2016 is upon us.
With a new year comes a new set of goals, new opportunities, and new considerations for the tech decision maker to think about. While 2015 saw an increase in technology for the open office and huddle spaces, 2016 looks to be swinging in some different directions when it comes to technology for enterprises.
Strengthen the Network
Now that you’ve switched to an open office environment and outfitted your huddle spaces with conferencing and collaboration technology, it’s time to start thinking about the backbone of that tech. The back end of the network is going to be a major focus for many companies. See, these new collaboration, conferencing and presentation displays and software are likely connected to the internet, which means that your connection needs to be reliable and secure.
Remote Employee Access
Your back end also needs to be secure for those that are conferencing into the company. Telecommuting has increased every year for almost a decade now, and more and more employees are expressing that a work/life balance is of great importance in their career, especially the millennials that will continue to take over the workplace. That means you’ll be putting those conferencing systems to good use as in-office employees work with remote employees through collaboration and conferencing technology. With that added bandwidth, you’re back end needs to be robust and reliable.
Cyber Security
What do I mean by reliable? Cyber security. 2015 saw major cyber security breaches, from movers and shakers like Sony to unexpected targets like the toy company VTech Holdings. Hackers are getting more sophisticated and more dangerous, and large companies aren’t the only ones at risk. They’ll attack anyone that they might be able to make some money off of, especially those with weak and untested cyber security systems. As your processes move further and further online, the need for strong security to keep your data safe becomes a top priority.
Going Green
It’s not only your own purposes that you need to consider. After the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris many countries are going to be placing premiums on green technology. Whether that comes in the form of tax breaks for companies that work toward LEED certification or penalties against those that don’t, green technology is going to be rewarded in the coming years. Not to mention the fact that a company that goes green will be helping to assuage the growing climate crisis across the world.
Control and Automation
Which brings me to my final point: control and automation is a good thing. Automation of lighting or air conditioning system not only helps the environment by eliminating waste of electricity, it helps your bottom line by cutting utility costs. Control and automation systems can do anything from set specific times when lighting should brighten, dim, turn off or turn on. These systems can open and close blinds to make use of natural lighting. They can turn those collaboration and conferencing systems on and off when someone enters or leaves a room. The possibilities are almost endless with how sophisticated they can get, but it all amounts to ease-of-use and conservation of energy. Do yourself the favor and look into it.
As always, TechDecisions will be here every day to bring you information you need about these topics and any others that will help you do your job better. We look forward to seeing what 2016 has in store for the technology community.
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