruptions.
5) All employees, regardless of location, require equal access to applications and resources.
WAN optimization solutions are described as the means to tie together distributed infrastructure by providing LAN-like application performance anywhere through acceleration and scaling capabilities for mobile users, branch offices,
Public Sector and the Cloud: Doing more for less CGI
油
Cloud services bring the flexibility the public sector needs. For example, hosting a number of existing local and national applications in one place boosts cooperation between governmental organisations and provides a scalable platform for the future. http://bit.ly/sYe3at
Streamline your digital transformation for a future ready venture.LCDF
油
Streamline your digital transformation for a future ready venture. How the Pandemic How the pandemic impacted DACH Industries the unexpected catalyst for digital Transformation ?
Enabling Hybrid Cloud Today With Microsoft-technologies-v1-0David J Rosenthal
油
The document provides an overview of hybrid cloud and how organizations can implement a successful hybrid cloud strategy using Microsoft technologies. It defines key cloud concepts like public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. It discusses how hybrid cloud can help organizations improve management of on-premises systems through private cloud while also utilizing lower-cost public cloud services. The document outlines Microsoft's approach to hybrid cloud, highlighting common technologies that span private and public clouds and enable common hybrid experiences.
CEOs now expect IT to provide profitable growth and business agility. Is outsourcing the best way to achieve this?
The Olympic Games is the biggest managed IT services contract in world sport and involves coordinating a multitude of different providers. This new Fast Track Guide on Managed Services is quick to read and formed from the very latest thinking. It shows how providers such as Atos use their experience to build an ecosystem of clients, partners and of course expertise to leverage emerging technologies and market trends.
Facilities managers can now deploy cutting-edge digital technologies such as AI, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance building energy efficiency, implement smart systems throughout facilities and achieve an integrated view of building operations. Here's a guide to this exciting set of developments for FMs, and a handful of diverse successful use cases.
1. Points of View
Sharing a desk could save 贈ms
How can public sector organisations find multi 贈million savings to
meet extraordinary budgetary challenges?
Mobile and Flexible Working offers a leap ahead
A mobile and flexible working to understanding the art of the possible is to measure actual occupancy.
This information will also help planners address some of the emotive
benchmark study among borough aspects of chance likely to be encountered, but more on this later.
councils However you measure the desk space, whether in m 2 per user (OGC
recommends 10 12m2) or average 贈 per sq m,(London prices range from
Organisations in both public and private sectors face growing pressures to 贈1,500 贈6,000) maintaining 40-50% of unused office space is very
become ever more efficient. In addition to the looming, multi million expensive. This metric is definitely worth capturing for any business case
pound budgetary challenges, there are growing lobbies to retain talent and supporting this way of working.
reduce environmental impacts all of which impacts the bottom line.
Mobile and Flexible Working (MFW) offers a tested approach to tackling Understand staff work patterns to
these issues, collectively, head on. It cuts across property, ICT, transport determine your requirements
and finance. The positive implications are potentially far reaching if done
properly! Only a few members of staff need fixed desks. Desk occupancy provides
one insight into the needs-based approach that is key to effective
Most organisations accept that working remotely, either with customers or resourcing. A representative workstyle survey of staff across the
at home, does offer efficiencies. The key question is how do you do it? And organisation will develop a complete picture and this can be done quickly
once you have decided to do it, how far do you go? using web based tools. Once staff needs and working patterns are clearly
understood, then appropriate assets (for example office space and ICT) can
To help answer this question, we conducted a benchmark with urban be allocated, allowing much more efficient budgeting. Work patterns
borough councils <across London> to highlight what sort of savings could willvary slightly for each organisation and should be measured, but on
be made in both capital and operational budgets. The timely publication of average one can expect to find the following groups:
the Westminster Research Group Report Leaner Greener - Delivering Fixed desk workers with little or no need for mobility e.g. reception
effective Estate Management 1, amplified our studys findings and is and some team administrators-(<20% of staff)
recommended reading for its insights into the current administrations Flexible workers need arrangements to work in different offices or
immediate intentions home and would benefit from mobile to corporate systems. e.g.
