Exploring the Evolution of Digital Workplace Monitoring

How is monitoring for the workplace evolving?

The Virtual Workplace Evolution (VWE) stands as one of Germany’s of the largest desktop events, where customers, partners and vendors convene to exchange experiences and share insights on the digital workplace. The special feature of this event is the networking aspect. In presentations, companies share their strategies on how they are tackling current challenges, while solution providers showcase how their technologies are evolving.

Employee experience is omnipresent

The significance of employee experience permeated throughout the event. Companies such as Lufthansa, one of the largest airlines in Europe, have reported how they have transitioned from outsourcing to insourcing, leveraging cloud technologies and standardization for the workplace. In doing so, it has become increasingly clear how important it is to involve employees and stakeholders in the process. TUI Group, a German leisure, travel and tourism company which has realigned its global infrastructure for a hybrid workplace, also emphasized the importance of close stakeholder alignment.

Instead of relying on Microsoft 365, Kärcher, a leading manufacturer of commercial, industrial and consumer cleaning equipment, started using Google Workspace. This transition was executed swiftly yet cautiously, ensuring the inclusion of employees throughout the process.

User Experience Monitoring has arrived on the market

In addition to many companies, a number of software vendors were also represented at the VWE. Among them, the User Experience Monitoring sector had a strong presence, with representatives from ControlUp, Nexthink and Alluvio by Riverbed. A few years prior, Alluvio Aternity was the sole User Experience Monitoring vendor present at VWE. This surge in representation stems from the fact that considering user experience and employee experience has become indispensable for the successful implementation of IT projects, making this type of monitoring increasingly prevalent on the market.

Monitoring evolves into observability for the desktop

However, traditional user experience monitoring also has its limitations, and Alluvio Aternity in particular is at the forefront of addressing these constraints. Collecting data from end devices and enriching it with survey data, if necessary, is no longer enough. To successfully plan and implement IT projects, the needle must be found in the “haystack” of data. IT must have a clear understanding of what it is looking for. The same is true when companies troubleshoot with desktop monitoring tools. While the data is there, it must be enriched and interpreted using expert knowledge.

My presentation at the VWE highlighted that the future of employee and user experience monitoring lies in observability. Data may need to be enriched from other systems and automatically pre-analyzed and given context so that companies can derive the necessary added value from it. Observability also enables proactive interaction with the data, such as using flow charts to define which actions should be executed when analyzing or resolving specific situations.

Observability and IT data can support ESG and sustainability initiatives

This observability and IT data can also be leveraged to support ESG and sustainability goals. For instance, User Experience Monitoring data can indicate whether an end device remains operational throughout the night without any interaction or active computing work. With this data, various actions can be automatically triggered.

For example, in case the employee only switched off the monitor and left the workstation, the data constellation can be used to automatically execute actions. For instance:

• The employee can receive a pop-up or survey the next day, reminding them to shut down their computer at night to conserve energy.
• Additionally, IT could offer an automatic configuration change to put the computer to sleep when not in use for an extended period.

IT can also perform automatic evaluations to determine in advance how much energy or CO₂ can be saved through this feature.

Extend PC lifecycle to 5 to 7 years

HP, as a device manufacturer, addressed ESG and sustainability at the VWE, and demonstrated that workplace devices can be utilized for up to 7 years, thereby reducing the CO₂ footprint. Colleagues also emphasized the importance of ensuring that the PC’s performance does not adversely affect the user experience. This is precisely where observability plays a crucial role. The video below, “IT Asset Cost Reduction for Digital Workplace Teams,” gives a glimpse into the possibilities:

Until next year

The next Virtual Workplace Evolution takes place on June 19-21, 2024 in Berlin. We are already looking forward to reconnecting with our colleagues and industry peers for an inspiring exchange of experiences!