Over the past three years, headlines have swung between “The Office is Dead” and “The Great Return” – a seemingly endless debate about the future of work. And data shows that hybrid working is still the preferred model for almost half of all UK workers, at 47%. Instead of being ideologically locked into the “office”, wouldn’t we be better off focusing on work experiences? And encouraging the flexibility that allows businesses and employees to work in the way that suits them best.
Many organisations have of course maintained or expanded hybrid and remote working practices since the pandemic – often now spread across multiple countries. This has been an excellent way to keep internationally diverse teams together and attract and retain the best talent, regardless of location. While I would never claim that video calls are an effective replacement for the face-to-face experience, it has – in many cases – proven effective enough, especially when the positives are considered.
While not all organizations can or want to ditch the office environment, providing a flexible work environment will be a non-negotiable for many in 2024. Even for those with demanding GPU requirements who have traditionally been confined to fixed workstations within the four walls of the office. Greater flexibility can help employees achieve a better work-life balance, whether that’s helping working parents leave early to pick up their kids and catch up on work at home, or saving an hour of commute time each way by allowing them to work from home a few days a week.
As design industries such as architecture, electrical engineering and graphic design struggle to attract and retain talented employees, it is important to provide employees with a flexible work environment with more choice in how and where they work. This will help them retain valuable, skilled workers.
Moving away from outdated workflows
But enabling flexible working isn’t as easy as it is for, say, a traditional office worker who spends all day working in Microsoft Teams or Outlook. The challenge in the design industry right now is that many companies still rely on physical workstations in the office to run GPU-intensive workloads.
While physical workstations remain a great tool for running demanding video and graphics software, they have limitations in terms of flexibility. They also rely on solitary power sources and network connections, which are prone to disruption when these fail, something that can further hinder productivity and performance.
Moving away from physical workplaces to enable hybrid working can be a significant decision for any organization. However, businesses need to look at the bigger picture. There are several solutions available that enable hybrid working without sacrificing performance. By embracing these solutions, businesses can adapt to the changing nature of work and provide their employees with the flexibility they need, ultimately contributing to a more agile and resilient workforce.
Does the cloud provide the answer?
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a potential solution to the challenges facing the design industries. It promotes seamless collaboration regardless of location, allowing teams to work on projects in real time. Moreover, it provides a stable and secure environment for hybrid working, protecting sensitive files.
Historically, performance issues, particularly when it came to GPU-intensive workloads, have been a concern for VDI deployments in the design industry. However, advances in remote connectivity tools and the availability of a wider range of vendors focused on the specific needs of design professionals have significantly improved the performance of VDI for graphics-intensive tasks. These developments have made VDI a more viable and attractive option for design professionals looking to leverage the benefits of remote and hybrid work environments.
And it doesn’t have to break the bank. Yes, many big tech offerings can be painfully expensive (and require major operational changes to deliver ROI), but new, disruptive players are emerging that offer solutions that are far more cost-effective and, in some cases, far better performing. Accelerated GPU VDI certainly needs to be reevaluated and should be a key consideration for IT and operational strategies.
The road to a better work-life balance
Organizations need to understand that VDI is not only a smart move to improve collaboration, but also for high-performance working. Centralizing all critical computing has huge benefits for flexibility, ease of management, and security. All employees need (wherever they work) is a low-cost, lightweight laptop and an internet connection. Even those working in demanding graphic or design industries.
The pandemic made it clear that more needed to be done to enable collaboration and productivity outside the office. And the technology is there for practices to enable more flexible workflows and empower employees to improve their work-life balance. This should be mutually beneficial, as allowing employees to work on their own terms would help businesses retain talent amid significant shortages in the sector. Businesses need to evolve if they want to succeed in the current climate, and that means doing more to support hybrid working, something they can’t do without embracing enabling technologies.
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