middle management and finance (around 65% of staff)
Working practices have overtaken Free workers need to work away from the office and would benefit
office planning. from mobile to corporate systems e.g. social care, highways and
trading standards (around 15% of staff)
For councils yet to pilot remote working, desks are only used, on average,
56% of the working day. This rises to 65% in councils which have
implemented MFW. Traditionally,
desks have been planned on a 100% Desk Utilisation
occupancy basis, but the reality is Current Planned Vs Actual
that only half of the work spaces are 120%
used. Teams who need to be out on 100%
the ground, such as trading 80%
Fig 2. Average Fixed Flex and Free Work Style Distribution
60%
standards, parking and social care Working patterns should also help determine ICT support needs, with the
40%
have even lighter usage. appropriate mobile technology (laptops and smart phones such as
20%
Fig 1. Desk occupancy at borough councils Blackberry) going to the flex and free staff who would benefit most. Fixed
0%
Traditionally office based staff such Planned workspace Actual Utilisation desk workers can be allocated more cost effective ICT solutions. We have
as team administrators, finance, and found that clients also use MFW projects as an opportunity to their ICT,
legal, have higher averages as they work and are enabled today. The key which can help dramatically impact ICT budgets and reveal operational
shortcomings on the more mature estates. During one recent
1
Report available via http://www.policyconnect.org.uk assignment, client staff revealed their laptops took 30-40 mins to boot up
1
2. Points of View
Property Ownership Levels
and crashed 3-4 times per day! On another project we were able to available to service users. This has limited 100%
reassign 15% of the mobile estate to needier more mobile workers. their options to move and this inertia has 90%
% of Property Owned
been exploited by leasing agents in the past. 80%
70%
Planned Workspace Sharing Ratios Councils moving to a more mobile and
60%
50%
flexible way of working, will gain a hitherto 40%
New workspace planners are using a staff to desk ratio of 10:7. 30%
unknown agility with a flexible team used to 20%
In simple terms, organisations who have made the transition to mobile and
working in more collaborative, modern 0-10%
flexible working have increased their desk sharing ratios, on average, to 10
offices or offsite. This presents a significant
% of Boroughs responding
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
staff to 7 desks This ratio does vary once one looks beyond organisational
opportunity to move to short term leasing
averages, as outlined above, e.g. more
mobile teams such as social care could or other more flexible arrangements to Fig 4. Levels of office ownership
have a much higher sharing ratio of 10:6 free up capital and exploit the leasers market where there is a current glut
or 161% occupancy, providing overspill of low priced office accommodation. This new-found agility would allow
is managed during peak demand councils to move more easily, removing the negotiating power of the
periods. The study also revealed landlords they previously experienced to their disadvantage. A short term
differences between those who had leasing strategy would free up much needed capital to little disadvantage
made the change and those still and allow borough councils meet current multi million pound budgetary
planning to do so. challenges that most are facing at the time of writing. The OGCs leaner
greener report strongly supports the release of capital and flexible
In Boroughs where mobile flexible accommodation strategies.
working has been implemented, the
average desk sharing ratio was 10:7.5 or
133% occupancy.
Speed of roll out is too slow given the
Fig 3. Councils with M&FW implemented
M&FW MFWCurrent and Future
significant cashable benefits available
Boroughs still in planning mode were generally split into two:
desk sharing ratios The majority of Councils (56%) interviewed were testing MFW but were
Cautious target of 10:7.4 (132%) taking from 6 months to a year to begin to take action. The majority of
Ambitious target of 10:6 (163%) the testing was being done on a very limited basis, in some cases restricted
to just gathering the data on a part time basis for a business case. Many
The Efficiencies Standards for Office Space (IPD) Report For OGC Nov 2007 respondents were doing this research as background activity in addition to
recommends an area of 10m2 per desk and to use a desk sharing ratio of their normal work, which may account for the speed of decision making.
