Digital Workplace Deep Dive: Recent Episodes
Weston Morris - Unisys
Each episode goes deep into one aspect of the digital workplace. Interviewing industry experts, we examine how AI, IoT, automation, analytics, cloud, mobile and other technologies are affecting the digital workplace. We hear from leaders who have built successful digital workplaces for their employees.
Companies spending millions on service management platforms often miss their biggest opportunity: solving critical business challenges outside IT. Host Weston Morris and Nitya Mudaliar, solution architect for Digital Workplace Solutions at Unisys, share practical strategies for maximizing your platform's value throughout your organization.
You'll discover:
- Why starting with specific business outcomes, rather than technical features, produces better results
- How to convert traditional vendor arrangements into strategic partnerships
- Case studies from global organizations that successfully expanded beyond IT service management
- Specific implementations for HR services, field operations, and regulated healthcare environments
- Next-generation developments in AI and automation that will reshape how these platforms deliver value
Top-performing companies are addressing business challenges with the same platforms that power their IT operations. Discover practical steps to follow their example.
The Windows 10 end-of-support deadline is approaching fast, creating an urgent need for organizations still running this operating system. Host Weston Morris brings together Unisys experts Eric Harris, solution director of device management, and Stefano Izzo, modern workplace architect, to challenge conventional migration thinking and reveal practical opportunities within this necessary update.
You'll discover:
- Security risks of remaining on Windows 10 after October 2025
- Extended security update costs reaching $1.8 million over three years
- Solutions for the 25% of devices incompatible with Windows 11
- Repurposing strategies using lightweight OS options matched to user needs
- Microsoft licensing optimization to cut unnecessary expenses
- Modern management tools that simplify the entire migration process
The most successful organizations are using a Windows 11 migration to rethink their entire device strategy. This episode gives you practical insights on how to join them.
"Work is a thing you do, not the place you go," notes Simon Wilson, solution manager of Unified Experience Management for Digital Workplace Solutions at Unisys, in this candid discussion about why so many return-to-office programs miss the mark – and what organizations can do about it.
Host Weston Morris sits down with Wilson and Stacy Harder, solution manager of Seamless Collaboration for Digital Workplace Solutions, to explore practical solutions for the challenges businesses face today: empty offices, employee resistance, and outdated spaces that don't match modern work styles.
You'll learn about:
- Smart building features that take the friction out of office life
- Design principles that create an environment that makes in-person work worthwhile
- How IoT and analytics help organizations understand what's really happening in their workspaces
- Fresh perspectives on supporting frontline workers, who make up 80% of the global workforce
- Ways to measure whether your workplace initiatives actually deliver value
The most successful organizations are creating environments where meaningful collaboration happens naturally. This episode shows you how.
Skip the AI hype and jump into real numbers: service desks using smart AI combinations are seeing 80% self-service success rates and 10% faster resolutions.
Aron Meyer, solution manager for Digital Workplace Solutions at Unisys, and Brett Weigl, senior vice president of Product for AI at Genesys, join host Weston Morris to share insights from the frontlines of AI implementation for service desk automation. They reveal what's actually working, what's changing for tech support teams and how to avoid common pitfalls. You’ll discover:
- Proven approaches for AI-driven self-service
- Data indicating real reductions in handle times and costs
- How service desk roles and skills are evolving
- Methods for capturing and curating organizational knowledge
- Practical considerations for AI implementation and governance
Get the concrete steps and real-world insights you need to integrate AI into your service desk operations. Watch now to start applying these proven strategies today.
Podcasts mentioned: The perfect swirl: Gen AI meets traditional for better outcomes (Ep. 52)
When an ice cream machine breaks down in a fast-food restaurant, it's more than just a sweet treat at stake—it's about business continuity and customer satisfaction. In this episode of the Digital Workplace Deep Dive podcast, Alan Shen, vice president of Solution Management for Digital Workplace Solutions at Unisys, discusses how blending generative AI with traditional AI can improve problem-solving across various industries efficiently and cost-effectively.
Throughout this episode, you’ll discover:
- Why public LLMs often fall short for specific business needs
- How retrieval augmented generation (RAG) allows secure use of company data with LLMs
- Benefits of combining predictive AI and generative AI to prevent and solve problems
- The importance of focusing on practical AI applications for tangible results
Discover AI strategies that can make a real difference in your organization’s day-to-day operations and long-term success.
In this special 51st episode, we flip the script as Patrycja Sobera interviews our regular host, Weston Morris, about his experiences creating 50 episodes of the Digital Workplace Deep Dive podcast.
