Modern Workplace: How to Connect, Collaborate, and Create Anywhere

Courtney Hughes

Hello and welcome to the Dell Technologies Forum podcast series, where we focus on transforming ideas into innovation faster. In this series, we invite Dell specialists and experts from around the world to share with us the collaborations we had with customers in key areas of technology development. I'm your host, Courtney Hughes, director of Global Brand Campaigns here at Dell Technologies and in today's episode, we're going to talk about modern workplace, a new concept that redefines the way we work, learn and live in the digital era.

00:00:38:10 - 00:00:56:15

Courtney Hughes

And to help us understand what modern workplace is and how it transforms our lives. I am joined by Isaac Piñon, the director of product marketing at Dell Technologies, who is responsible for driving the go to market strategy and execution for modern workplace solutions. Isaac, welcome to the show.

00:00:56:17 - 00:00:58:24

Isaac Piñon

Thank you, Courtney. It's great to be here.

00:00:59:01 - 00:01:08:03

Courtney Hughes

I'm so excited to have you here. So I think I want to just to like level set. What is modern workplace and why is it important?

00:01:08:05 - 00:01:29:02

Isaac Piñon

Yeah, the modern workplace is... It's a concept that describes how technology can enable new ways of working, learning and living in the 21st century. It's not a specific location or product, but rather a mindset and a culture that embraces digital transformation and workforce empowerment.

00:01:29:04 - 00:01:43:12

Courtney Hughes

Okay. And so it feels like in the last few years, modern workplace has become a huge topic for businesses and we're really witnessing some significant shifts. So Isaac, what are the biggest trends shaping the modern workplace today?

00:01:43:14 - 00:02:13:21

Isaac Piñon

Absolutely. Courtney The workplace is undergoing a seismic transformation. Today, what is considered modern workplaces, the idea of being able to work everywhere, utilizing the latest tech developments like A.I. and applying it to continuous innovation. So here are the key trends we're seeing gaining strength. Number one, flexibility and agility. So again, work is no longer confined to office walls, remote work, flexible hours and agile project management are becoming the norm.

00:02:13:23 - 00:02:39:16

Isaac Piñon

Hybrid setups for everywhere work is the main shift. You and I are both working from home today. It's great automation and creativity, so technology is automating routine tasks. It's going to allowing allow employees to focus on more creative and strategic work. It's about augmenting human capabilities, not replacing them. And the third one is diversity and inclusion. So businesses are prioritizing equality and inclusion.

00:02:39:16 - 00:03:04:05

Isaac Piñon

Diverse teams drive innovation and better decision making. So diversity of thought is really important. Different perspective and point of views to go solve problems. That's what we believe. So we're in a really great space today. The PC is is the world's preeminent productivity tool, and it's never been more essential for work, life and play. So where we see this most clearly at Dell is on the PC evolution, right?

00:03:04:05 - 00:03:21:22

Isaac Piñon

From a tool that boasts productivity to a catalyst for driving human performance. So this shift requires us to rethink how we work today, because innovation starts with people and their ideas. So if employees don't have the right technology to collaborate and be productive, they can't innovate.

00:03:21:24 - 00:03:34:11

Courtney Hughes

Right? And that is so fascinating. And we're in another evolution, right, with Gen AI tools and machine learning. So how are these new and recent developments changing the way that we collaborate and work?

00:03:34:13 - 00:04:03:21

Isaac Piñon

Great question. You can't get away with any conversation without the words AI or Gen AI. So, you know, new technology is driving a lot of these shifts because they now enable us to do things differently. There are a few factors. There are a few factors, right? Like Gen AI tools analyze vast amounts of data enabling smarter decision making. Secondly, machine learning enhances personalization, whether in customer interactions or internal processes.

00:04:03:23 - 00:04:29:06

Isaac Piñon

And third, collaboration tools to bridge geographical gaps, fostering seamless teamwork beyond physical location. So today we see a lot of energy taken away from routine, repetitive tasks and redirected to ideation, analyzing creativity. Right. You're going to you're going to see a world where, you know, it can really transform businesses. It's going to help with the creation of content to be faster.

00:04:29:06 - 00:04:48:22

Isaac Piñon

You're going to see sales reps and customer service reps who are going to get served up the right content based on the conversations that they're having right there on the phone trying to solve a problem. Can you imagine if whatever is being said or talked to, it'll automatically get served up on the screen? So they have the answers immediately as opposed saying, "can you please hold, let me go find that".

00:04:48:22 - 00:04:57:10

Isaac Piñon

And so on and so forth. Right. That that's going to just you're going to see a lot of that happening and it's just going to deliver better experiences for customers.

00:04:57:12 - 00:05:01:06

Courtney Hughes

So what you're basically saying, Isaac, is that the future is now, right?

00:05:01:08 - 00:05:11:20

Isaac Piñon

Absolutely, Courtney. The modern workplace focuses on elevating productivity and engagement, creating a space where individuals thrive and organizations grow.

00:05:11:22 - 00:05:18:24

Courtney Hughes

Okay. So what's fundamentally needed in today's modern workplace that maybe was not as prioritized in the past?

00:05:19:01 - 00:05:50:10

Isaac Piñon

It's a great question. So there is an opportunity to empower meaningful work for everywhere by implementing IT strategies and investing in technologies that align with your current and future business needs. That puts people's organizations people's passions and ideas at the center. Opening space for workforce needs like lifelong learning, collaboration across borders, purpose driven work. And yet another great example of this is how evolving in real time is the PC industry's mass transformation.

00:05:50:10 - 00:06:18:08

Isaac Piñon

So our our AI powered PCs come equipped with a neural processing unit, NPU. And what the NPU does is it adds an AI acceleration engine. They can take on more dedicated A.I. tasks, so it frees up the CPU and GPU to do other things. And and this creates a more responsive experience and it enhances performance, security, battery life and productivity.

