Today’s Day Translations Blog brings in some insight from iTransition Group which covers smart offices and how IoT can upgrade the traditional workplace!
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the new black for forward-looking businesses. As the first tentative forays into the world of connectivity proved successful, enterprises of all industries have begun investing in IoT development projects in earnest, so today, we can see more widespread use of this technology.
Among the wealth of corporate IoT initiatives, the smart office stands out as a dynamically developing technology – IMARC Group expects the global smart office market to reach $73.8 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 13.14% during 2022-2027. Smart, or connected, office is an umbrella term for the technology that unites commercial buildings into a single network through internet-connected devices, thus helping streamline traditional workflows. Although no connected office is like another and the technology is nascent, several strong trends have already emerged in this area.
A Look at How IoT Might Turn Traditional Workplaces into Smart Offices
Smart Meeting Rooms
Meetings have hardly ever been anyone’s favorite thing, but today this essential component of almost everyone’s daily grind has become even more exhausting and time-consuming.
However, even in the face of such tremendous time loss, meetings are worth keeping. An IoT-wired smart conference room that seamlessly connects stationary devices such as VoIP phones with the participants’ laptops and mobile devices has the potential to mitigate the shortcomings of the traditional meeting process and facilitate unhindered and efficient collaboration between in-person and remote attendees.
A whiteboard is perhaps the most basic meeting accessory, and the smart meeting room does not shy away from this tool either and even includes its upgraded version. An interactive whiteboard wirelessly connects to the speaker’s laptop and projects the computer desktop to the audience, letting presenters share information on the big screen. A smart board allows the presenter and their coworkers to easily manipulate the content, writing and drawing upon it with a pen or a stylus or even live-editing the document.
Another essential of the IoT-enabled meeting room is a smart camera. A free-standing device with wide lenses and an in-built speaker, it enables the participants to sit around the room instead of crowding in front of a single laptop’s web camera to be seen or heard. Powered by automatic recognition, it adjusts to the attendees’ behavior and smoothly focuses on the person speaking. So whether you’re discussing the current FUTA tax rates, or brainstorming for your next major product launch, meetings with multiple participants in different locations will be a breeze to manage.
Smart Offices Space Management
With business real estate prices constantly trending upward, business owners are looking for ways to accommodate their growing workforce in available workspaces and ensure the maximum efficiency of facility use. The Internet of Things offers new opportunities for managing office space utilization and occupancy while securing tenants’ convenience.
An IoT-powered booking system helps to rationalize space utilization and thus nip such discords in the bud. Installed in each meeting room, sensors will report relevant information about space availability to the booking system, excluding the possibility of double booking or underutilization.
Working in sync with lighting and HVAC systems, the sensors can automatically adjust the conditions to the occupancy levels. Finally, smart devices provide insights into how the spaces are actually utilized, helping facility managers make data-driven decisions about space planning. Some enterprises take sustainable office space use to a new level and adopt the hot-desking approach, under which an employee needs to reserve a new desk each day. Such a sophisticated system requires a management solution to match, and IoT hits the spot here.
Retrofitting hot desks with occupancy sensors connected to the company’s app grants each employee real-time visibility into the available workspaces and helps them quickly find the way to the reserved desk.
Smart Lighting and HVAC
As the world grows more eco-conscious, workplace energy consumption is taking center stage. In this light, business owners worldwide acknowledge the need to minimize their office energy footprint.
IoT smart office technologies can make resource consumption sustainable without restricting employees in any way. An intelligent IoT network can interconnect lighting and HVAC equipment, granting the responsible parties unprecedented visibility and control over it.
The capability of such systems to maintain themselves is even more exciting. Embedded business intelligence software analyzes the data from internal and external sensors, helping managers adjust the operating modes of the devices accordingly, either manually or automatically, and tailor the power consumption to the conditions.
Apart from promoting need-based resource consumption, a data-driven HVAC and lighting ecosystem is sensitive to malfunctions and can detect and report equipment problems, thus preventing system disruptions.
Smart Building Security
Outdated and predictable physical protection measures may turn a workspace into an easy target for perpetrators and the entrance to the office into no-barrier access to valuable corporate assets.
Connecting traditional security, surveillance, and intrusion detection devices into an M2M ecosystem allows these devices to exchange information and interact with each other. Activity streams from entrances, business security cameras, CCTV cameras, and smart locks create an accurate and transparent digital footprint for every employee and visitor.
Moreover, environmental sensors can aid with detecting uncharacteristic activity within premises where cameras are absent and instantly set security mechanisms in motion. AI-enabled security software that is trained to recognize criminal activities has the potential to partially or completely replace the staff patrolling the perimeter or watching security camera monitors.
In addition to revolutionizing office spaces, understanding what to consider before installing your automatic sliding gate can similarly transform the functionality and security of our physical work environments, enhancing both safety and operational efficiency.
Besides physical security measures, it is extremely important to keep your data safe. According to DMARC statistics, 93% of successful cyberattacks worldwide begin with a spear phishing email.
Smart Employee Health Enablement
As of today, health incentives are a must-have element of a corporate benefits package and a strong argument in favor of an employment offer. As fitness, healthy food, and medical insurance become more accessible, C-suite is looking to introduce a new dimension to its wellness programs. Exploring opportunities for easy access to nutritious dining in the workplace is now more convenient than ever with services offering healthy chef-curated recipes straight to your office.
The already mentioned connected lighting and HVAC can serve health promotion purposes too. Deeply absorbed in work, employees tend to neglect their physical comfort, forgetting to air the room or turn on the lights, and as a result, aggravating their fatigue. IoT-enabled devices can take on the environment-regulating function to maintain healthy workplace conditions.
The movement sensors embedded into desks can track workers’ physical activity and encourage them to take breaks. Based on sensor and device data, the software can extensively analyze the overall activity and develop personalized health-promoting recommendations for each employee.
Overcoming Barriers to the Adoption of Smart Offices
At present, the concept of the IoT-enabled office attracts the attention and admiration of business stakeholders and decision-makers. However, sensors, network connectivity, a myriad of devices, and a fine mesh of big data to be interpreted make smart offices no low-hanging fruit. Apart from complexity, the technology adoption strongly hinges on stakeholders’ buy-in and its relevance to the corporate environment. Security and a steep learning curve are other common challenges that can hinder a smart office project.
Yet the successful enterprise-grade IoT implementation is feasible by building an IoT system with a clear understanding of the end goals and the consideration for end-users and the company’s specifics. It takes effort and investments to ride the IoT wave, but those who manage it benefit from a convenient and value-driving workplace.