IT To Dos:

  • Prepare for a massive shift to remote work for employees across the organization.
    • Anticipate the needs of all users, and deliver an experience comparable to their office environment.
    • Be sure to maintain security posture, and make certain all users are able to connect to various systems needed to maintain productivity.

If this was on your IT department’s whiteboard in December 2019, we need to plan a trip to a casino together.

While none could have imagined the global impact the pandemic has had, some healthcare organizations were fortunate to have the right tools before the crisis struck. Ivanti recently hosted a webinar panel discussion with members of Houston’s Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and Houston Methodist, during which IT leaders from these hospitals discussed their rapid transition to remote work. Take a listen, and you’ll hear them speak about Ivanti solutions they were using to maximize user productivity and keep staff connected before the pandemic. I won’t spoil your listening, but there were a few themes you won’t want to miss:

Making the Home Office… Home?

Moving 80% of the workforce to remote isn’t a small task. Panelists from Kelsey-Seybold Clinics described an IT environment that is 95% non-persistent, heavily dependent on connections to virtual systems. Personalization capabilities offered by Ivanti User Workspace Manager were valuable under routine circumstances, so users could log out and log back in across devices. When the shift to remote work happened, it became more critical to make sure users had that same experience not just across devices, but now off campus. These healthcare organizations were able to deliver. What did users miss? The office printer. A few changes to some group policies resolved this.

Optimizing the WFH Experience

Houston Methodist spoke of the focus on maintaining good user experiences across board. User Workspace Manager helped them make sure one user’s device couldn’t compromise the experience of other using reaching the same systems. Speaking of experience, the login performance was another gauge of value. Kelsey-Seybold panelists discussed the importance of maintaining fast logins even while workers are remote. They reported logins at about 30-seconds, consistent with the in-office experience. What the shift to remote work would have been like without Ivanti? While these IT leaders had seen other solutions where logins took four or five minutes, they know their users: if login times crept up toward 45 seconds, users would have noticed.

In a pandemic, few industries have greater urgency on making sure their remote workers remain productive. These healthcare organizations were able to recognize the value of their Ivanti deployment, and turn it into an advantage when faced with an unimaginable challenge. Give a listen to their stories in our webinar, and I bet you’ll discover ways to improve the remote work experience for your own users. Stay well!