00:06:18:08 - 00:06:37:00

Isaac Piñon

So now our PC users will be able to drive AI workloads and unlock new levels of productivity and efficiency. So an example of that is you're going to get enhanced collaboration. You're going to be able to create content faster and work more securely in a hybrid work environment.

00:06:37:02 - 00:06:44:03

Courtney Hughes

Okay. So looking ahead, how will the workforce evolve in the next 5 to 10 years and what skills do you think will be in demand?

00:06:44:05 - 00:07:13:14

Isaac Piñon

Adaptability, you know, tops the list, right? Things are going to are going to shift. There's going to be a big change in terms of how we do things. There is going to be an intense focus on on processes. AI cannot just come into an organization, a business and just change things. You have to really look at "what are the processes today, how do you improve upon them," And then when you've got them streamlined, now you can add the AI and now you're going to see that transformation.

00:07:13:16 - 00:07:24:14

Isaac Piñon

And that really takes adaptability, right? You have to be able to be agile, think differently, and and this is where we're at now. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in the future. So adaptability, I think, is going to be really important.

00:07:24:16 - 00:07:39:24

Courtney Hughes

I do. And with that, I mean, most people would say adaptability. That kind of means like challenges, right? I actually look at challenges as opportunities. And so what do you think are the biggest opportunities that businesses face around people in how they can adapt?

00:07:40:01 - 00:08:06:22

Isaac Piñon

Yeah, I think, you know, businesses really must embrace, you know, change and they have to invest in the right tools and technology to stay adaptable. They have to deploy upskilling programs right there. It's not like, you know, hey, as I talked about processes changing inclusion of AI, you're going to have to think differently. An example that I can think of is prompt engineering, right?

00:08:06:24 - 00:08:24:12

Isaac Piñon

So, yeah, you've got this tool at your fingertips that can help you ideate and give you ideas, but what do you use to prompt it right there? Actually, it's like you have to think about it differently. Yeah, it's not as easy as one would think because, you know, there's a saying garbage in, garbage out.

00:08:24:16 - 00:08:24:23

Courtney Hughes

Yeah.

00:08:24:23 - 00:08:43:08

Isaac Piñon

If you're asking the right question, you will get a very good prompt. If you're asking if you're prompting and you're you're very vague or you're not direct around what you're asking for, who knows what you're going to get? So upskilling programs are going to be important, fostering a culture of learning because things are going to be different and evolve.

00:08:43:10 - 00:09:05:13

Isaac Piñon

But again, mental wellbeing will continue to be important. When you talk about being agile, you know, you have to you have to prioritize your health as well and make sure that you're firing on all cylinders, right? You know, yeah, you can't do that without, you know, taking some breaks and taking care of yourself as well. So agility is key in how successful these changes as an adoption will be.

00:09:05:15 - 00:09:13:17

Courtney Hughes

Okay. Can you share an example of how different customers have embraced the idea of the modern workplace and how Dell has helped them along the way?

00:09:13:22 - 00:09:42:07

Isaac Piñon

Of course. Yeah. I've got a perfect one for you. The International Vaccine Institute, IVI is one of our customers. They're a nonprofit organization with a mission to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines worldwide. So IVI wanted to ensure team members across 30 countries that they could have seamless access to vital data, apps and content regardless of time or place, and achieve the same level of productivity securely.

00:09:42:07 - 00:10:16:21

Isaac Piñon

So the organization chose Dell, a 7000 series laptop equipped with Dell Optimizer and ProSupport for Ultimate mobility intelligence, intelligent user experience and proactive device support. And by partnering with Dell as their strategic partner, team members at IVI can now work more productively but with greater flexibility everywhere. Most importantly, IVI can focus their time and resources to deliver vaccines against infectious diseases affecting some of the world's most impoverished people in hard to access areas.

00:10:16:21 - 00:10:22:20

Isaac Piñon

So again, giving people the technology they need allows them to focus on the things that matter most.

00:10:22:22 - 00:10:38:23

Courtney Hughes

Right? That is so amazing. And I love hearing how our technology helps drive change. Finally, you know, how can businesses approach these transformational times and bring all of this innovation into their workforce and create a modern workplace fit for today's needs?

00:10:39:00 - 00:11:19:12

Isaac Piñon

Yeah, that that's a good question. So so my best advice, as I said before, is to embrace change, but strategically and with intention. So partner with the right allies who can not only bring your vision to life, but also accelerated. Dell Technologies is in the best position to to be your innovative catalyst. So we will help you overcome any barriers to innovation, uncover new possibilities, help you, you know, shrink time to value and new and exciting ways wherever you are in your IT journey we'll partner with you as you plan, validate and accelerate your strategy for the times.

00:11:19:14 - 00:11:33:22

Courtney Hughes

There you have it. I wish I could talk to you more. This has been so exciting. You know, embrace change partner wisely and let Dell technology be your compass in this dynamic landscape. Thank you, Isaac, so much for sharing your insights today.

00:11:33:23 - 00:11:35:10

Isaac Piñon

Thank you, Courtney. Thanks for having me.

00:11:35:16 - 00:11:55:22

Courtney Hughes

So just before we wrap up, I encourage you, our listeners, to continue the conversation by attending the Dell Technologies Forum Roadshow at a city near you. And if you've missed it, don't worry. There is a wealth of valuable resources on the Dell Technology Forum site where you can listen back on demand. Isaac, again, many thanks for your time and sharing your valuable insight.

00:11:55:23 - 00:12:05:02

Courtney Hughes

It has truly been a pleasure and thank you to our listeners. We hope you join us next time. This series has been brought to you in association with Intel and Microsoft.