Feb 09

Work Smart, Transform Your Office Into A Smart Office

Many of us have heard of the term “Internet of Things” or “IoT” for short, but what exactly is it? Well, the Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical devices that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet, with minimal human intervention. These “things” range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools.

We have already begun transforming our homes into smart homes with the help of everyday devices such as smart kitchen appliances, smart TVs, and Google Home – so why not our offices? By turning your office into a smart office, not only will you be able to future-proof your workplace (imagine if you already practiced using Zoom before the COVID-19 pandemic hit), but it also leads to improved employee well-being, increased productivity, and fewer building costs.

Here’s what you need to transform your office into a smart office:

1. Smart Office Tools

Smart office tools are usually the first step in transforming your office into a smart office as they can be implemented even without changing the layout of your office. Examples of smart office tools are visual collaboration software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, video conferencing cameras, meeting booking tools, space management tools and meeting room analytics tools.

2. Smart Meeting Rooms

A smart meeting room is one that uses smart office tools within the physical meeting room space to facilitate a highly productive meeting experience for attendees. For example, installing video conferencing software that makes it easy to schedule a video conferencing meeting, smart video conferencing cameras that makes it easy to connect to any computer or in-room device, whiteboard tools that can be used by even remote meeting participants and its contents can be shared and iterated on even after the meeting, and more. You can even install smart analytics and productivity tools to help you see which spaces are being used most and least frequently, as well as which meeting rooms are being used for different types of meetings so you can plan for future office layout changes.

3. Smart Workspaces

A smart workspace is one that allows an employee to choose where and how they want to work based on the task or project they are currently working on. Depending on your office layout, you can choose to implement an activity-based workspace, hot-desking or floating desks, or utilise a co-working space.

In activity-based work environments, employees rotate throughout different spaces throughout the day, such as at a desk for coding or data analysis, soundproof phone booths for calls, and smart meeting rooms for team meetings. Hot-desking or floating desks are ideal for offices with limited space, as employees are not assigned to a fixed desk. Instead, they would use a reservation system to book a desk when they decide to come into office. Finally, co-working areas are where employees can work together in spaces that aren’t meeting rooms or individual workstations, and they can either be built into your office or you can subscribe to a membership at an existing co-working facility.

In short, smart offices and buildings are slowly becoming the norm, and it is important that you begin the move towards an intelligent office now so that your business is not left behind. One way to do it is by doing the research and implementation yourself, while the alternative is getting a specialised company such as EKTECH, to help you bring your vision to life.