business opportunities

Selling to corporates: a time of change

It is now widely recognised that the way that office workers go about the daily grind will have to change if we are to take advantage of the efficiencies that today’s AV and IT technologies offer. AV News examines trends in workspace design and identifies the opportunities available to resellers and integrators.

s it coincidental that some of today’s most successful businesses occupy innovative workspaces? Or would compa- nies like Facebook, Google and Twitter be successful without the funky workspaces, designed to stimulate great thoughts? Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Tom Davenport argued that:

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“There is no evidence that anyone ever took a job, stayed at a job, or worked more pro- ductively because of foosball, pool, or ping-pong tables, cap- puccino bars, office concierges, hearths, conversation pits, quiet rooms, lactation rooms, creativ- ity rooms, relaxation rooms, nap rooms, etc., etc. In these lean and mean times, many workers are even reluctant to be seen using these facilities for fear that they won’t be considered hardworking enough.”

But while these extremes of office design have attracted a justifiable degree of scepti- cism, there is a consensus that the design of office and meeting spaces does influence the level of collaboration and productivity of a company’s employees. Even online collaboration provider Huddle acknowledges that: “While digital solutions to increase teamwork and improve transparency are definitely a necessary step, business lead- ers should not overlook the importance of creating a work environment that supports col- laboration and is designed to improve productivity.”

Implications

Richard Kauntze, chief execu- tive of the British Council for Offices, says that: “The cellular, inflexible offices of the 70s and early 80s have gradually been replaced by open-plan, team-orientated environments with a range of facilities from kitchens to gyms. We are a knowledge-based serv- ice economy where comfort and amenity play a significant role in workplace productivity. You only have to look at the compa- nies that continually top the best places to work lists to know that a great office is often part and parcel of productive, motivated workplace.”

The move away from “cellular, inflexible offices” to new kinds of workspaces has significant implications for the way that

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VTON’s IDB 4650 can be used as an all-in-one wireless collaboration hub, and with an optional trolley it can be wheeled between meeting spaces as required.

supplied Smart business solutions into specially designed working environments. Bola Oshisanwo, director of BT’s Agile Development Centre explained: “Our research revealed that our agile development teams want to interact with and see what their colleagues are writing on the boards. This resulted in the complete redesign of the agile development teams’ working environment.”

Resource sharing

While essentially open-plan, the solution adopted by BT is sufficiently flexible to allow spaces to be reconfigured as the people and resources required. Research from the Unwired Group shows that 55% of desks in an office are often empty at any one time, and yet there never seems to be a meeting room available when required – and certainly not one with the right combina- tion of AV resources.

Meeting room shortages are

UK, has found that: “Resellers are seeing an increasing demand for meeting room equipment that offers the best possible use of office space, as efficiently as possible. To meet this demand, Epson has launched the EB-450Wi interactive ultra short-throw projector, which cleverly turns any projection surface, such as a meeting room wall, into an interactive one and enables businesses to create a large, impactful screen in even the smallest office space.” Davidson believes that ease- of-use is as important as the compact nature of the instal- lation, because prospective users are given little training and sometimes learn from their peers.

“Customers are asking resellers for the most up-to- date equipment but want it to be easy for their staff to use. The EB-450Wi can work as a simple electronic flip chart, allowing users to directly save notes from meetings or training sessions and distribute them electroni-

“Extremes of office design have attracted a justifiable degree of scepticism, there is a consensus that the design of office and meeting spaces does influence the level of collaboration and productivity of a company’s employees.”

Techconnect2 Tilt: a safe and elegant solution to connectivity which avoids having cables strewn across the meeting room floor.

AV facilities and resources are deployed. At the most basic level, for example, it is impos- sible to install a wall-mounted display where there is no wall. Flexibility and portability are key characteristics of solutions des- tined for contemporary office and meeting spaces, enabling workspaces to be frequently

reconfigured as needs change, UK distributor Steljes is developing a business around collaboration. Martine Dodwell- Bennett, group sales and business development director at Steljes, has observed this trend and overseen the devel- opment of new solutions to meet the requirements of the sector. “The way in which people work has changed dramatical- ly over the last ten years and with it changes are taking place in the design of office and meeting rooms,” said Dodwell- Bennett. “The introduction of collaborative technologies in the workplace now enables team members to participate in a meeting regardless of their location.”

Companies such as BT and O2 have implemented Steljes-

a common occurrence in the corporate world. The cost of office space prompts meeting rooms to be sacrificed in order to accommodate more desks. But the need to work collabo- ratively remains. This has led to the evolution of flexible spaces which be used to house a project team or to conduct meetings as required.

An inherent part of this proc- ess has been the ability to provide the AV infrastructure in a flexible and discrete way, including both power supply and connectivity where necessary. Products which are unobtrusive and occupy limited wall or floor space are increasingly popular among customers moving to flexible workspaces.

Graeme Davidson, market development manager for Epson

cally afterwards, saving time and hassle. In addition, the included digital pen can be used instead of a mouse, so the presenter can do anything they would normally do from their desktop with mini- mal training.”

Mobile resources

Perhaps the ultimate in flex- ibility comes in the form of mobile AV technology. Products such as Loxit’s Hi-Lo Dipper or TeamMate’s VariHite provide the ability to set-up an interac- tive whiteboard in a workspace space in a matter of minutes. Being fully mobile VariHite enables users to create their own ‘meeting room’ in any suitable space, without compromising functionality. TeamMate has partnered with Steljes to supplement VariHite Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16