With job growth comes employee device needs and heightened security
SHI’s Microsoft experts and cybersecurity solutions secure your IT and enable your mobile workforce

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According to the latest job growth reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. employers added over 500,000 jobs in January 2023. Digging deeper, the catalyst for the bulk of these jobs was growth in hospitality and leisure, as well as the healthcare and education industries. Aside from job expansion, what do these industries have in common?

Mobile workforce growth

These industries all share a key component: mobile workers. Whether the worker is a server or a nurse visiting different patient rooms, they are not parked at a desk all day. Even educators in many cases are on the move – perhaps teaching classes from a home office. Mobile employees have unique technological needs, often using a smart device, such as a tablet or lightweight laptop. They need proper software licensing, which is also important as some of these job types can be transient.

How do you manage these remote and possibly short-term workers to ensure your IT assets and data are secure? As you add workers, you want to make sure you are licensing and provisioning them in the most efficient and secure way possible, whether they have corporate-owned devices or bring your own devices (BYOD).

With SHI’s Microsoft expertise, professional services, and modern workplace capabilities, we can set you up for success as your workforce needs grow.

Even growth in the healthcare field presents its own unique mobile requirements. Doctors and nurses often visit patients in many different treatment rooms, even traveling between different facilities to administer care. Gone are the days of giant metal chart binders. Today’s healthcare professionals use tablets and even medical workstations on wheels that they take from treatment room to treatment room, often shared by multiple users.

Managing and licensing these technologies to keep them up and running at all times, while also keeping patient data secure, may be a full-time job and then some for your IT department. With our deep bench strength that covers your security, deployment and management, licensing, and hardware needs, SHI can support your growth at your pace and keep your users connected and secure.

Microsoft for mobile security

With this much growth, the available attack surface has expanded exponentially. Not only are there more mobile devices and remotely connected laptops facing the threat of cyberattacks, but as more and more IoT devices come online, like the mobile workstations, they also become prime targets for attack. Even Wi-Fi enabled cameras can be a target.

All an attacker needs is to find a weak link in your security, so it is essential to take the extra steps to harden your IT defenses.

Microsoft’s line of security solutions strengthens your cyber strategy, from user security to infrastructure and everything in between. It is no surprise that Microsoft has invested extensively in mobile and hybrid work technologies. With Microsoft 365 and its subscription-based licensing, you can add and remove user licensing on the fly – and avoid overpaying for a perpetual license upfront. Microsoft Azure enables you to access data and apps anywhere while taking advantage of Azure Active Directory Premium and Cloud Security protocols, keeping your mobile workers and their data secure from evolving cyber threats.

With LTE-enabled Microsoft Surface models, your mobile workers can connect from anywhere, any time. No more trying to connect from unsecure coffee shop hotspots to get work done. With experts in all facets of cybersecurity, we can help you assess and deploy the right solutions for your workforce and minimize the security risks.

How SHI and Microsoft can help

Your business and industry may have its own unique challenges or intricacies, and how you manage your specific IT needs is no different. SHI has helped customers solve what’s next for over 30 years, supporting your business growth and addressing your IT challenges.

Our 300+ Microsoft experts are deeply versed in Microsoft’s comprehensive portfolio of solutions and technologies. Combined with our dedicated teams, we can help secure your IT and enable your mobile workforce, from guiding you on the best way to license your software needs, to helping you select, deploy, and manage the right hardware solutions for your business.

To ensure that you deploy the proper monitor, detect, and respond technologies and solutions, engage with SHI professional services for a security assessment – not only around your mobile workers but for your overall IT security posture. Connect with one of our specialists to get started.