The modern workplace is no longer defined by where people sit.

Employees may work from an office, from home, from a client site or while travelling between locations. Teams need to collaborate across offices and time zones, access information securely from different devices and communicate without constantly switching between disconnected systems.

That is where Microsoft Modern Work comes in.

Modern Work isn’t a single product. It is an approach to using technologies such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Intune and Microsoft security solutions to create a more connected, productive and secure workplace.

But what does that actually look like in practice?

A Real-World Example: LGT

One useful example comes from LGT, an international private banking and asset management group that has used Microsoft technology to progressively transform the way its employees work.

The pandemic highlighted an important challenge for LGT: traditional ways of working weren’t always suited to a business with teams collaborating across locations and countries.

The company responded with a cloud-first strategy built around Microsoft 365, creating a more flexible digital workplace. Microsoft Teams, Exchange Online, Excel and PowerPoint became part of an integrated environment designed to improve communication, collaboration and access to information across its global offices.

LGT then took its Modern Work journey a step further by introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot through a pilot programme.

Rather than immediately rolling Copilot out to everyone, LGT initially provided 300 licences to employees who were particularly interested in technology. The participants came from different parts of the business and different regions, allowing LGT to learn how the technology was actually being used across the organisation.

The company also put considerable effort into adoption.

Employees received information sessions, webinars and practical examples. A Microsoft 365 Copilot community was established so users could share their experiences, discuss use cases and learn from one another.

The results were encouraging.

During the pilot, LGT reported that users saved an average of around one hour per week. In one example, a lengthy contract review that could previously take up to four hours was reduced to around 30 minutes when Copilot was used to help identify the most important aspects of the document.

There is an important lesson here.

Modern Work isn’t simply about buying new technology. It’s about changing how technology is used across the business.

Modern work environments lay the foundation for an agile corporate culture and for business success in a digitally connected world.

– Peter Matt, Head of Digital Workplace, LGT

What Else Can South African Businesses Learn From LGT?

LGT is a large international organisation, but the principles behind its approach are relevant to businesses of very different sizes.

1. Start With The Way People Work, Not The Technology

It’s tempting to begin a technology project by asking:

“What software should we buy?”

A better question is:

“Where are our people currently losing time?”

Perhaps employees are constantly searching for documents. Maybe different departments store information in different places. Perhaps meetings generate actions that are difficult to track, or employees rely heavily on email when a collaborative workspace would be more effective.

Microsoft 365 provides tools such as Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint that can help address these challenges.

Businesses can learn more about the capabilities available through Microsoft 365 Business Premium, particularly where productivity, device management and security need to work together.

The important thing is to start with the business problem.

Technology should support the way your business operates, not force employees into unnecessary complexity.

2. Collaboration Needs Structure

Simply introducing Microsoft Teams doesn’t automatically create better collaboration.

Without some structure, Teams can become another place where information gets lost.

Businesses should think carefully about how Teams and SharePoint are organised, who has access to what, where documents should be stored and which channels or groups employees actually need.

Some useful questions to ask include:

What belongs in Teams?
What belongs in SharePoint?
What should be stored in OneDrive?
Who can create new Teams and sites?
How should documents be named and organised?
How should access be granted and removed?

These decisions may seem small, but they become increasingly important as a business grows.

A well-designed Microsoft 365 environment should make it easier for employees to find information and collaborate, not create another layer of confusion.

3. Security Has To Be Part Of Modern Work

A modern workplace also creates a different security challenge.

Employees are accessing company information from more locations and devices than they may have in the past. A laptop at home, a mobile device or a connection from a client site can all become part of the company’s technology environment.

That means productivity and cybersecurity shouldn’t be treated as completely separate projects.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium, for example, includes security capabilities such as Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra ID,

Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Purview, which can help businesses protect identities, devices, email and company data.

But having access to these tools isn’t the same as having them properly configured and managed.

Businesses should regularly review areas such as:

Multi-factor authentication
User permissions
Device management
Security policies
Endpoint protection
Email security
Access to company data

For businesses that want help reviewing their wider technology and security environment, Techtron’s cybersecurity services provide managed security and 24/7 monitoring.

4. Don’t Overlook The Human Side

One of the strongest lessons from the LGT case study is the importance of adoption.

Technology only creates value when people actually use it effectively.

LGT didn’t simply provide employees with Copilot licences and leave them to work it out. It created a programme around the technology, gave users practical guidance and encouraged employees to learn from one another.

That’s particularly important when introducing AI.

Giving employees access to AI tools without explaining what they should be used for, what information can be shared with them and how their output should be checked can create unnecessary risks.

Businesses should therefore consider training and acceptable-use guidelines alongside their technology investments.

Modern Work is ultimately about people as much as technology.

Where Should A Business Start?

If your organisation is already using Microsoft 365, you may not need to completely overhaul your technology environment.

Start by assessing what you already have.

Review your Microsoft 365 environment. Identify which services employees are using and whether you’re making full use of the licences you’re already paying for.

Look at collaboration. Find out where teams are storing files, how they communicate and where information is being lost or duplicated.

Review security. Check multi-factor authentication, user permissions, device management, access policies and endpoint protection.

Identify repetitive work. Look for processes that could potentially be simplified through automation or AI.

Talk to employees. Ask them what technology-related frustrations slow them down during a normal working week. Their answers may reveal more than another technology audit.

Create a roadmap. Prioritise improvements based on business value rather than trying to implement everything at once.

For businesses that need ongoing support with their technology environment, Techtron’s fully managed IT services combine IT support, security, monitoring and consulting into a managed service.

Modern Work Is An Ongoing Process

There is no single point at which a business can say it has “finished” becoming a modern workplace.

Technology continues to change. Businesses grow. Employees work differently. Security threats evolve. New capabilities such as AI introduce both opportunities and new considerations.

The LGT example is useful because its Modern Work journey didn’t happen through one technology purchase. It developed over time, from a cloud-first Microsoft 365 strategy to broader collaboration and eventually the introduction of Copilot, supported by training and change management.
The common thread isn’t the technology itself.

It’s the decision to use technology deliberately to improve the way people work.

For South African businesses, that can mean starting much smaller.

You don’t necessarily need to introduce every Microsoft 365 capability at once. Instead, identify where your people are losing time, where your IT environment is creating unnecessary friction and where security could be improved.

Then build from there.

The goal of Modern Work isn’t to give employees more technology. It’s to give them a better way to work.

Looking To Get More From Microsoft 365?

If your business is already using Microsoft 365 but you’re unsure whether you’re getting the most from your environment, Techtron can help assess your current setup, identify opportunities for improvement and make sure productivity and security are working together.

Explore Techtron’s Microsoft 365 Solutions