Why outsource the workplace?
The title asks an important question. It's always important to understand why you do things. Anyone who doesn't is acting on trends just because many others are doing things a certain way = herd behaviour. No harm in herd behaviour, it's a decision-making method that has evolved over millions of years and is based on the idea that if everyone else is doing a certain way then it's probably not so bad, so I do the same. But we also know that herd behaviour has its downsides. The winners after x number of financial crises are those who did the opposite of what the "herd" did.
Company needs
But enough about Darwin's theory... Understanding the needs of the company is of course fundamental, I think everyone understands that. But WHAT the business needs is not just an IT issue, but even more so a business issue.
- How does the company want users to work?
- What times of day do staff use their computers?
- What are the consequences of disruptions, for each part of the company?
- Is there a minimum common denominator in terms of functionality?
- How are the company's activities financed today, and what needs should guide them in the future?
The more you work with this type of analysis, the more you realise that needs are driven by the business, while solutions are driven by IT, and company financing is driven by management and decided by the CFO.
The need for internal IT
The needs of the business basically determine which software components and service levels apply. WHAT the solution for this package should look like is the next step. Should the company develop and manage the platform itself, with all that this implies in terms of skills and resources? Should the company have its own staffed helpdesk?
Many issues arise, but these "IT issues" also affect the business in an abstract sense, in that the resources invested in the workplace often have the consequence that the corresponding resources cannot be invested in developing IT based on the core business of the company, for example digitisation of various services towards its customers or rationalisation of internal processes.
Company financing
The financing of a company determines much of its development and growth. Without money, for example, it is difficult to keep your products up to date in the face of increasing competition.
The financing of the workplace thus often becomes an important parameter in this context. Is there enough money to develop the company and at the same time finance computers, for example? Whether or not the workplace should be seen as an operational cost is therefore also a question that needs to be addressed.
In summary
Depending on the size of the company, the needs of the company's users and the reasonable requirements for such a service, work can start on developing a solution. The solution can then be broken down into its component parts, with a decision made as to who will do what, or whether an external provider should do it all.
In the next post, we will go deeper into what a solution might look like in practice based on the different needs that might exist. The goal, of course, is an efficient and functional workplace with happy users.
On hearing back!
Friends at AddPro
