Hurrairah bin Sohail takes a look at how the quickened pace of digital transformation can help build the workplace to be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow through the use of display technologies.
Evolution is a slow process. But seismic events can accelerate the pace at which change occurs. It is safe to say that the upheaval caused by the global pandemic easily classifies as such a ‘seismic event’ and it is no surprise to see technology move forward in leaps and bounds within an unusually short span of time as a response.
Elevating experience
We have conducted one of the largest global experiments to test the viability of remote working and while the results are not definitive, they point to the fact that a new equilibrium will be reached between working from home and working from the office. Workplaces, as they stand right now, will need to adapt to address this new balance.
As flexible work routines become normalised, it is important to ensure that the experience of workers in the office and at remote locations, such as their homes, is elevated. A key piece enabling these flexible work routines is collaborative solutions paired with effective display solutions. The focus is on ensuring quality ‘presence’.
In the boardrooms and meeting spaces, consideration has to be given to those that are joining the conversation virtually, a number that is rising as more people work remotely and social distancing measures restrict the number of people boardrooms can safely accommodate. We are realising that quality, life-size images are required to ensure that non-verbal communication such as facial micro-expressions and body language can be conveyed, especially in engaging customers and partners.
In order to bridge the gap between meetings as they are today and true communication and collaboration where all participants are duly engaged, digital transformation strategies need to include technologies that are able to deliver premium visual experiences. The visuals need to come as close as possible to resembling lifelike imagery, hence elevating the entire meeting experience.
Solutions such as The Wall for Business from Samsung completely change the value proposition of displays in meeting spaces. Delivering on both display size and visual performance, The Wall is a solution that will help ensure that the ‘presence’ of virtual participants in a meeting is not compromised in any way.
With The Wall, meeting spaces can have a display capable of doing it all from representing remote participants with lifelike realism, highlighting their expressions and body language in detail, to sharply displaying data-centric information. It can even function as a backdrop for virtual seminars allowing users to effectively communicate key messages and change the engagement experience from a normal webinar to a more effective discussion.
The other half of the conversation for the digital transformation of the workplace needs to centre around the remote location. People working from home are experiencing pain points and friction as they realise that the experience of working from home significantly lags behind the experience of working from the office.
The right display solutions can go a long way to improving the work experience at the remote location and naturally monitors are the upgrade path of choice for those who are working from a home setting. Space restrictions are the number one challenge to overcome and Samsung has a wide range of screen size options and designs to select from. With ultra-wide options and dual-monitor features, multitasking abilities are enhanced to enable maximum productivity.
The final component of the flexible workplace is collaboration. Once again, Samsung has a solution ready to deploy. With the Samsung Flip, real-time collaboration between different locations can be enabled and users can collaborate regardless of whether they are in the office or at home. The Flip can serve as a key component of digital transformation, tying together regional offices and remote locations and enabling cross-geographical collaboration.
Samsung Flip, an interactive digital flip chart for real-time collaboration (Photo Credit: Samsung).
Tying all of these display solutions into the push for digital transformation, Samsung is partnering with UC&C providers like Cisco and complementary product manufacturers such as Logitech to provide seamless user experiences and fully packaged solutions.
New perspectives
The digital transformation of the workplace is not just restricted to boardrooms, meeting spaces and remote locations. It encompasses a wide variety of spaces such as lobbies, pantries, training rooms, town halls and more. As the world transitions to safely welcoming workers back to these spaces, an effective strategy to safeguard the health of workers and empowering them to use these spaces is required.
Effective communication will be a cornerstone in ensuring health & safety rules and regulations are applied and workers are made aware of them. LEDs have always been a tool used to communicate brand identity, serving as feature displays in corporate lobbies, but the right LED can do much more.
Samsung’s The Wall for Business does just that. Designed for mission-critical environments, The Wall ensures minimal disruption and downtime for operations with its remote power redundant system design. Additionally, when connected with Samsung’s content and device management solution MagicINFO, it allows for the seamless broadcast of messages across the ecosystem of displays to deliver critical communications to staff in the most optimal way possible.
In a broader context, Samsung’s wider display solutions open up a range of possibilities for the digital transformation of the future workplace. As we begin to conceptualise what the office will look like in 2021 and beyond, we need to account for the fact that social distancing measures will drastically change the occupancy and usage of spaces. Simply put, larger display solutions and more meeting spaces will be needed in offices in 2021.
Solutions like The Wall can be deployed to shift the function of corporate spaces to meet new requirements. For example, using Samsung’s The Wall as a backdrop for a town hall space can provide a larger display that can still cater to a crowd that is seated in accordance with social distancing rules and also serve as a canvas to include remote participants and virtual presence.
Solutions like the Samsung Flip can also be leveraged to add a new layer of multifunctionality. For example, open spaces can be turned into impromptu collaboration spaces with the addition of the mobile and flexible Samsung Flip which adds an interactive, dynamic whiteboard to the mix.
Even with the accelerated pace, there is still progress to be made on the journey of digital transformation. Building the future workplace will require contributions from all sources, from integrators and consultants, smart workplace strategists and solution providers. But what the disruption we have faced has highlighted is that digital transformation is essential. It is clear that we were not prepared to face the challenges caused by the global pandemic. Without investing in the tools needed to digitally transform the workplace, will we be ready to face the challenges of tomorrow?
Join Inavate APAC and Samsung at “Accelerated Digital Transformation: Building The Future Workplace” webinar to find out more about how organisations can build the future workplace in a disrupted world:
Register here: bit.ly/3ejd8vT
Date: Wednesday, 18 November 2020
Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm (GMT +8)
