What is a workspace?
A workspace is a technology framework that brings together all the applications, tools, and resources needed to get work done and collaborate securely, personalized for every individual in a digital world. It meets the needs of the modern hybrid workforce by enabling work to get done anywhere on any device—unifying and enhancing app delivery, access control, and security while removing friction and context switching.
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What characterizes an effective workspace?
A successful workspace is one that unifies, secures, and simplifies work.
Unified by bringing together reliable access to applications of all types, including Windows, web, SaaS, and mobile apps, as well as all work resources and workflows across any work channel or location—in the office, on the road, or at home.
Secure by protecting the data while maximizing user experience. Secure access service edge (SASE) security policies integrate with mobile and endpoint management solutions, protecting data regardless of the device. It includes security features such as single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication, secure browsing, and a zero trust framework.
Simple by providing an intelligent experience that uses automation to guide and streamline work execution. This empowers employees and teams to be productive and engaged by removing friction and busy work so they can perform at their best.
What are the features of an effective workspace?
Effective workspaces provide:
- Interconnectivity: An effective digital workspace includes a strong content collaboration system. By connecting and unifying disparate data repositories, it’s easy to find and share content, data and media with other stakeholders.
- Simplified work: When you remove complexity and disruption and unify work with an intelligent workspace, it creates a more focused environment so people can perform and collaborate at their best.
- A security and governance framework: A well-defined governance framework is a key part of an effective workspace. This enforces the implementation of security concepts such as the principle of least privilege. A proper governance program arranges different levels of responsibilities according to the stakeholder’s role and the organization’s culture. This ensures everyone has access to the content and connections strictly necessary to do their job. Most workspaces also use established security practices such as two-step authentication and role-based access.
- An optimized user experience: Focused on simplicity and intuitive by design, a digital workspace should match the experience users get with consumer-driven technology. When a workspace is easy to use and personalize, it allows users to get started quickly and get work done.
GUIDE
A user’s guide to desktop as a service
Learn how to build your ideal digital workspace with desktop as a service (DaaS) solutions.
Increased employee engagement
The better the employee experience, the more engaged employees are in their work. At many companies, employees find their work is often stalled by having to log into multiple systems, apps, and devices. An intelligent space eliminates these obstacles and distractions, increasing employee engagement.
Business continuity
An effective workspace is one that ensures your company can continue operations even in times of crisis. Employees need to be able to work from anywhere without disruptions in their work. Intelligent digital workspaces make this possible by empowering employees to collaborate from any location, on any device.
Lower costs
A digital workspace uses machine learning to streamline and automate workflows. This saves employees from wasting time on repetitive tasks, such as creating reports. As a result, there is an increase in productivity and a reduction in overhead costs. Employees can also enjoy more flexible work by personalizing workflows and creating micro solutions to solve specific problems. An intelligent workspace simplifies managing and securing multiple apps and devices for the IT team as well, including remote data management.
Better security
The increasing number of people working remotely is also increasing the risk for compromised accounts. Permissions and privileges can be a tangled mess when dealing with multiple devices in multiple places. A cloud-based intelligent workspace improves security by offering single sign-on for every app and file across devices, thereby minimizing the range of exposure. Additionally, a central interface combined with user behavior analytics gives IT complete visibility into how data and applications are used in the company so they can manage role-based permissions easily.
Who should use a workspace?
Workspaces can be helpful for multiple use cases, and their applications grow every day. Below are the most popular uses for workspaces:
- To support remote work: Remote work has increased significantly in recent years. Companies are shifting to digital work environments to operate more efficiently and effectively while ensuring employees are productive when working from remote locations. A workspace offers a single platform where organizations can communicate, manage, and complete tasks, without struggling with different integrations.
- To secure sensitive information: Employees working on proprietary technology and sensitive information can assure that information is secure and accessible to relevant team members only. Research teams from different departments or organizations can also work together. These new cross-organizational teams, joined by a common project, benefit from a single working environment that ties common resources together and integrates disparate workflows.
- To employ freelancers and contractors: Many organizations employ freelancers and contractors for various tasks, and many need access to company applications and data. Workspaces ensure data security by only allowing access to company information and resources that are necessary for the job.
Citrix digital workspace solutions
With Citrix, you can:
- Improve how people work by unifying content, apps, and data into a unified, personal experience—and increase productivity by automating tasks and streamlining workflows.
- Reduce security risk by protecting all applications and data with a zero-trust model approach. Single sign-on options and role-based access allows your company to give employees access to what they need securely.
- Modernize IT with DaaS, workflow automation, and the ability to surface all apps and actions in a modern, consumer-like experience.
- Optimize the user experience by providing a fast, secure, reliable experience for all users.