Weston shares the podcast's most impactful moments, from strikingly accurate pre-pandemic forecasts to innovative discussions on employee experience and generative AI. Get exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, including the unexpected origin of our signature Blues intro and how the podcast sparked new collaborations between technology leaders and HR executives on improving employee experiences.
Looking ahead, Weston gives us a glimpse into the future of digital workplace innovation, teasing upcoming podcast explorations. Don't miss this celebration of 50 episodes packed with insights that have shaped the future of work.
Podcasts referenced in order:
- The top 5 stories from the digital workplace (Ep. 27)
- "Pick your Nick" and other secrets to fab collab in the hybrid office (Ep. 28)
- Five 2019 workplace initiatives that got us through the pandemic (Ep. 16)
- Two steps for creating an award-winning service desk (Ep. 47)
- From hype to reality: Generative AI in the digital workplace (Ep. 43)
- What happens when your CIO and CHRO collaborate? (Ep. 37)
- The secret to using frontline worker experience data to boost productivity (Ep. 44)
- Two amazing things happen when you measure experience! (Ep. 20)
- Do you want great XLAS? Avoid these 6 anti-patterns (Ep. 25)
See all episodes here.
Henkel, a global leader in consumer goods in partnership with Unisys, has been turning heads with its bold approach to the digital workplace – an approach so impressive that it was named the Overall Winner in the 2023 IDC Future Enterprise Best in Future of Work Awards in EMEA.
Go behind the scenes with Stefan Hertzog, IT service manager for Workplace Operations at Henkel and Meike Escherich, associate research director for European Future of Work at IDC, as they reveal initiatives that have driven remarkable results:
- Empowering frontline workers with digital tools and training, fostering an inclusive, upskilled workforce
- Reimagining printing as a secure, eco-friendly and productivity-boosting experience for enhanced user satisfaction
- Forging collaboration between IT and HR to drive successful change management and attract top talent
Gain valuable insights into the emerging workplace dynamics, including balancing automation and AI while maintaining robust security measures.
What does it take to create exceptional digital experiences that engage and empower employees throughout their entire technology journey with your company? Find out in this special videocast episode as host Weston Morris consults experts on the Digital Workplace Solutions team at Unisys: Tim Rashkin, solution director; Stacy Harder, solution manager; and Simon Wilson, solution manager.
Discover how to seamlessly guide your workforce through every milestone - from strategic onboarding to continuous development and sustainable innovation. Gain insights on how to:
- Develop complete personas that map roles, workstyles, accessibility requirements, motivations and business objectives.
- Harness AI for personalized training and self-service through solutions like Microsoft Copilot.
- Implement proactive monitoring to predict and prevent issues before impacting employees.
- Optimize sustainable device life cycle management to reduce environmental impact.
- Tailor solutions for frontline workers, who make up 80% of the global workforce, and an increasingly hybrid workforce.
Join us as we explore the future of work and share key strategies for creating a smarter, more personalized digital workplace that empowers every employee to thrive.
Read a related blog post: Welcome aboard, Nathalia! Now, give her an exceptional technology experience.
In this episode of Digital Workplace Deep Dive, Weston Morris chats with Joel Raper, senior vice president and general manager for Digital Workplace Solutions at Unisys. They tackle the tough question of why the digital workplace services landscape hasn’t lived up to initial expectations — and discuss Unisys’ strategies for bridging the gaps.
The conversation explores:
- The concept of the “failed promise of IT,” examining how enterprises have historically struggled to fulfill the lofty expectations associated with the introduction of innovative technologies
- Why a revitalized demand for field services has emerged, despite many managed service providers moving away from in-person support
- The potential impact of generative AI on the digital workplace, including real-world examples of how these technologies can enhance user experiences and streamline IT processes
- How Unisys is “making IT relevant again” by focusing on delivering tangible value to organizations
Learn how Unisys can help you transform your digital workplace.Learn how
How did one manufacturing client’s focus on employee experience lead to $5 million in savings while advancing environmental sustainability goals? Patrycja Sobera, vice president of global delivery for Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS), closes out the Digital Workplace Deep Dive podcast for the year by divulging how she’s built a service delivery team that consistently provides exceptional client outcomes, stacks up industry awards and has fun in the process. She reveals:
- Why proactive, predictive support is the only path forward for IT service delivery
- How to eliminate silos and inefficiencies like “ticket ping pong” and embrace a holistic service delivery model
- Why many companies fail to realize ROI and achieve real business impact despite robust data analysis capabilities
- How employee experience, empowerment and enablement result in better customer experiences
Join host Weston Morris in this episode of Digital Workplace Deep Dive and Unisys’ leading enterprise communication and collaboration experts: Rich Owen, director of architecture for Seamless Collaboration, and Stacy Harder, solution manager for Seamless Collaboration.
