When you hear the word portal in connection with technology, the perception that comes to mind is often a repository of information, i.e., a place people can go to read the latest updates or download a document. That functionality alone delivers substantial business benefits, but it only scratches the surface of what modern technology portals can do. It is the automation and semi-automation capabilities that deliver the biggest returns on investment.
This is the second part of a two-part blog series on centralised technology portals. In the first part, we focused on how technology portals streamline modern technology services. Here’s a quick recap:
- Reduces tickets.
- Puts technical service teams on the front foot.
- Improves technical resource productivity.
- Improves technical competency.
- Available anywhere, anytime.
- Improves employee experience.
- Easy to scale.
When you delve deeper into the automation and semi-automation opportunities of centralised technology portals, the benefits go beyond technology services, as processes and tasks across the organisation can be improved.
Automation and Semi-Automation Explained
It’s worth briefly looking at what is meant by automation and semi-automation in the context of a centralised technology portal. Automation is straightforward, i.e., it’s the features and capabilities of a portal that can complete previously manual tasks or processes. What about semi-automation?
There is a plethora of tasks that take place in organisations every minute of every day that involve one employee asking another for something. Often this is an employee asking a technical resource for information or assistance. The semi-automation features of a centralised technology portal empower the employee to complete the task on their own using, for example, preconfigured setups or self-service tools.
The Task and Process Automation Capabilities of Centralised Technology Portals
As automation features are core components of Access Symphony Portal, we’ll use that product to highlight some of the tasks you can automate with this powerful technology.
- Seamless PC setups – effortlessly apply standard configurations and settings to new computers to ensure smooth and hassle-free onboarding experiences.
- Password resets – empower users with self-service tools that quickly and securely reset passwords.
- Enhance security – simplify and accelerate the enrolment process for multi-factor authentication, set up and manage biometric authentication on devices, and more.
- Email distribution group management – streamline the creation, modification, and deletion of email distribution groups, enhancing communication and collaboration.
- Software management – empower users to request software changes on their devices. Symphony portal will then install or uninstall the app based on the user’s request while adhering to software policies. You can also give employees the ability to confirm their software and service entitlements, ensuring seamless compliance.
- Facilitate collaboration – set up and manage collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams or SharePoint to improve collaboration.
- Configure corporate mobile devices – set up and configure company-issued mobile devices according to corporate policies.
In summary, a centralised technology portal encourages and empowers users to resolve issues and perform tasks independently. This results in efficiency gains while lightening the repetitive and mundane workload on technology teams to give them the capacity to help drive your organisation toward success and innovation.
The Importance of Customisation
While there are substantial benefits and efficiency gains that are possible with a centralised technology portal, customisation is essential. In other words, the portal should be tailored to fit into your organisation rather than your organisation adapting to the portal.
Symphony Portal, for example, is always fully customised to ensure our clients achieve successful outcomes. This includes integrating Symphony Portal with popular third-party systems such as ServiceNow, Workday, Oracle, and more.
Integrating Symphony Portal with systems like ServiceNow delivers on organisational requirements and, crucially, it personalises the experience for users. In other words, the customisation of Symphony Portal happens at all levels, from high-level policies and processes to what individual users see on their screens.
Empowering Individuals and Teams
To summarise, the central concept of technology portals is empowerment – empowerment through automation and information. That empowerment starts with individual users, as they can enhance their technical skills while completing tasks, resolving issues, and finding information on their own faster and more accurately than before.
Centralised technology portals also empower technology teams by freeing them up from repetitive and intensely time-consuming tasks, allowing them to focus on areas where they can drive real value to the business.
The empowerment benefits of centralised technology portals also flow out to other teams and departments in the business, from finance to HR to sales. These departments will also achieve significant efficiency savings through the automation and information repository capabilities of a centralised technology portal.
For more information on how centralised technology portals streamline modern technology services, check out Part 1 of this two-part series. To find out more about the benefits and ROI that you can achieve by implementing a technology portal, get in touch with us at Access IT Automation today.
