Switching from physical, location-based operations to a remote workforce means more than handing out laptops to each employee. Companies already strapped for cash flow are having to invest in virtual infrastructure and software, as well as adapt to the new processes and culture required to keep the lights on remotely under COVID-19’s social distancing recommendations.

“It’s a more fluid and dynamic workplace experience, and how you enable that, create the right amount of productivity but also the right amount of collaboration and camaraderie is critically important,” said John Schultz (pictured), chief legal and administrative officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Schultz spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during the HPE Discover Virtual Experience event. They discussed how HPE is helping clients cope with information-technology challenges due to COVID-19 restrictions, including the company’s new Integrated Financial Solutions. (* Disclosure below.)

Don’t lose sight of the value of data

HPE has committed to “being the edge to cloud-as-a-platform company,” with a pledge to offer “everything as a service” by 2022. As leader of HPE’s transformation office, Schultz is focused on following through with that promise. But, rethinking how a company operates from end-to-end is a challenge that means more than automating previously manual processes. Employees used to operating based on their personal experience and knowledge have to accept that decisions are now data-driven, according to Schultz.

The biggest barrier to transition is recognizing the true value of data and breaking down the data silos, Schultz pointed out.

“Data isn’t just sort of an asset,” he said. “It is the key to unlocking the greatest insights inside the company.” And to bring those insights, the data needs to be in movement. “We need data flows that allow us to drive that cross-silo collaboration and, most importantly, to fuel artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Schultz added.

Offering financial services to help clients fund their transformation is now fundamental to HPE’s services, according to Schultz. “It’s such a differentiator for us. Clearly, it fuels our as-a-service and our consumption offerings,” he said.

But the program has another upside: It’s sustainable. “Most of the equipment we take back and run through our upcycling service centers either get refurbished and put back into use or get recycled,” Schultz said. “That is what people want to talk about today. Not just, ‘Hey, what’s the newest thing in your technology? But are you being responsible from a climate perspective?’ And we can say, ‘Absolutely, we are a leader in that space.’”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the HPE Discover Virtual Experience event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the HPE Discover Virtual Experience. Neither Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: John Schultz