10:8 (125%). Those that had made the move, favoured a two step Given the cross-functional impact and benefits these sorts of initiatives
approach to achieving these tighter ratios, which would otherwise present have, this is a project that needs a period of focused attention and
change management issues if an organisation were to attempt to move to multiple stakeholder input to generate sufficient information for board
these concentrations in one step. level decision making. The levels of benefits that we are consistently
seeing include but are not limited to:
A 2 step approach to manage change
30-50% of real estate
Use of a light sharing ratio (10:8 or 10:9) is as an effective way of allaying
10-15% of ICT budget
initial staff concerns about potential incompatibility and disruption to daily
business. Once staff have the opportunity to experience the new style of 15-20% increase in staff productivity
working they tend to realise the benefits of the flexibility and anxiety
levels drop. Once underway, programmes observed that moving to an Up to 50% reduction in staff absence
increased ratio was not an issue.
Other key lessons learned involved
early, collaborative communication
with both staff and unions. This is
certainly in keeping with our
experience of managing change during
these types of programmes.
Fig 6. Speed of decision making
Own or lease
property? Fig 5. Two step transition to M&FW
As Eric Pickles Report Leaner Greener-Delivering Effective Estate
Levels of property ownership were high with the majority (>75%) of Management indicates, the time for action is now- 6 months to a year is
Councils owning 70% or greater of their offices. too slow given the timescales for current economic planning and the lead
Anecdotal evidence gathered during the survey indicated a positive move time needed for rolling out MFW across an organisation. Typically a robust
away from leasing properties. This was driven in large part by negative business case, with sponsorship, can be developed in 6-8 weeks to provide
experiences from long term leases on high rates and unfavourable terms the board with the information it needs. In roll out terms, Borough
from aggressive landlords. Borough councils, typically located in large councils should expect implementation to take 1-2 years to implement
Victorian town halls have a need to be centrally located and easily across multiple sites.
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3. Points of View
Conclusions
LEANER GREENER DELIVERING EFFECTIVE
The survey has revealed that most councils are generally aware of the
benefits of this efficient way of work working and are investigating it now. ESTATE MANAGEMENT REPORT KEY
RECOMMENDATIONS
The key to realising these sorts of savings is to be pragmatic when
developing the business case for change. It needs time, focus, and Reduce occupied space by 20-30%, by flexible working practices.
stakeholder involvement, but the feasibility and planning needs to be Introduce flexible property solutions to meet changing users needs
done swiftly (6-8 weeks) to generate the right focus and momentum. The Use one department to ensure effective property management
time is right for action and that time is now. and control
Incentivise efficient use of space at all levels e.g. cross charging
and reinvestment of sales revenue
Incorporate decreasing energy consumption savings into budgets
Who is Flexility? to incentivise investment in sustainable estates.
We are specialists in assessing and deploying successful mobile and Use both quantified environmental and economic savings to
flexible working programmes. Our skills, tools and experience provide strengthen the business case for increased environmental
insight into how to best enable teams to work when and where it makes efficiency.
sense for them to do so, and in a way that is aligned to overall business
Cooperate with public and voluntary sector partners (PSP) to
objectives. We provide actionable recommendations and help set and
identify matching property requirements incl blue light and
track achievable targets for successful implementation.
voluntary services
Contact us now to find out how we can help you info@flexility.co.uk Develop a Service Asset Strategy, to align service delivery and
Find out more about us at: www.flexility.co.uk property requirements, using commercial targeting and profiling
tools
Invest in asset management systems and be pragmatic about data
capture needed for strategic decisions on the use of the estate.
Use common metrics and GIS systems to analyse performance of
its estates, include cluster analysis and spotting cross-boundary
opportunities
Set up a joint centralised property management structure, with
PSPs to improve efficiency.
Pool Asset Vehicles with PSP for joint use and to attract private
sector investment
Remove legal, tax and governance obstacles to encourage vehicle
sharing
Prioritise implementation of simple low cost measures to reduce
energy consumption, Co2 emissions and op costs.
Explore Spend to Save projects, prioritising the retrofit over new
build, and seek support from specialised funds e.g. Salix or London
Green Fund
息 March 2011 Flexility Limited Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners. The information contained in this publication is correct at the time
of going to print. Such information may be subject to change and services may be modified,
supplemented or withdrawn by Flexility without prior notice. All services are subject to terms and
conditions, copies of which may be obtained upon request www.flexility.co.uk Registered in England
No. 6578126
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