Have you noticed that across the enterprise – from Ethernet
to headsets – we’re ditching cables? The ‘wireless office’ is a little like the
‘paperless’ equivalent, something that we aspire to and can continuously work
towards.
Do you know how much time wires cost us productivity-wise?
The often-used term “five-minute meeting tax” refers to the time spent before a
meeting while we look for wires, adapters and connect to in-room screens. If
research is accurate and we attend an average of 62 meetings each month then
that’s more than five hours lost each month fiddling around with accessories.
It’s a simple equation: eliminate the wires from your life
and you can increase productivity.
Culturally, in our everyday lives, we’ve grown accustomed to
operating wirelessly and sharing content without the need to plug in. This
could be something as simple as sending an email from our mobile or tablet
device or sharing multimedia content on a TV screen using mirroring technology.
This desire for simplicity is now apparent in the
enterprise, where we often find ourselves physically tethered to legacy
technology. Added to this, as flexible working continues to rise – two-thirds
(63%) of the UK now works from home, Polycom’s latest study finds – we want to
be free from wires wherever we work remotely.
Thankfully, times are changing. The next generation of
content collaboration tools is hitting the market, eliminating the need for
cables so users can crack on with their meetings and share content swiftly,
securely and easily.
Imagine a future where engineers can collaborate on complex
projects in real time with colleagues from around the world, making live edits with
touchscreen technology. Or in the medical community, where doctors from
disparate sites can review MRIs, X-rays or other patient data to make
assessments and improve the patient outcomes, saving both time and money.
Our research shows that more than a third (35%) of workers
say collaboration tools help them make quick decisions and nearly two-thirds
(62%) of workers in major economies around the world want their employer to
provide the collaboration technology to work from anywhere.
