Attracting and retaining top talent is a growing concern across industries, leading companies to invest more in technologies that enhance workforce engagement and satisfaction. According to “The 2019 State of IT” Spiceworks report, end-user needs are a top driver for 57% of new hardware, software and service purchases made by North American businesses.
That’s because today’s employees expect their devices to deliver a consumer-like experience that mirrors how they interact with technology in their personal lives. For a business to successfully achieve this outcome — and support delivery of the one-of-a-kind, boutique experiences consumers crave — its workforce needs the ability to work from anywhere, on any device and operating system, at any time.
Expanding IT responsibility
But the struggle to achieve these goals is changing the role of IT within the organization. Technology outcomes are more closely tied to business outcomes. And now, every employee is connected in some way — placing higher demands on IT teams and infrastructure. These demands can take a heavy toll, leaving IT organizations strapped for time and resources.
Nowhere is this strain more apparent than at enterprises supporting a heterogeneous mix of new and legacy environments. In many of these organizations, the anywhere-anytime workforce has become the norm, tying a diverse and growing number of devices to the network.
Any single point of failure can quickly become a security liability, derail employee productivity or sour the customer experience if not promptly identified and resolved. Because of this, simply maintaining day-to-day operations can significantly detract from more innovative or strategic business objectives.
Yet, according to the “Tech Trends 2019” report from Deloitte, “There is an increasingly critical need to reorient technology teams around product and business outcomes, shifting effort and resources away from rote, repetitive, low-value activities that dominate energies in many IT organizations.”
IT leaders agree. The “2019 CIO Survey Report” by Grant Thornton found that 81% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) say the role of IT is to “drive innovation or modernization programs.”1
The report concludes, “Today’s CIOs understand that the role of the IT organization is more than a back-office cost center, responsible for keeping systems running and reporting run times. IT organizations are a critical component of developing and executing business strategy.”
How managed service providers fill the gaps
As CIOs and IT organizations become more focused on strategic business initiatives, IT leaders are looking for ways to make their resources stretch much further to continue meeting everyday operational needs. That’s leading to a big shift in how enterprises manage workplace technology.
Rather than relying solely on internal teams, more organizations are turning to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to handle routine IT tasks. MSPs can supplement IT operational processes such as procurement, device and license provisioning, end-user support, systems management, security, and end-of-lifecycle disposal and refresh.
Adoption of these managed workplace services is on the rise. A study by Mordor Intelligence predicts the global MSP market will grow from $193 billion in 2019 to $296 billion in 2023 (see Figure 1).