Do You See What I See? An IT Leaders Report

Removing Obstacles to Greater Visibility Across the IT Estate for a Better Digital Employee Experience 

In today’s digital age, the term “Digital Employee Experience” (DEX) has moved from being a buzzword to a crucial strategy for enterprise IT leaders. As defined by Qualtrics, DEX is “the quality of employees’ touchpoints with the technology they use to do their jobs.” This shift underscores a growing recognition of the direct link between technology and employee productivity, satisfaction, and overall organizational performance. 

Despite its importance, however, many companies lack a comprehensive DEX strategy and solution. To delve into this issue, Lakeside Software conducted a survey of 100 IT leaders, shedding light on current priorities, challenges, and the role of visibility in enhancing the digital workplace. 

The IT Landscape: Evolving Priorities 

The IT landscape is in a constant state of flux, driven by rapid technological advancements and evolving business needs. From September 2023 to March 2024, IT leaders were surveyed about their priorities and challenges against this dynamic backdrop. The results revealed three main areas of focus for the upcoming year: 

1. Doing More with Less (65%): Economic uncertainties compel organizations to streamline operations while maintaining output and ensuring employee satisfaction. 

2. Delivering a Superior Digital Employee Experience (45%): Enhancing DEX is crucial for boosting employee engagement and productivity. 

3. Simplifying Complex IT Projects (44%): Simplifying intricate technology initiatives is vital for operational efficiency and swift adaptation to business needs. 

Addressing IT Leaders’ Top Priorities 

1. Doing More with Less 

The mantra “do more with less” resonates deeply. One effective approach is leveraging DEX data to optimize resource utilization. By understanding what tools employees are actually using, organizations can trim out software bloat and eliminate unnecessary hardware purchases. Comprehensive endpoint monitoring, such as Lakeside SysTrack, provides this visibility, helping IT teams pinpoint areas for cost reduction without compromising the digital employee experience.  

2. Delivering Superior Digital Employee Experiences 

Delivering superior DEX is imperative. Compucom reports that half of employed Americans have considered switching jobs due to frustrating workplace technology. Given that losing an employee can cost approximately 33% of their base pay, investing in DEX is not just beneficial but essential. AI-powered solutions enable IT teams to adopt a proactive approach, identifying and addressing potential issues before they disrupt productivity. High-quality endpoint data provides insights into performance, enabling fast problem resolution and enhancing the overall digital experience. 

3. Simplifying Complex IT Projects 

Complex IT projects pose significant challenges, but simplifying these initiatives can enhance efficiency and reduce risks. Complete visibility across the IT estate is crucial for setting baselines and monitoring changes during IT transformations. Having access to real-time data during pilot phases allows IT to identify and mitigate risks before full-scale rollouts. Lakeside SysTrack measures the impact of IT changes, for instance, providing insights into performance metrics before and after transformations. This visibility ensures the success of widespread deployments and reduces project costs. 

Key Initiatives and Visibility Gaps for IT Leaders

The survey also identified four key initiatives to support IT priorities: software rationalization (57%), legacy system integrations (51%), virtualization (40%), and hardware optimization (37%). Each initiative highlights the focus on efficiency and modernization within IT environments. 

Despite these initiatives, visibility remains a challenge. The top two areas where IT lacks visibility are root cause analysis (48%) and unreported IT issues (45%). Addressing these gaps is critical for improving DEX. 

To better understand these issues and how to solve them, check out the full IT Leaders Survey Report: “Do You See What I See? Removing Obstacles to Greater Visibility Across the IT Estate for a Better Digital Employee Experience.”