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Turn Every Space into a Huddle Space or Conference Room

August 17, 2015

The company cafeteria is not just for food service. It can often be the central meeting or huddle space for employees to meet, share ideas, and learn from one another. Based on its design, it’s a place that could be border-free and all-inclusive through conference room technology.
Think about your technology infrastructure and how it connects your team members and external partners. What if that technology was taken outside of the conference room or huddle space? Many mid-size and larger corporations have added audio/visual equipment into their cafeterias. Whether it’s to show a company’s latest commercial or to provide direction on company policy, such tools can increase access and reach of information.
By using the cafeteria for its social aspect and space, you can bring employees together! Presentations, “Town Hall” meetings, brainstorm sessions, etc. bring forth conversations. By layering communication tools like wireless presentations, you can now make the cafeteria your company’s largest conference room or huddle space.
“Town Hall” meetings, corporate training sessions and company presentations can be taken to a whole new level. Location, time, and wires no longer have to be a barrier to be a part of a conversation. The cafeteria becomes a place to inspire and to take action.
Here are 5 ways to make the cafeteria into a communication hive.

Set up wireless presentation access. Wireless presentations are a means to share information with team members no matter where they are. Employees can contribute not only thoughts and ideas, but they can content from their devices, no matter where they are.
Be equipped. Many cafeterias have AV equipment setup to display company messaging or just to air local news. However, take a look at your current conference room design and layout. Examine how the conference room being used and how certain tools and functions, like video conferencing, could work in a larger space. It may not be feasible to use the cafeteria for wireless projection, but connecting your laptop to the cafeteria TV shouldn’t be an issue.
Schedule the “room.” Yes, your cafeteria may need to be scheduled for meetings. People still use the cafeteria to dine and socialize. If your company is using a conference room booking system, make the cafeteria a location or resource. Find out when your cafeteria is at its busiest. Then, make it available for meetings during slow periods. What’s important is to communicate cafeteria’s usage during those times.
Test your connections and security. If your meeting will involve remote access, you should ensure that all parties will be able to connect, and that data shared will be secure. Wireless presentations, like Ubiq, allow for activity monitoring, secured access and data encryption for each session. It’s important to test those capabilities with a small group of employees, both in and out of the office, especially when implementing such communication tools in the cafeteria.

At your company, your goals should be tied to how your employees work. This includes where they work. If you can optimize your space to create more opportunities for collaborative and productive work, your employees will benefit greatly. Stop thinking of the cafeteria as only a place to eat. Look at it as an opportunity to learn, share, motivate and work…together.

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Do Your Meeting Rooms Meet the 'Modern Standard'?

August 11, 2015

The way we conduct meetings has changed over the years, thanks to technology. From the telephone to video to the interactive display, meeting rooms and huddle spaces are no longer bound to location and time zones. The tools we use have certainly evolved to help us be more productive, efficient, and collaborative.
Let’s look at how conference room technology has grown:
Telephone conferencing. Alexander Graham-Bell’s telephone in 1877 changed how we communicate from remote locations. Business meetings didn’t need to be in the same room. No need to wait for messages to arrive via telegraph or post. He brought real-time communication!
Since then, we’ve seen the telephone’s purpose change thanks to innovations, such as:

The speakerphone allowed groups to speak through a single 1:1 communication flow.
Conference functionality allowed a user to connect more than one phone line to another or transfer to another.
Conference call systems opened communication to allow multiple phones to connect into a single line.

WATCH: “The Birth of Telecommunications” (History)
Video conferencing added a visual element to work communication. People could see and speak to one another. Video initially was an enhancement to audio. Since then, it flipped with the rise of the Internet and cloud connectivity.
Video communication has changed how we see, hear, and speak with one another. Tools like Skype, Facetime, Google Hangouts and WebEx gives us options to record or live stream our conversations. All the while, we make our business portable and social.
VIEW: “The History of Videoconferencing” (Telemerge, Inc./SlideShare)
Where are we today? The wireless presentation has bridged the gap between teleconferencing and videoconferencing. It has promoted unified communication to allow teams to connect across different platforms, devices, and audio visual setups. It’s changing company cultures by bringing people together through a central access point.
We’re able to contribute and bring value to our meetings no matter our location.
WATCH: “Get Started with Ubiq”
Where do we go next? Take a look at what Lightpath put together in a great timeline infographic on “The Evolution of the Business Meeting.”
Tell us where you see conference room technology and conference room AV equipment are heading!

