The rapid expansion of video conferencing platforms has led to a massive rise in businesses with a mix of remote and hybrid employees.
So how do you choose what’s best for your digital workplace? Choose a platform that will provide practical solutions for each of the three pillars of the digital workplace: video conferencing, wireless presentation, and scheduling.
How to choose a digital workplace technology platform
Next, you’ll need to think about your business-specific needs.
Ask yourself the following:
• What types of spaces will best serve your organization — perhaps a few huddle rooms and a larger conference space? How many rooms do you think you’ll need? Is a big boardroom or auditorium in the mix?
• Will on-premises or cloud functionality best serve your remote and mobile workers? How can you support — in real-time — every member of the team?
• What distribution paths will push organizational content to all devices?
• Which broadband paths and topologies will prevent overloading your corporate network?
• What kind of operating systems and conference platforms will match your needs?
• Today’s workplace is constantly changing, so the need for scalable, flexible platforms that grow and change with the business is critical. How can we make the solutions adaptable — “future-ready?”
• What resources are we using to prop up what may be a legacy system? What are the costs of operating and maintaining those systems as technology advances beyond their capabilities?
Video Conferencing
The right video conferencing solution is critical to the success of your digital workplace. Aspects of a system include video, audio, and wired vs. wireless.
Let’s start with the video aspect. To ensure you have the right camera for the space, whether 0coverage for a room full of people or a single individual at their desk, make sure that camera is supported by an intelligent video solution with features such as framing and tracking to ensure that all participants have an “equal seat” at the table.
The audio aspect, speakers and microphones, is just as crucial as video considerations and arguably more so. (If a team member has audio, they can participate in a meeting.) Microphones should provide proper coverage for the size of the room, speakers should be free from distortion, and feature echo-canceling to facilitate more natural conversations and compelling presentations. Remote workers or participants from a single desk or space may choose a headphone rig with an attached microphone, and this is important if the employee is joining the team from a crowded space and needs to shut out ambient noise.
With wired vs. wireless, several things should be considered. Whether a meeting participant is presenting from a laptop via Wi-Fi® or sharing content via USB and/or HDMI, you must ensure that their connection is reliable, and that the platform allows for both. You must also provide the same for remote workers joining a meeting via Wi-Fi or a cabled link.
Wireless Presentation
Hybrid work requires a solution that provides the flexibility to share, present, and host a local or hybrid meeting from one device. Whether in a huddle space, auditorium, or board room, with everyone in one location or distributed across time zones, you need a system that efficiently integrates devices for effortless collaboration, presentation, video conferencing, and digital signage.
A robust hybrid wireless work solution is required to address these evolving needs hybrid wireless work solution is required. This solution enables everyone to actively contribute and engage in meetings, whether colleagues are physically present in the same room or participating remotely. It empowers teams to share current content, regardless of their physical location, seamlessly. These advanced systems integrate various devices and offer enhanced functionality to ensure effortless collaboration across different settings.
Room Scheduling
As hybrid work becomes more widespread, businesses must ensure every employee has a space to meet, collaborate, conduct independent work, be productive, and have the necessary technology. An effective scheduling system prevents the team from wandering around the facility, hunting for a space to work.
There are several scheduling elements to consider, including booking (managing available spaces), availability (identifying the suitable area), utilization (designing the workspace), flexibility (quickly changing the workspace), scanning (badges), and sensing (occupancy). Along with the scheduling features mentioned above, room control is another factor. Two aspects to consider here are localized, automated control (a sensor triggers the room to a specific state) and integration with third-party devices (automatically recognizes and integrates devices).
THE SOLUTION
CREATING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE DIGITAL WORKPLACE
A suitable digital workplace seamlessly links team members anywhere in the world. While specifics can vary wildly — from the physical footprint of a room to a team member’s individual needs for, say, sharing content — there are some fundamental considerations when choosing a solution:
• Is the platform easy to use? Easy to deploy? Easy to support, monitor, and troubleshoot? Are clear and concise training resources available?
• Does it include purpose-built devices? Can those devices provide intelligent video, clear audio, localized AV options, intuitive content distribution, and compelling video conferencing solutions?
• Does the solution include scheduling tools to ensure that rooms, desks, and equipment are all available?
• Is the solution scalable — can you easily add or change spaces and support those spaces?
• Is the platform “future-ready” — can it handle upgrades as new technologies are developed?
NEXT STEPS
If your organization is ready to bring intelligent Digital Workspace solutions to your new building, Creation Networks is here to help. We design, install, and program state-of-the-art AV systems in businesses across California and nationwide. Contact Creation Networks Today