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04.07.2019 | News Essential Features of the Digital Workplace

When talking about the digital workplace, images of a futuristic office with holographic screens appear before the inner eye. In the real word, the digital workplace is much simpler though no less efficient. Search specialist IntraFind explains exactly what distinguishes the Digital Workplace.

When digital natives come into the job market, the digital workplace will be a major point in the competition for qualified employees. Generation Z requires intuitive technologies at their workstations that enable them to communicate with others, and obtain information easily. IntraFind, the specialist in Enterprise Search and Natural Language Processing, defines five aspects that make up the digital workplace:

1. A central working platform bundles the individual programs
The ideal digital workplace is a central information and work platform that combines data from all software systems used. With additional applications - e.g. for project management or the simple processing of vacation requests - the platform can be adapted to the individual requirements of the companies. At the same time, each employee receives a personalized dashboard in which he can find all relevant functions and his daily tasks. The work is done directly from the dashboard, eliminating the need to switch between programs. Enterprise Search solutions enable employees to search all connected applications and data sources from the portal so that they do not have to search each source separately when actively searching for information and documents.

2. Cross-departmental work instead of silo thinking
The digital workplace focuses on the collaboration of people in teams, projects or groups in virtual spaces. Social collaboration tools ensure that communication is clearly structured and organized. Documents can also be shared with colleagues. However, this is not just about the technical platform, but about the best way for employees to work together. Successful pilot projects, automated help systems or explanatory videos, for example, help to reduce reservations in this respect. In addition, management must set an example of change and serve as a role model for employees.

3. Results are more important than physical presence
The digital workplace supports flexible ways of working such as home office by centralizing the required information. Employees can work where they feel comfortable and productive. This increases both satisfaction and motivation, allowing companies to benefit not only from the advantages of competing for the most promising talent, but also from increased employee efficiency and productivity. The digital workplace thus focuses on the result of the work instead of the physical presence.

4. Artificial intelligence supports the employee
Artificial intelligence performs routine tasks in the digital workplace by retrieving information from documents, messages, and other sources and processing it independently, for example by forwarding incoming e-mails from a collective mailbox to the responsible colleague. It learns from the behavior and decisions of the employees and reacts automatically in case of repetition. Employees are thus relieved of their workload and can focus more on their actual work. Enterprise search applications also use Natural Language Processing (NLP), for example, to automatically enrich search results with additional information, or organize the hit list on the basis of usage-based relevance.

5. Data security is critical
A holistic security concept is indispensable in the digital workplace. With an enterprise search solution, for example, employees can only view the information to which they have access rights by checking permissions. In addition, solutions such as Identity and Access Management (IAM) help organizations manage access rights to data so they can track who accesses which information and when. They also need to encrypt data on the server itself and during transport. In addition, container solutions ensure security on mobile devices. This approach protects companies from data leaks or deliberate data theft.

"In the digital workplace, intelligent tools make it possible to find information from different data silos and relate it to each other," explains Franz Kögl, CEO of IntraFind. "Enterprise search solutions as a central knowledge infrastructure in the backend also enrich existing processes, for example by analyzing the digitalized inbox, forwarding support tickets to the responsible helpdesk employees or automatically recognizing confidential information or deletion deadlines. This reduces the workload of employees and allows them to concentrate on more important tasks".