Securing work devices anywhere between home and office

When the Covid-19 pandemic ripped through our lives like a whirlwind, it seemed as though everything in work – from where we worked to the technology we used – was being upended. Now, almost two years after the first lockdown, the dust is finally settling but the future of work remains up in the air.

To-ing and fro-ing camps debate the pros and cons of remote work, leaving the rest of us in a spin and unsure as to what the future will bring or how to plan for it.

Finbarr O’Riordan, sales director at Typetec, said that however businesses choose to go forward, one thing that is clear at least is that IT devices remain crucial.

When it comes to choosing devices, he said, the two issues that stand out for many businesses are portability in the form of weight and the ability to secure them in any environment.

“Portability and security are the two biggest issues for businesses when it comes to devices today. Laptops, particularly, are critical,” he said.

Typetec’s device-as-a-service (DaaS) clients ask not only about network security, however: access control and physically securing devices are also on the agenda. Data, typically, is stored in the cloud, meaning even the theft of a device does not result in leakage.

Ready to go

Another area of great interest is Typetec’s ability to deliver machines that are already configured ready to go, right out of the box. Known as ‘zero touch’, this cuts out a lot of labour for businesses as laptops, tablets and phones arrive in the hands of users with all of the necessary applications already installed and no need for manual network or security configuration.

“Physical security on the device is important, as is how we set it up. ‘Zero touch’ really is a massive thing,” O’Riordan said.

Though they experienced it in 2020 and 2021, most workplaces have not settled on making fully remote work a permanent feature. As a result, something of a return to the office is under way and this brings with it additional complexities with regard to devices: they need to be able to work everywhere.

“It’s a hybrid approach that is most common,” said O'Riordan.

While the past two years have proved remote work is doable, many people seem to want to seek out work-life balance.

“We’ve seen the shift with a move back toward the office, driven mostly by cultural factors rather than the technical side, it has to be said. People miss their colleagues,” he said.

This has resulted in increasing interest in moving to a DaaS model, he said, as it provides devices that are both usable and can be secure in every environment.

Typetec adds configuration, support, consultancy, deployment and lifecycle management to devices. The service can also help meet legal and regulatory requirements by providing reporting on patching and virus scanning.

“It brings real flexibility to hybrid working. You can use it at home, on the train, or in work, and it’s always the same experience,” O’Riordan said.

In addition, DaaS is also viewed as cost-effective – an increasingly important factor in an inflationary environment that many observers think could lead to an economic downturn.

Instead of spending thousands in capital expenditure, the DaaS subscription model can spread out costs, and have devices arrive set up and fully licensed for the software a business uses.

“The other aspect is we see a big focus from the finance side of businesses. There’s a big squeeze on and people want costs to be lower and to be predictable,” O’Riordan said.

“The potential for a downturn is making people focus on their costs.”