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Smartwatches in Meeting Rooms: Is That What the Future Looks Like?

July 31, 2015

Wearable devices are becoming increasingly common in the home and in the workplace. For years, devices like fitness trackers, smart glasses, and smartwatches have been popular amongst consumers. However, more companies and employees are willing to use wearable technology too–if it helps them do their job better. In a study by CornerStone OnDemand, 66 percent of employees responded that they would use wearable technology to help them improve their work performance.
One of the biggest trends in wearable technology for businesses today is the smartwatch. Early versions of “smartwatches” have been around for a few decades. However, it hasn’t been until recently that they have really kicked off.
Before the capabilities of a smartwatch were extremely limited and could barely be considered “smart”. Many left users asking, “Why would I need to use this when I can just use my smartphone or tablet?” Now, their capabilities have advanced so much that some brands boast that they can replace the need for a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Will smart watches become commonplace in the office and meeting space? If recent market research is any indication, it is possible. In 2014, 6.8 million smartwatches were sold globally, an increase of 82 percent year over year. With the release of the new Apple watch, sales are expected to soar this year. Here are a few more reasons the smartwatch could be the next big workplace tech trend.

Younger Workforce
Right now, Millennials (ages 18-34) make up over half of the workforce. By 2030, that majority is expected to increase to 75 percent. Needless to say, they are a vital part of many organizations and their generation has a huge influence on how business is conducted. One of the biggest influences that Millennials have had on the corporate world is the increased usage of technology. The age group is known for being tech-savvy and desires the use of technology for work purposes.
This is reflected in their use of wearables, especially smartwatches. According to research firm Nielsen Group, Millennials make up 48 percent of wearable tech users. Furthermore, 36 percent of them plan to buy a smartwatch within the next 12 months, based on a recent study. With their large numbers and penchant for technology, Millennials could be some of the primary drivers for smartwatches at work.

Sophisticated Capabilities
Technology has come a long way in recent years. Companies now have access to cloud-based collaboration tools, video conferencing, wireless presentation software, data analytics, mobile tablets, e-learning, and dozens of other devices and programs to help them reach their end goal, faster, The smartwatch is another device that could develop a more prominent role in the workplace.
This is because their capabilities are more sophisticated than ever before. One of the most common uses for smartwatches is to make audio and video calls. However, they are capable of much more. For example, individuals can manage tasks and get alerts to increase their productivity. For employees that frequently need to monitor systems and troubleshoot network problems quickly, the real-time updates feature is essential.
Many smartwatches have as many or more capabilities as a smartphone, only it is conveniently on your wrist whenever you need it. Smartwatches still have a long way to go before they are as mainstream as the smartphone. However, if their progression in the past few years is any indication, there could be at least one in every meeting room or office space.

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6 Ways To Ensure That Your Meeting Rooms Are Secure

July 20, 2015

A top concern for CIOs, CEOs, and IT personnel is the leaking of sensitive or proprietary information revealed during exclusive meetings. Now that everyone owns a mobile device and data breaches are on the rise (up 40 percent last year), information security in meeting rooms is even more difficult to maintain.
Ensuring that your data is safe before, during, and after meetings is crucial for any organization, especially for those in government, healthcare, and technology sectors. Below are some tips for ensuring that your meeting rooms are under lock and key.
1. Control preparation materials
When preparing materials for a presentation or conference, limit the use of physical data as much as possible. In many cases, losing or leaking physical data can be more likely due to the lack of control. If you are using collaboration tools or software to pull together figures, graphics, and presentations, make sure that it is with a secure provider and only select individuals have access to it. If it’s online, never use an insecure network or public Wi-FI.
2. Assess the space
One of the best ways to ensure your meeting rooms are secure is to assess them beforehand. If it is located in your office space or another entity that you control, this is easier to accomplish. If it is located elsewhere, try to do a security walkthrough before the event. Get to know the security staff and any meeting policies.

3. Using wireless presentation systems
It is easier to limit possible security leaks if you own or control the meeting space. But oftentimes, you may need to present at other locations off-site with another company’s AV equipment. In these instances, using a wireless presentation system can allow you to upload data straight from your device to any pre-existing audio visual setup. This limits the access points and narrows the chance of a breach.

