Provider contracts now being governed by User Experience Level Agreements (XLAs)
ISG Provider Lens™ reports assess 41 global, 29 U.S. digital workplace services providers
Enterprises are turning to digital technologies and leveraging change management to transform their workplace environments – not only to improve the user experience of current employees, but to attract new talent, according to a new research report from Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
The latest ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant report examines how technology and service provider offerings are evolving to address the "Digital Workplace of the Future." More and more enterprises, the report found, are putting the end-user first – using analytics, automation and design thinking to segment and understand employee needs by "user personas" and identify technology gaps before launching workplace transformation programs.
"Consulting services with a design-thinking approach are being used to define the parameters of end-user experience, which are then being used to measure the effectiveness and return on investment of digital workplace transformation initiatives," said Esteban Herrera, partner and global head of ISG Research. "Increasingly, the success of digital workplace programs is being defined by how well business goals align with user needs, rather than just by productivity and cost savings."
The ISG report noted digital workplace services contracts increasingly are being governed by end-user experience level agreements (XLAs), rather than traditional service level agreements (SLAs).
Beyond consulting services, enterprises are turning to providers for a range of digital workplace managed services in such areas as service desk, mobility, unified communication and collaboration, cloud-based desktop virtualization and Workplace-as-a-Service (WaaS) solutions.
ISG finds analytics increasingly are being used to monitor systems, devices and applications to reduce incidents, while AI-enabled virtual agents, or chatbots, and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are being used to improve end-user support and service desk efficiency. An automated service desk, ISG says, can manage 46 percent more end users than a traditional one.
Enterprises also are making mobility an integral part of their workplace ecosystems and are looking for providers that can integrate workflows with back-end systems. Managed mobility services provide secure and managed access for mobile devices, including the next generation of wearable IoT devices. ISG notes mobility solutions are becoming more industry-specific, with providers catering their services to such industries as manufacturing, retail, healthcare and banking.
In the area of Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC), enterprises are turning to cloud-based solutions, such as Skype for Business and Google Hangouts, to provide integrated VoIP, video and chat. Enterprise demand for social collaboration solutions is soaring, and companies also are looking for providers to help them digitize their office environments to enhance productivity and collaboration among employees.
Demand also is on the rise for cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions that allow employees to access data and applications on any device. Enterprises are considering cost-effective thin clients such as Google Chrome to enable anytime, anywhere access with virtual desktops. The next wave in cloud workspaces will be delivered through WaaS offerings that can significantly reduce enterprise capital spending, ISG said.
With the proliferation of applications and devices, enterprises are seeking Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solutions to manage access to the workplace environment. UEM solutions are expected to provide a one-stop shop for enterprise IT, end user and mobility management.
The ISG Provider Lens "Digital Workplace of the Future" Quadrant Report evaluates 41 global providers across eight quadrants: Digital Workplace Consulting; Managed Digital Workplace Services (Large Accounts); Enterprise Mobility Management Services (Large Accounts); Managed Digital Workplace and Mobile Enterprise Services (Midmarket); Unified Communication and Collaboration Services; Cloud-Based VDI Services, Cloud Workspace (WaaS) and Unified Endpoint Management Solutions. DXC, HCL, IBM and Wipro stood out by being named global leaders in five of the eight quadrants.
A related report from ISG evaluates 29 digital workplace providers serving the U.S. market across eight quadrants. In the U.S. report, the global quadrants for VDI, WaaS and UEM services are replaced by three industry-specific digital workplace services quadrants: Health Care and Life Sciences; Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, and Retail. Wipro was the only provider to be named a leader in seven of the eight quadrants. DXC and HCL were named leaders in six quadrants, while Accenture and Cognizant were named leaders in five.
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