Their discussion centers on — you guessed it — next-generation strategies for enhancing workplace communication, collaboration and overall productivity.
Owen and Harder don’t simply explore applying modern workplace technologies to improve the employee experience. Instead, they delve into the evolving return-to-office (RTO) landscape to uncover where enterprises are missing out on significant opportunities to achieve a stronger ROI of their office workspaces. By tuning in, you’ll learn how the following strategies can drive the ROI of RTO:
- Creating a seamless end-to-end meeting room experience for all participants, regardless of location
- Leveraging IoT sensors to strategically cut overhead expenses and reduce carbon footprint
- Providing specialized technology to frontline workers for enhanced productivity
- Exploring virtual and augmented reality for more effective training
- Collecting digital workplace data to uncover actionable insights and drive employee satisfaction
EX, XMO, XLA, XGB. Regular listeners of Digital Workplace Deep Dive likely recognize these acronyms as components of employee experience (and if not, check out the breakdown here). In this episode, we'll add another - perhaps less familiar - acronym: SIAM-X, which discusses the intersection of servi
Nearly 80% of the global workforce operates on the front lines, according to Microsoft research. This crucial group of workers requires different enterprise technologies and tools than their desk-bound colleagues. For example, they may not have regular access to traditional corporate communications
From Chat GPT to Google Bard, there's no escaping it-everyone is talking about AI tools. But the discourse is quickly shifting from traditional to generative AI technologies, raising questions about how the rapid evolution and availability of these tools will impact the future of work. How can enter
In this episode, we delve deeper into the research Unisys published in partnership with HFS Research. The report, From Surviving to Thriving in Hybrid Work, reveals strategies for organizations to create a winning hybrid workplace. Weston Morris welcomes HFS Research CEO Phil Fersht and Executive Research Leader and Head of Research Operations Melissa O'Brien to discuss key insights, including:
- How to bridge the “hybrid work gap” between employers and employees to foster morale, boost productivity and increase workplace satisfaction
- What the missing link is between employee engagement and productivity
- Why employee experience programs are critical to sustain an effective hybrid workplace
Want to learn more?Download the report
What does modern device management mean for your digital workplace in 2023? Is adopting a platform like Microsoft Intune or Workspace ONE simply a cost-saving technique, or can this approach enable you to streamline operations and steer digital employee experience (DEX) strategy across your entire business? Chad Arvay, chief architect of employee experience, shares real-world examples of how successful companies are using modern device management to: * Strengthen data and device security * Optimize device provisioning and replacement processes for hybrid work * Improve DEX * Reduce employee onboarding time and costs * Lower IT expenses and streamline operations
Arvay concludes by sharing tips and best practices for developing a modern device management strategy. Learn more about modern device management.
In this episode of Digital Workplace Deep Dive, Kristine Krueger, Ph.D., director of global organizational change management (OCM) services and Dave Hamshaw, senior consultant for Unisys Digital Workplace Solutions, speak with Weston Morris to share their perspectives on why OCM is a critical compon
What do industry practitioners actually think of experience-level agreements? At the 2022 HDI SupportWorld Live Conference, Unisys' Weston Morris interviewed five conference goers about their XLA "aha moments" for the Digital Workplace Deep Dive podcast.
Part 2 of a two-part series on effective communication and collaboration. Whereas part 1 focused on communication, this episode focuses on what makes collaboration difficult in a hybrid office. The panel of experts shares their best practices for improving collaboration – ranging from settings in Teams, to rituals and training that companies can use to [...]
The responsibility to understand and manage employee experience is no longer the sole purview of HR. With the rising use of XLAs, some IT organizations are now tracking how digital workplace technology is impacting employees’ work experience. In advanced cases, the CIO even is getting insights into how much work employees do after normal business [...]
Is communication and collaboration easier or more difficult in the hybrid office? Who is at most risk of having a poor communication experience in 2022–someone in a home office or someone returning to a physical office? The answer may surprise you. Listen as two experts on unified communication and collaboration share over 40 years of [...]
More than half of my podcasts touch on employee experience in one form or another. However, none look at the ROI of experience management… until now. Mark Banfield, the CEO of 1E shares insights learned from the 14 million devices monitored by his company’s Digital Employee Experience (DEX) platform (Tachyon). Mark also shares four ways [...]
