A recent study by Gallup revealed that 85 percent of employees worldwide are not engaged at work. In the U.S., 65 percent are disengaged. Top-line contributions from innovation and bottom-line contributions from potential efficiency gains are at risk when a company lacks an engaged workforce. In contrast, those companies that deliver a great employee experience are twice as innovative as those that don’t, and have 25 percent greater profitability, according to 2017 MIT Sloan Center research. Importantly, such companies also provide higher levels of customer satisfaction. If to work essentially ..read more

The COVID-19 crisis shed light on the fact that many companies weren’t as prepared as they had thought to continue mission-critical IT activities during an emergency. Now, as they begin to adjust to the new normal, they’re looking closely at how they can build more robust and resilient business operations and the supporting technology infrastructure — and how to connect all its pieces together in a simplified and modernized IT estate. In many companies, “digital island” infrastructure has been the status quo. Business units may have been working with the right technologies but independently of ..read more

Business continuity is a topic that doesn’t draw much attention until times like, well, today. Even companies with comprehensive plans are finding vulnerabilities revealed by the explosive spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the subsequent global pandemic it has triggered. Few would have anticipated the massive size and/or speed of disruptions that have fractured global supply chains or lockdown orders that have created a remote workforce nearly overnight. What lessons can businesses draw now that may help companies prepare for more uncertainty in the days to come — and in the futur ..read more

The payments ecosystem has witnessed a blossoming of digital innovation in recent times, from the back-end infrastructure to the point of sale. Now, ‘big tech’ is entering the fray. This episode featured on THRIVE examines the potential impact of the digitization of payments, with reference to the UK, where many payments innovations have been adopted sooner than most. Host Pete Swabey is joined by Adrian Buckle, head of research for trade association UK Finance; Steve Everett, managing director of payments for global transaction banking at Lloyds Banking Group; and Fiona Roach Canning, co-fou ..read more

“We now have all the technology we need to build the most modern enterprise.”   Dan Hushon, senior vice president and chief technology officer at DXC Technology, drives innovation strategy and growth for DXC’s solutions and ensures technology excellence. He is responsible for defining DXC’s technology vision and advocating for it with clients. He also serves as DXC’s executive sponsor of AT&T and Microsoft. Dan has more than 20 years of experience delivering technology-differentiated solutions, including leadership positions at EMC and Sun Microsystems.     Q: We’re no ..read more

The thought of spending time brainstorming new ideas, sketching out product features or debating the merits of an improved process seems like a luxury we can’t afford right now. In truth, the process of innovation is more essential than ever. Think about it — innovation is about finding value in doing things better or differently. And right now, every company needs to find ways to do both. Sometimes that means making rapid changes to do the same things in a new way, like supporting remote workers at home. In other cases, companies are turning their business models upside down to better serve c ..read more

In an emergency situation, it doesn’t matter if you’ve equipped employees with the latest smartphone, the fastest laptops, or dropped gigabit fiber into their homes. All of the technology in the world won’t keep your workflow moving if an employee can’t remember his or her VPN password. That’s why business continuity plans that make provisions for the capacity, security, and access tools that employees need for remote work must also adequately account for another critical element: The employees themselves. It’s easy to fixate on the technology layer in a continuity plan. But the full benefit o ..read more

Whether dealing with the current coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis or anticipating a future natural disaster, organizations need to prepare for emergencies that require employees to suddenly switch from a corporate environment to a home office. Even once the crisis arrives, organizations might have to drastically adjust their plans to address the scale required. Continuity plans must encompass not only the technology required to keep the business up and running, but also the human aspect — making sure employees are well-trained and prepared to work remotely. As the size of the remote workforce sud ..read more

One source of relief from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is that the collaboration technology needed for working from home is surprisingly ready for prime time. Many people are being asked to work from home as a way to help flatten the curve of the disease’s spread and, fortunately, many can. The collaborative technology they need is no longer new or unfamiliar. Software and services such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom Rooms, Basecamp, Asana, Slack and Google Meet have become familiar tools, giving many people the confidence to work remotely. That said, transitioning to a new, more remote workf ..read more

Is digital transformation dead? Judging by the attendees of IDC’s European Digital Executive Summit, the answer is very definitely “no.” IDC runs the annual summit specifically for executives leading digital transformation. In 2019, IDC hosted about 60 executives from European organizations over 2 days at a range of interactive workshops, roundtable sessions and talks. This time — a little tongue-in-cheek — the event was subtitled: “The Last Digital Summit?” IDC’s chief analyst for Europe, Phil Carter, provocatively asked: Is it time to stop talking about digital transformation? Is it dead? An ..read more