UC round-up WCDs: impact and productivity


With the latest generation of cloud-based collaboration tools on show, UC Expo also provided the venue for visitors to compare the new Windows Collaboration Displays as meeting room hardware from vendors including Sharp and Avocor.


Productivity is at the heart of the drive to agile working. BlueJeans reported that de- spite the recent investment in collaborative solutions, UK productivity is still decreasing. So what could the problem be? In Sharp’s latest report, author Christopher Parker, inter- viewed by AV News at UC Expo, believes that employers could increase worker performance by 20% simply by increasing the fresh air supply in offices and meeting rooms. Other pro- ductivity factors include indoor air quality, temperature and lighting.


mance by 4.1%, beneficial for lengthy meetings and combat- ting the end of day productivity lull.


Office and meeting room lighting was also found to have a significant impact on concentration and productivi- ty, with the research revealing that good lighting can im- prove performance by 15%. Good lighting and daylight are essential to employee’s well- ness and mood, with findings showing that workers in offices with windows had 46 minutes more sleep a night compared to workers without them. This


workspaces to include lighting that delivers the optimal place for employees to think and col- laborate.


“Studies have repeatedly shown that uncomfortable en- vironmental conditions can negatively affect performance in the general office space and meeting rooms. This provides a strong business case to control and adapt these conditions in order to boost productivity and worker performance in meet- ings," comments Dr. Nigel Os- eland, Environmental Psychol- ogist. Chris Parker, Senior Product


vancements in collaboration technologies, together with the capabilities offered by IoT and cloud platforms mean it’s now easier than ever for businesses to get better value from their meetings. When you know the temperature of a meeting room


this year, which includes listing Avocor displays for purchase through Lenovo global sales. The


firms acknowledge that


workplace optimisation is a top priority for nearly every en- terprise customer, particularly integrating smart offices and


provide guidance to enterprise clients about matching the ideal interactive display with compute for each environment, from conference rooms to ex- ecutive offices to huddle and casual spaces. The robust Le- novo compute and Smart Office


Avocor previewed its WCDs at Enterprise Connect in March, meeting rooms.


and you can send that data to the cloud, and from the cloud, communicate this to your heat- ing and cooling system to take an action, you have a system that adapts to how your meet- ing spaces are used. We believe this is the start of a revolution in smart spaces.”


Enterprise clients


Sharp’s WCD not only incorporates the usual AV functions of an iFPD, but also monitors and collects envi- ronmental data.


Showcased at UC Expo, Sharp’s incarnation of the Win- dows Collaboration Display not only incorporates the usual AV functions of an iFPD, but also monitors and collects environ- mental data and data on how meeting


rooms are actually


used. With the average UK of- fice worker spending 17 hours a month in meetings, Sharp argues that it’s key that busi- nesses get them right. The new report, developed by Sharp and workplace psychologist Dr Nigel Oseland, highlights the importance of creating the right conditions for meetings in order to boost productivity. The report also identifies temperature


as another key


environmental factor that has an impact on memory recall, attention span, and creativity, which all affect performance. Gradually decreasing the tem- perature to 18°C one hour be- fore the end of the working day was found to boost productivity and increase employee perfor-


P12 AV News June 2019 Business Group.


Avocor and Lenovo are work- ing to co-develop solutions for collaboration spaces and will also include Avocor’s exist- ing E series, F series and the new breakthrough Windows Collaboration Displays by Av- ocor. Capable of significantly enhancing and accelerating teamwork as well as room and device monitoring through its Azure IoT sensors, the WCDs by Avocor features the world’s most advanced touchscreen technology and is fully compat- ible with Windows 10, deliver- ing the power and productivity of Microsoft 365 at room scale. Avocor and Lenovo are cur- rently validating equipment to


provides reason for businesses to consider the design of their


Manager at Sharp, adds: “Ad-


Avocor previewed its WCDs at Enterprise Connect in March, where the vendor also an- nounced an alliance. Lenovo will include Avocor in its Ven- dor Label Hardware Program


Bryan Denyer, editor of AV News, in conversation with Sharp’s Birgit Jackson, Commercial Director Europe, and Ian Barnard, General Manager Europe - Visual Solutions at UC Expo.


Lenovo smart meeting room solutions help conduct and manage meetings, technology and information quickly and simply, allowing participants to focus on exchanging ideas, being


creative office and effective


communication. “Lenovo is committed to be a leader in smart


technology and


help define these collaborative workspaces through innovative solutions that solve customer problems. Avocor’s strategic vision and its collaboration dis- plays with the Lenovo Smart Office portfolio is a major step in making technology seamless to use, which enables teams to focus on driving better engage- ment and enabling smarter business,” said Joseph Min- gori, of the Lenovo Smart Office


portfolio combined with the precision and touch of the Av- ocor displays enables the most seamless and powerful collab- oration experience for any size room across the enterprise.


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