As many as 50% of digital transformations are failing to meet their objectives. What is missing? Three letters: OCM. What exactly is Organizational Change Management? How is it being used to increase the success of transformations in large enterprises around the world? My guests, Mike Levine (Global Director of OCM) and Jillian Oakes (OCM Leader [...]
Episode 3 in our three-part series is here! In each episode, we’ve looked at how corporate security practices affect our workplace experience – especially the experience of remote workers. In part 1 of this series, Mark Pesce, the host of The Next Billion Seconds Podcast and Leon Sayers of Unisys revealed the gaps that exist [...]
Part 2 of this 3-part series focuses on what enterprises can do to improve the security experience of their digital workplaces – whether employees are working remotely or in a hybrid office. Guest host, Mark Pesce, creator of The Next Billion Seconds podcast, interviews Gergana Winzer of Unisys to discover how education is essential to [...]
The 2021 Unisys Security Index™ reveals some interesting gaps between what enterprises think is happening and what end users are actually doing to keep their remote and hybrid offices secure. Workers are vocal about their dislike and fear of certain security and monitoring activities that enterprises are using to keep employees working securely and productively. [...]
We spend more time in Zoom and Teams than eating or sleeping. Does that mean we know what it takes for everyone to have a great experience in the hybrid workplace using these tools? The answer can be a resounding “yes” if we know how to tap into the vast amounts of data being collected [...]
It is almost too easy to find studies showing that a great Employee Experience (EX) leads to a great Customer Experience (CX). It is much harder to, first, deliver a great work experience to your employees, and secondly, deliver a consistently great experience to your customers. In this episode, the author of 4 books on [...]
The hybrid office is not new. It existed long before the pandemic, but we’ve forgotten how poor the experience was for remote participants. We now have a chance to reinvent meetings so that all participants – both remote and in-person – are 100% engaged and productive. How? In this episode, I interview Jim Kalbach, author, [...]
Neil Miller is the creator of two podcasts that focus on what makes the modern workplace tick: The Digital Workplace and Work Minus. In my interview with Neil, you will hear five stories that he has hand-picked from his library of 200 fascinating guests: Nancy Duarte (author of slide:ology) You will learn two ways that [...]
Part 2 of our series on XLAs reveals 4 mistakes that enterprises make in rolling out an experience management program. Neil Keating, co-founder, and Chief Experience Officer of Bright Horse gives real-world examples of these 4 mistakes – and how to avoid them. Do you see any of these mistakes in your organization? KPIs that [...]
Are you considering rolling out an experience management program that uses XLAs to measure the happiness and productivity of your workers as they return to work? Wouldn’t it be great to learn from the mistakes of others and avoid their headaches? In this podcast, Neil Keating, co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of Bright Horse, shares [...]
Is it really possible to increase the level of diversity in your company’s workplace while helping to end digital poverty? What do we mean by ‘Digital Poverty’? Who is affected by it? In this episode of the Digital Workplace Deep Dive, we hear from four like-minded individuals from seemingly unrelated organizations about how they are [...]
We normally equate blockchain with cryptocurrency. However, smart people around the world are devising new ways to use blockchain in increasingly clever ways. We discuss three of those applications in this podcast. Chris Blask, Global Director of Applied Innovation at Unisys has invented a Digital Bill of Materials based on blockchain as a way to [...]
Why do gig workers have access to services that most HR organizations don’t provide? Discover three innovations that K2 Partnering Solutions has developed for its 500,000 gig workers that HR can emulate to provide a better workplace experience for their full-time employees. These services have enabled the growing gig economy and can also empower enterprises [...]
Are your employees looking for work elsewhere because of a poor technology experience? How can you really know what your workers feel about their work experience? Sami Kallio, CEO and founder of Happy Signals may have the answer – a clever, painless way to measure employee experience that results in happier, more productive workers. He [...]
What happens when you measure the experience of your employees and your customers? This is the 3rd in the series of episodes dedicated to understanding end user experience. In this podcast, Alan Nance (CEO and co-founder of CitrusCollab) shares some powerful examples from enterprises who have benefited from measuring experience – going beyond SLAs to [...]
What popular trend in IT works against a great work experience? Standardization. In its effort to create efficiency, it is also creating a bad work experience. How do we balance the IT cost savings that standardization brings with the desire to give employees a great work experience that lets them bring real value to the [...]
What is the connection between employee experience and company profitability and growth? How do we get the benefits of standardization and diversity at the same time? The growing interest in ‘experience’ (both for employees and customers) is driving some interesting changes in how we deliver IT services. We’ve come a long way in standardizing and [...]
