In the interview with Oliver Wilhelmi, Managing Director and Managing Partner at Energy Net, a subsidiary of the Econocom Group.
He provides companies with actionable recommendations on how workplaces should evolve or change now and in the coming years to create optimal conditions for employees in terms of productivity. However, the corresponding measures must always also be viewed from a societal and technological perspective.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Mr. Wilhelmi, anyone thinking about effective workplace design for tomorrow must also consider the constant evolution of technology and society. In this context, what, in your view, defines the workplace of the future—or the digital workspace?
Oliver Wilhelmi: Today, we can no longer focus solely on the specific task for which a workplace is designed. Instead, we must view the digital workspace holistically, considering all aspects of the company and society. A wide range of mobile, innovative workplace concepts—such as co-working spaces, think tanks, home offices, and the abandonment of fixed workstations—reflects the changing needs of employees. Today’s workforce seeks a more meaningful, needs-oriented daily routine with flexible working hours and, above all, location independence. As an employer, I also want to ensure maximum performance and availability of a workplace. This makes it clear that the workplace will change even more than we can currently imagine, and it will be subject to a reciprocal process of societal change. The merging of work and personal life as an individual necessitates innovative products and smart technical solutions.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What trends do you see in the area of Enterprise Mobility and the Digital Workspace?
Oliver Wilhelmi: Employees have increasingly high expectations for their workplace and the tools provided by their employer. This means that information must be accessible on all devices. A project started on one device must be seamlessly and in real time continued on another. Making this possible in a simple, intuitive way without excessive regulation is the future of tomorrow’s workplace. Here, the boundaries between mobile and stationary infrastructure are blurring. Combined with augmented and virtual reality, companies gain entirely new interaction possibilities for their process and value chains, as well as beyond the digital workplace and digital customer contact. Diverse application scenarios are rapidly emerging, as seen in the use of wearables in various work processes.
Entscheider kompakt: What do you consider to be the most important current (technological/market-related) developments in this area?
Oliver Wilhelmi: Above all, there is currently rapid development in the field of Augmented Reality (AR). Apple’s ARKit 3 clearly demonstrates this and places the user at the center. For example, with Motion Capture, developers can integrate human movements into their app, and with People Occlusion, AR content can be displayed in a natural way in front of or behind people. AR experiences thus become even more immersive. These developments are also making their way into our working world and enabling joint sessions with which you can dive even faster into shared AR experiences.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What are currently the biggest challenges for companies in terms of Enterprise Mobility or Digital Workspace?
Oliver Wilhelmi: The digital workspace will have to prove that it meets the growing expectations of companies and their employees, and employees will quickly turn away if they are disappointed—regardless of the reason. That’s why it’s particularly important that we specifically address their needs, meet familiar technical expectations, and allow interaction between tasks, workplace, and company goals. This must then be integrated into corporate culture and processes without losing sight of important security aspects that are critical to the respective company. This is the challenge that needs to be overcome. Ultimately, it’s about the satisfaction of our customers as a company and their employees. I am convinced that companies that prepare for the most diverse changes in collaboration will secure competitive advantages and, in addition, save costs.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: How do you support users or partners in implementing Enterprise Mobility and/or Digital Workspace projects?
Oliver Wilhelmi: It goes without saying that the productivity of workflows can be significantly increased with the help of Enterprise Mobility. However, certain framework conditions should be created for this. Especially in large and growth-oriented companies with many mobile employees, effective IT management is relevant. In this context, it is increasingly important today to minimize security risks in order to prevent unauthorized access by third parties to internal, confidential data and information. Here, we provide our customers with numerous solutions for Enterprise Mobility Management, including technologies for Data Loss Prevention. The specific needs of the customer can be determined through targeted workshops and awareness training. It is important to involve the employees of our customers early in the process. We support and accompany our customers in every project phase, from the initial analysis and design phase to implementation. During rollout and rollback phases, we provide the necessary materials and services in a timely and efficient manner.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What solutions does your company offer in this area?
Oliver Wilhelmi: We offer our customers services in all areas of their IT infrastructure. Starting from the design of a solution, through implementation, to handling all operational tasks required. However, our customers can of course also simply use our classic system house distribution, and we provide them with the necessary devices on time and within the agreed deadlines.
As a strong local solution partner, but also established across Europe through our affiliation with the Econocom Group, we have been specializing in the integration of solutions for Apple workplaces for over 25 years. While other system integrators still cling to outdated IT concepts, we have focused on sustainable and future-oriented solutions that form the basis for the modern, mobile workplace.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: What USPs or added values does your solution offer to user companies?
Oliver Wilhelmi: On the one hand, as a medium-sized system house, Energy Net offers our customers the agility and creativity of a medium-sized company, and on the other hand, the structures and processes of a Europe-wide operating corporate group. Apple products are becoming increasingly important for companies, and thus the demand for iPhones, iPads, and Macs—which need to be provided, set up, configured, and secured—is growing. Apart from Microsoft or VMWare management solutions, at Energy Net we primarily rely on a solution specifically developed for the integration and management of Apple devices.
DIGITAL FUTUREmag: We thank you for your pioneering assessments and advice on workplace optimization.
In collaboration with editor: Sarah Böttcher