New Survey Reveals Evolving Priorities for IT Leadership

Survey reveals IT leaders’ focus: maximizing efficiency, enhancing digital employee experience, and simplifying complex projects for impactful outcomes.

Many enterprise IT leaders say that delivering a better digital employee experience (DEX) is a top priority, given its impact on productivity, employee morale, and other areas. But many companies do not yet have enough visibility across the IT landscape to understand the relationship between digital tools and the employee experience, including productivity. As a result, companies may be falling short when it comes to managing the digital workplace and providing an exceptional experience for their employees. 

Recently, Lakeside Software surveyed IT leaders about their priorities, so we could better understand how decision-makers really feel about DEX, and what challenges and opportunities they’re facing in today’s workplace. Following are a few of the top insights from the survey.

Doing More with Less: The New Normal

Given today’s economic uncertainties, it’s no surprise that 65% of IT leaders identified “doing more with less” as their top priority. Managers are under pressure to streamline operations while still using tech to maintain productivity and employee satisfaction. But how do you accomplish that? The key lies in understanding which digital tools employees are actually using—and which ones aren’t pulling their weight.

One way to eliminate unnecessary software bloat and avoid costly hardware purchases is to use endpoint data to analyze usage. Companies that regularly collect performance and usage data from all endpoints—including laptops, desktops, digital kiosks, and handheld devices—can use insights from that data to evaluate device health and identify potential IT pitfalls before they become major issues.

For example, a New York-based bank evaluated usage patterns and machine stresses using endpoint data. To their surprise, they discovered they needed to replace only a fraction of the 7,000 laptops they had initially planned to refresh. Based on an average laptop price of $1,500 each, this finding alone uncovered a savings opportunity worth about $9.6 million. This type of data-driven approach not only helps companies do more with less, but it also helps them prevent wasteful spending, freeing up resources for other initiatives.

Enhancing the Digital Employee Experience

Improving the digital employee experience is a win-win. A better DEX leads to higher employee engagement and satisfaction, which, in turn, boosts productivity and retention. These are a few of the reasons why 45% of the leaders in our IT survey said they’re focused on enhancing the digital experience for their employees. 

This finding reflects the national trend of prioritizing DEX. As Gartner® predicted, “by 2025, 50% of IT organizations will have established a digital employee experience strategy, team and management tool, an increase from 5% in 2021.” Investing in DEX is a smart choice, given the link between employee satisfaction and the digital experience, and the fact that replacing an employee can cost you approximately 33% of their base pay.

One of the newer (and more effective) ways to enhance DEX is by using artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics to monitor endpoint data, empowering IT teams to identify and resolve potential problems before they turn into widespread disruptions. “Data insights based on high-quality endpoint data can inform IT of incipient problems, so they can address the issues before they affect the employee or end-user experience,” as the survey report explains. This proactive approach prevents costly downtime and employee frustration.

Simplifying Complex IT Projects

Rounding out the top three priorities for IT leaders is a desire to simplify IT projects. Simplification can boost operational efficiency and reduce risks associated with project complexity, so companies can act quickly. But how do you start?

For many IT leaders, the first step is gaining as much visibility as possible across the IT estate. Start by establishing baselines, which you can then use to measure the impact of changes. As the survey report noted, “Enterprises can simplify IT projects only with the complete visibility the IT team needs to set baselines before any IT transformation project.”

After you establish baselines, use endpoint monitoring to gain real-time data, especially during pilot phases. With these initiatives in place, your IT team can monitor how projects are progressing, identify any issues early on, track the impact of IT changes via dashboards, and make necessary adjustments before rolling out changes on a larger scale—all of which reduce your risk and keep your team focused (and on budget).

The Path Forward: Embracing Visibility and Proactive Leadership

Whether it’s doing more with less, enhancing the digital employee experience, or simplifying complex IT projects, having a complete view of the digital landscape is the key. Visibility isn’t a luxury anymore; instead, it is a necessity for IT leaders who want to achieve their priorities, navigate an increasingly digital world, and deliver the ultimate digital employee experience.

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