Will public sector soon become an attractive place for millenials to work? What did the public sector IT do really well during the pandemic? What will change forever in public sector as a result of the pandemic? What challenges does public sector face with 30% of their employees being eligible to retire? To answer these [...]
In 2019, ISG’s Director of Digital Solutions and Strategy, Iain Fisher, shared with me 6 important workplace initiatives. That was before the Pandemic seemed to change everything. Looking back, which of those initiatives are even more important today as we continue to deal with the pandemic? Which have dropped in priority? Which will be important [...]
Did you have everything you needed the moment you stepped into the office? Onboarding is hard. Automating it is even harder. What about automating the offboarding process? Now, pick 20-30 tasks you do regularly and think about automating those. In this episode, Paer Johansson shares the insightful best practices that he has collected while using [...]
What makes the High Tech Industry different from Finance, Health Care, Transportation, or Manufacturing? Are High Tech companies better at using technology than other industries? As a result of the pandemic, what is changing/must change within High Tech companies in order for them to remain relevant? Barb Stinnett, CEO and founder of Timmaron Group, shares [...]
Most enterprises see themselves going through distinct phases as the deal with the pandemic. The first phase for many was enabling employees to work from home. The second phase that quickly followed has been focusing on the health and productivity of employees working from home. There is an expectation that Phase 3 will be the [...]
Why is Natural Language Processing so difficult to get right? Are there any shortcuts? And what are the tradeoffs between supervised and unsupervised learning? Yes, this episode of the podcast is a bit more technical than some of the earlier episodes. But if NLP is your thing, you’ll enjoy hearing part 2 of my series [...]
Natural Language Processing (NLP) promises to provide a friendly, alternative way for humans to interact with IT and business systems. Brian Evarts, who leads the development of Natural Language Processing at Unisys, explains the three ways that NLP improves the end user experience when getting help from the Service Desk. In doing so, he reveals [...]
IoT promises to make new services possible, to automate more aspects of business, and to improve worker and factory efficiency. What lessons can Operational Technology share with Information Technology in securely deploying IoT? Chris Blask draws from his 25+ years of experience in manufacturing, combines that with his security expertise, and makes some interesting recommendations [...]
Working from home for the first time can be a scary experience. How do I get connected? Where do I get help? In the very first Digital Workplace Deep Dive video podcast, Kevin Turner shows us how Artificial Intelligence can help serve as a trusted advisor to make working from home more enjoyable and productive. [...]
In 2018, Tom Adams, the Unisys Director of Digital Workplace Services saw a major problem with how most Service Desks operate. Based on that, he created InteliServe™, which brings AI, analytics and automation to the service desk. But, Tom’s vision for InteliServe goes far beyond the service desk, with plans in 2020 to make it [...]
Friendly cat bots and foldable devices are likely to influence how your most productive employees get work done in the near future. Consumerization of technology first began to take hold in 2007 with the launch of the Apple iPhone. Executives came to work demanding that IT find a way to let them use their iPhones [...]
Enterprises in every part of the world are figuring out the technology required to enable employees to work from home. But have we overlooked the human side of working from home? In focusing our energy in getting our technology secure, have we overlooked the need to help the human to be secure? In part 3 of [...]
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, 15% of Unisys employees were working from home. Within a week, 95% were able to work from home. In the months leading up to the pandemic, the CIO of Unisys, Upinder Phanda, made several changes to the digital workplace, cloud, and security services that made this massive work from home [...]
As part of its COVID-19 response, Unisys mobilized thousands of employees to work from home in just 48 hours. How was it possible to do this while maintaining high security standards? Unisys CISO, Mat Newfield, reveals several details about how it is possible to enable employees to work from home in various geographies without the [...]
One of the most annoying things about interacting with the help desk is when you have to repeat answers to the same questions over and over again as you move from chat to a live agent to an escalation. Catalina Villegas, Global Lead for Service Desk Automation, explains how a Cloud Contact Center can eliminate [...]
The help desk sometimes gets a bad rap. At its worst, some have named it the ‘helpless desk’. At its best, your problems are anticipated and resolved quickly and pleasantly, with minimal effort on your part. Analytics plays a big role in Unisys InteliServeTM platform. Danielle Reinhart, Director-Analytics Services at Unisys, explains how analytics engines [...]
Mergers and acquisitions often bring competing technologies to the enterprise. How do you successfully select the right technology? How can you use data to win out over emotion? What is one of the biggest pitfalls in selecting a new technology? Once you make a selection, how do you get everyone on board? Steve Palmucci, who [...]