4. Verify attendees
For bigger meetings, having a list of approved participants is key. Some may go as far as giving each attendee an ID badge or other mode of identification to ensure that only select individuals are allowed in. This can prevent any competitors or leaks from entering, and it can track participants in case one does occur.
5. Brief participants
Before beginning a meeting that may contain restricted information, quickly inform participants. Let them know that it is sensitive, give them a tip sheet on how to protect data after the meeting ends, or have them sign a short, to-the-point contract regarding the release of information and responsibilities.

6. Restrict the devices used
Another threat to security in meeting rooms is the use of mobile devices. In a Ponemon Institute study, leakage of information was the top risk of insecure mobile devices. In some cases, restricting the use of a smartphone, tablet or any mobile device, can be extremely difficult to impossible, especially when it comes to larger events. However, you can still ask participants to refrain from using these devices during all or some restricted parts of the meeting. Personnel can help monitor the room and enforce the rule when a meeting is in session.
In an age where everyone has a smartphone camera or recording device, it can be difficult to keep sensitive information released in meetings a secret for long. However, companies can take control of the situation and increase security with these best practices.

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What Employees hate most about your Conference Room Technology

July 3, 2015

In this day and age, avoiding technology in the workplace is like trying to avoid dairy at an ice cream shop. The best we can hope for is to harness technology and control its use. Controlling the use of technology in the conference room is no different.
As technology becomes more pervasive in our personal and work lives, here is a look at some of the biggest reasons why employees my actually hate the conference room technology that was intended to make life easier.

Constant Dependence on Technology. The number one reason employees might dislike technology is the very fact that we are dependent on it to get the job done. How many times has everybody gone home early because the computers went down? How many meetings have been called off because of technical difficulty?
Crippling Effects of Technology Malfunctions. Along the lines of point #1, employees hate attending a meeting where the wireless presentation equipment isn’t working, or where a computer has crashed. These meetings become extremely unproductive while all attendees wait for a solution to be reached.
Work Time Infringing on Personal Time. It used to be that when you were at work, you were at work, and when you were at home, you were at home. This is not always the case now with modern technology. There is often an expectation for employees to “call in” to important meetings, even if you are on vacation. This can start to feel rather restrictive.
Limited Interpersonal Communication. There are many reports and studies on how rare personal conversations are becoming. Have you ever sat in a conference room waiting for a meeting to start and nobody is talking to each other because they are all staring at their phones? Digital messaging can be harmful to an employees ability to verbally communicate.
Emails, Texts and Other Interruptions Affect the Productivity of Meetings. It can be very frustrating, as a meeting attendee, to be forced to wait for the presenter to stop and answer a text, or a phone. It is equally as frustrating when a presenter has to deal with attendees who are more interested in their phones than what is being presented.
Assimilation to New Technology. Employees are often required to upgrade to new devices that are compatible with new technology at work and in the conference room. There is always an assimilation learning curve with any new device. Employees, especially those that are not as technologically savvy, can get very frustrated when learning a new device.
Cost of Required Technology. Similar to point #6, Employees can get frustrated with the cost of required upgrades. That is, unless the employer is willing to foot the bill.
Technology Taking Over Jobs. In today’s workplace, many jobs are being automated and employees are being replaced by technology. This can create a general resentment toward technology in the workplace. Current conference room technology also allows for more remote working arrangements and can dramatically widen the talent pool.
Excessive Monitoring Inhibits Creativity. Many employers are choosing to implement monitoring devices and software to keep closer tabs on employee productivity and other activities. Some of the most creative employees feel that this type of rigid monitoring of activity can stifle the free spirit of creativity and innovation.
Microphone Feedback and Distortions. Last, but not least, one of the most hated technology problems in the conference room is the microphone. From ear-splitting feedback, to conference phones that can’t quite pick up every voice in the room, the microphone can be a very frustrating piece of technology.

While it is impossible to solve every problem that employees have, there are a few things companies can do to help their workforce feel more comfortable about new technology.
First would be to create a progressive environment which embraces change and subsequently embraces technology. Second, plan and budget for regular technology upgrades. This keeps your equipment compatible, and will reinforce your commitment to staying technologically current. Lastly, take the time to train employees on new technologies, and allow for open dialogue about what will help the most.

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