Digital workspaces are an essential component of modern businesses. Although digital workspaces are proving increasingly popular and becoming widespread, the continuous testing and release of new features and functions means they can still be considered very much an emerging technology.

What are the key considerations you need to make before moving some of your operations and meetings to a secure digital workspace?

Is My Business Setup to Maximize Their Potential?
Both businesses and consumers can tend to get caught up in the excitement around new technology, or new features being added to existing technology products. Before your business takes the plunge, ask not just if your business is setup to maximize the potential of a secure digital workspace, but also if you actually need to use one.

If the answer to both of these questions is “yes,” you should then begin planning for their implementation, including providing case studies of how they will influence and improve your business operations. If you are unable to persuade neither your team nor your boss and therefore earn the requisite “buy in,” your vision will never become reality.

Remember that a secure digital workplace might not mean investing in a complete platform or service; it could be something as simple as migrating documents into Google Drive for easy collaboration. What digital workplaces would your business benefit from using?

How Secure Is It?
How secure your digital workplace actually is depends on both the level of security offered by the provider as well as the ability of you and your team to ensure access is carefully controlled. While you can do your homework when choosing a digital workplace to use, it is your on-going commitment to maintaining this security through your own actions that will make a real difference to you.
You should think about:

•    Who needs access to your digital workspace
•    The level of access they need
•    How often they need access
•    Who manages this access

Considering these points and having a plan in place will not only keep your workspace secure but enable you to isolate problems and easily investigate issues when they occur.

Does it Make a Difference?
A digital workplace doesn’t have to be forever, so this question is one to ask after you’ve tried one out and been able to assess how it has changed how you operate. The degree to which a digital workplace makes your business operations easier will depend on the platforms you use. A file sharing platform will have a different impact to a board portal software package, which again may offer something different to a project management platform.

If you are making the most of all the features you are able to use, whatever the platform, then you will be able to assess with some confidence whether or not it is truly making a difference. Not having to send numerous emails with attached files to gain feedback, being able to hold paperless meetings with remote board members across the world, or centralize planning a project in one secure location, all has the potential to make your life easier. Are you seeing a difference in your business?

Working and Meeting in a Secure Digital Workplace
Whatever digital workplace you use, or are planning to use, in your business, ensure it meets your needs so you are able to enjoy the biggest range of benefits. A well-chosen platform can transform your business operations and help you unlock huge efficiency gains, give you a competitive advantage and turn your business into an even more modern and forward-thinking organization.

author
Alexandrea Roman is a staff writer for Azeus Convene, rated the world’s number one collaboration software by the CrowdReviews.com community. Azeus Convene was developed to serve the needs of boards and management teams around the world. Our focus on user experience, combined with our technology expertise, has allowed Convene to become the preferred meeting software for FTSE 100, Fortune 500, governments and organizations in over 30 countries across the globe.