Insight, Intel Hold $150,000 Makeover Contest for Businesses Slowed by Aging Tech

Insight Enterprises (NASDAQ:NSIT), the global integrator of Insight Intelligent Technology Solutions™ for organizations of all sizes, has partnered with Intel on a national $150,000 Connected Workplace Makeover Contest that will award three organizations each with $50,000 worth of new Intel powered technology upgrades and services addressing critical needs to their business.

The contest is geared to small and mid-size companies that have been particularly strapped for resources amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and have struggled to adapt IT systems and processes to the shifting marketplace. A recent Insight Intelligent Technology Pulse study on business readiness showed 54% of IT decision makers felt their organization was only somewhat prepared or less to handle new technology requirements due to the pandemic, with smaller businesses (59%) feeling least prepared.

"The lifeblood of any organization is its IT, especially in the current climate as every business has had to think more like a technology business and go more digital to connect with their workers and customers. Our past contest entries have struck similar notes of just how many companies contend with the drawbacks of outdated technology and how they’ve struggled to keep their heads above water because of it. The Connected Workplace Makeover Contest shows what new technology can do to help organizations run smarter,” said Brenda Hudson, vice president, inside sales, sales enablement, learning and development, Insight.

Winners of the $150K Connected Workplace Makeover Contest will be announced in November, with entries being accepted through Sept. 30. A winner will be chosen in each of these categories and will receive devices with the latest Intel Core processors:

• Productivity: Outdated tools and those lacking modern mobile capabilities can hamper employees’ abilities to efficiently complete tasks, particularly when working remotely. With more than half of IT leaders saying their companies have had to address new requirements for remote worker user enablement and updated collaboration tools, the new normal has escalated the challenges of enabling productivity, according to Insight’s IT Pulse study.
• Security: IT environments are more dispersed than ever, creating new vulnerabilities to breaches, especially with outdated equipment in the workplace. The winner will best articulate how refreshing current systems can help secure their environment, and they will receive 10^th Gen Intel Core vPro processor PCs with built-in hardware-enhanced security and advanced threat protection features.
• Total Cost of Ownership: Nearly half (49%) of IT professionals at small and midmarket businesses said integrating new technology with legacy systems is very or extremely challenging, according to the Insight 2020 Technology Report on IT trends for smaller businesses. Aging IT infrastructure and its perpetual maintenance and downtime can drain an organization’s resources through the hidden costs of declining performance, software/hardware incompatibility, lost productivity, worker frustration and security gaps.

In 2019, more than 1,300 U.S. organizations submitted contest entries sharing why they needed a workplace makeover. These three winners received a tech refresh:

• Productivity – Richmond Flying Squirrels: The minor-league baseball franchise had no mobile PCs, limiting how well the team could engage with fans and clients via activities like check-ins, ticket sales, tours, signage and presentations throughout the stadium. Its decade-old office equipment also limited the use of graphic design tools, with staff turning to their own personal computers to create marketing material. The organization received new 8^th Gen Intel Core vPro processor mobile PCs for check-in, ticketing and tours; new design workstations for marketing production; a 75-inch touch-panel platform for client and staff presentations; and upgraded file storage of game videos, photos and other data.
• Security – Oriol Healthcare: With HIPAA privacy and security compliance top of mind, Oriol needed to upgrade infrastructure still running on Windows 7 to meet today’s security challenges. A makeover enabled Oriol to update workstations and expand Wi-Fi to patient rooms, allowing clinical staff to securely and quickly chart patient vitals and records directly from the room. The expanded connectivity also improved the reliability of eye-gaze equipment used for communication by the healthcare firm’s large population of chronic ventilated patients with ALS, MS and brain injuries.
• Total Cost of Ownership – North Little Rock High School: The school’s Education Accelerated by Service and Technology (EAST) program lets students work on creative projects like holographic design, augmented reality, virtual reality game design, geographical information systems, hydroponics and 3D printing. However, the 150 students taking part in EAST were working on computers more than a decade old that couldn’t handle the requirements of modern applications. The school also lacked mobile devices to allow students to engage with their middle-school counterparts in a "Kids Teaching Kids” program. With a makeover, students now have access to a 3D printer, new monitors, the latest 8^th Gen Intel Core vPro processor workstations and mobile PCs, a Mac Mini for video projects and two touch-panel platforms for student presentations.

To submit an application for the Connected Workplace Makeover Contest, go to insight.com/workplacemakeover; or email makeovercontest@insight.com to learn more. For more information about Insight, visit www.insight.com or call 800-INSIGHT.

About Insight

Today, every business is a technology business. Insight Enterprises Inc. empowers organizations of all sizes with Insight Intelligent Technology Solutions™ and services to maximize the business value of IT. As a Fortune 500-ranked global provider of Digital Innovation, Cloud + Data Center Transformation, Connected Workforce, and Supply Chain Optimization solutions and services, we help clients successfully manage their IT today while transforming for tomorrow. From IT strategy and design to implementation and management, our 11,000 teammates help clients innovate and optimize their operations to run business smarter. Discover more at www.insight.com. NSIT-M

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