Work used to be a place that people went to: today companies understand that it’s what people do – and where they are shouldn’t make any difference.
The idea of the remote or hybrid workplace may have become widespread after the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic but it’s just as relevant in 2025 as it was in 2020, with many employees demanding the ability to work from anywhere.
Deploying a hybrid workplace could be a hit-and-miss affair – or IT organisations can be a lot more deliberate, with productivity, connectivity, collaboration, management and security built in.
The key challenge that CIOs face is that employees must be equally productive, no matter where they are. They also have to think about rolling out new and relevant technology that supports the organisation’s business, to remote staff. And all of this must be manageable and – most importantly – secure.
Thibault Dousson, Director: Services and Solution Group META Lenovo, says it’s important that organisations get the balance right.
“Hybrid working is still a trend that we’re seeing. And, even where companies are asking their employees to come back to the office, they still have to enable them to work from anywhere.”
But companies need to think about how secure hybrid working is, and how they can manage software when workers aren’t all in the same place.
“CIOs don’t have huge budgets, so they have to find ways to enable IT to manage all of the organisation’s end user devices,” Dousson explains.
This is where Lenovo’s Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS) comes in. A managed services portfolio of intelligent tools and systems that streamlines and optimises remote, hybrid and onsite work environments, DWA helps companies reduce IT costs, improve productivity and enhance the employee experience.
Dousson explains that the toolset starts with advisory services, where the DSSG team will sit down and talk to customers about their requirements.
“From there, we go to configuration, where we define what the solution looks like. Every time we talk to a customer, we find they need to take a different approach, and the solutions we deliver are never the same.
“Essentially, what we provide is a menu of services that the customer can choose from, and how much they want to digitalise is up to them.”
DWS provides the relevant software images and built-in security, as well as end point management so administrators can easily monitor or update systems.
Dousson explains that platform-as-a-service management can also start to automate a lot of the mundane but important tasks associated with ensuring that each user has the right device and configuration.
“This really starts to give a lot of time and resources back to the IT department.”
As an example, he cites the case of user’s laptop that is due for a refresh. The system has all the information about where the user is, how old the device is, and what job it is used for.
The user will get a message generated by the large language model (LLM) and can agree to a replacement online. The order will be placed directly by the automated system and, when it’s ready, will be shipped directly to the end user.
“The user opens the box and enters their credentials, and the laptop will have all the correct apps already loaded, with the right setup, and can start working immediately.
“This can all happen automatically, without any intervention from the IT department.”
The same platform as a service can be used to automate other mundane tasks like resetting passwords – something that systems administrators currently spend a huge amount of time dealing with.
“It can be used to free up resources, and allow IT staff to focus on higher-level tasks,” Dousson says.
This hyper-personalised intelligence means the end-to-end DWS platform provides reliable, compliant and secure services as well as greater visibility for audit control.
The DWS offering includes Lenovo’s Care of One platform – a first of its kind AI-powered solution that provides insights and support to help companies create the optimal work environment.
The move to AI services
Artificial intelligence (AI) is real, and companies across verticals are starting to use it.
“But no-one has the same experience,” says Dousson.
The applications for AI are many and varied, limited only by an organisation’s data, what they want to achieve, and how much they are willing to invest for what they will get out.
The bottom line, Lenovo believes, is that AI needs to be used to drive outcomes that help to meet business targets for productivity, cost and efficiency.
Business leaders want to invest in AI-based technology and automation to put operations and process management in the hands of AI and freeing up their employees to focus on key outcomes: taking on higher core cognitive functions and driving new business initiatives.
Dousson advises business leaders to start off by automating low-level, mundane tasks that help to make service better and faster.
He cites an example of an intelligent agent used to learn how individuals use their laptops. “Think of a big organisation, with 1000 people all using the same type of laptop. But each user has slightly different needs, which the agent can identify. The IT organisation can then group users according to what they actually use and configure their laptops accordingly.
“The net result is better user satisfaction with fewer complaints, and the company can save money by not licencing software that’s not being used.”
A similar agent can help IT organisations do proactive maintenance by monitoring when a component is about to fail, dispatching the correct component to the exact device, and saving time and money by not having the device fail.
“Again, this is an AI-driven tool that doesn’t require a huge investment, but could make a big impact,” Dousson says.
Lenovo AI Services starts with the AI Discover Workshop that helps organisations identify their specific challenges and uncover AI opportunities. During this phase, Lenovo’s AI Center of Excellence conducts a thorough assessment to understand the unique needs and goals of your business.
The AI Advisory phase then focuses on defining a comprehensive roadmap and business case for Generative AI (GenAI). This includes detailed planning and strategy development to ensure that AI initiatives are prioritised effectively. This roadmap serves as a blueprint for successful AI integration and deployment.
During the AI Fast Start phase custom solutions that demonstrate the value of AI through proof of concept are built. This phase helps to validate the AI strategy and provides a tangible demonstration of how AI can drive value and improve outcomes.
Once the proof of concept is validated, the AI Deploy & Scale phase focuses on scaling the AI solution across the organisation, it can be deployed in the customer’s data centre or in the cloud,
AI Managed Services offer a fully managed approach to the AI system, with costs available as a subscription via Lenovo TruScale.
Serious about sustainability
Organisations are taking sustainability seriously, and many customers now choose to work with companies that can demonstrate their sustainability credentials.
For Lenovo, sustainability has never been about ticking a box or mouthing a platitude: the company has a stated goal to be net-zero by 2050 – and takes it very seriously, says Dousson.
It does this by closely examining and tweaking its own manufacturing processes, for instance by using mostly recycled materials in its PCs.
But it also helps its suppliers to do better, as it drives sustainability across its supply chain.
“For us sustainability is about improving every part of our business to reduce all parts of our carbon footprint, and helping our customers to do the same,” Dousson says.
One, customers can reduce their carbon footprint is by using Lenovo systems that use less power.
Lenovo also has a recovery management initiative, where it will take back old computers to be either refurbished or recycled in a responsible manner.
It also helps customers to participate in a CO2 offset programme that channels funds to NGOs curated by the UN to work on climate change.
“We can even give customers a certificate detailing the carbon they have saved.”
In addition, Lenovo’s Intelligent Sustainability Solutions Advisor (LISSA) gives customers actionable sustainability insights to understand their estimated emissions impact across their IT lifecycle and deploy customised solutions that align with their sustainability goals.
Using GenAI, LISSA offers visibility into the estimated carbon emissions associated with various Lenovo sustainability solutions such as TruScale Device as a Service (DaaS), Asset Recovery, packaging efficiencies, lower-carbon shipping options, lifecycle extensions, certified refurbishment, and more.
Dousson points out that his department offers all of these sustainability services to Lenovo customers.