Metaverse, intranet 2022 and security – a trend survey

Trend 1: Metaverse

Metaverse. A big buzzword right now — and a fusion of the words “meta” and “universe”. Metaverse is a new 3D internet world where you can socialise, play and work. The new universe is not owned by one company, but is a common place for everyone – like the internet itself. Exciting. And when it comes to the digital workplace, it’s even more exciting.

We know that there is strong support for teleworking. We also know that leadership and commitment are the two areas that easily suffer. Metaverse, on the other hand, enables the digitalisation of the senses with technologies such as VR, AR and 3D.

Imagine being able to gather your scattered project group around the kitchen table, smelling freshly brewed coffee and the joy of your colleagues when you present a really good result – all from the comfort of your living room.

Trend 2: Intranet 2022

I have previously explored the role of the intranet in the digital workplace – but would like to raise it to the level of the intranet’s role in the business. The role is influenced by many factors such as the size of the organisation, the target audience and the other channels to consider.

In my experience, those who have a clear owner of the intranet have the best chance of working it into the business. It makes it easier to strategise and set measurable goals with other system owners — and work together towards the overall business goals. If the intranet then becomes a newsfeed or a full-fledged digital workplace, it's secondary.

According to the latest WSA report External link., many organisations state that they will be rebuilding the intranet in 2022. I think this is an effect of employees being spread out in many different systems — and the intranet is an excellent place to gather the systems and keep communication together.

Perhaps the most common system that affects the intranet today is Microsoft 365. The WSA report shows that most businesses differentiate the intranet from Microsoft 365. However, if you choose to combine the two tools, you can have a really good effect.

Region Värmland’s intranet is a mix of editorial content and apps from Microsoft 365. Here, the user can decide for themselves which functions are to be displayed on the personal homepage. The background to this is that the region consists of many different types of businesses — which have different intranet needs. One wants a news feed, while another needs collaboration features and productivity apps. Smart.

Software reduction

There has also been a lot of investment in new technology in recent years. The challenge in many cases is that the systems’ functions work together and create a lack of clarity about “where I do what”. The systems simply create small islands. In customer meetings, I notice that many people are planning to clean up these islands and clarify their functions.

Overall experience

To avoid small companies forming in the company, whether physical or digital, it is important to have a holistic view of the workplace. Get to know the employee’s journey through the working day. Which systems does your employee use and why? I’m not surprised if a new role is formed in the workplaces — a kind of office manager for the hybrid workplace who keeps an eye on these parts.

Trend 3: Security

Data is the key to increased productivity, profitability and wellbeing — but it’s also the most vulnerable. IT security is a burning issue.

Every time you use APIs, a cloud service or other integrations, you open a new door to your intranet or digital workplace. At the same time, many people work from home and have to access the systems from different locations. Security assessments and risk analyses will be central to protecting critical information such as personal data.

Speaking of security, I hope that 2022 will be the year when we get a precedent on the Cloud Act issue. It has kept the public sector on its toes for a long time — and Stockholm City Council, for example, chose to back away from Microsoft 365 because it could not provide sufficient guarantees that personal data would be protected.