• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Mobility, News, Unified Communications

Platform-Agnostic Systems Are Key To Collaboration Amid Busy Remote Work Tech Market

The collaboration market is becoming crowded with software, so IT leaders now need to invest in platform-agnostic systems as work-from-anywhere continues.

December 1, 2020 Zachary Comeau Leave a Comment

Collaboration Systems

In 2020, the world became intimately familiar with unified communication and collaboration technology that helped organizations transition to remote work as COVID-19 lockdowns forced offices and workplaces to close.

With that came several challenges, including keeping remote workers engaged at a level consistent with when everyone was back in the office and making sure these new programs that we’ve been living on for the last 9 months are still having an impact when offices begin to reopen.

“The desire and learnings from collaboration al remained the same,” says Dana Corey, senior vice president of collaboration display provider Avocor.

“The challenge has been how to integrate that with work from home and more important for us, as they return – whatever percentage that is – how do we ensure the work from home colleague is just as engaged as those in the office again?”

The competitive collaboration market

Although Zoom and Microsoft Teams grab many of the headlines – and business – other players like Google and Cisco aren’t just “sitting around idly waiting,” Corey says.

Instead, those two and many others are releasing new platform features and in some cases are overhauling the design of the applications and introducing new tools that make it easier for enterprise to connect internally and externally in this work-from-anywhere environment.

Corey expects unified communications and collaboration software companies to continue to execute on their strategies in 2021.

“My thought is in Q1, we’ll start seeing a big uptick in some of these meeting rooms and advancements, which means they’re going to have to bring more to the table to make the category stronger,” Corey says.

Those dynamic workplace challenges and sudden focus in the collaboration industry are giving rise to a new categories of enterprise technology: collaboration devices and displays designed to be portable and used in both the home office and in the corporate office.

They include videoconferencing devices like Zoom for Home, Crestron HomeTime, Facebook Portal and hardware from other collaboration giants like Google and Webex. Other companies like Poly have designed portable speakerphones that can support a variety of uses and environments in offices at home and on location.

Read Next: My TechDecisions Podcast Episode 106: How COVID-19 is Changing Collaboration Trends

Look for platform-agnostic systems

However, the videoconferencing and collaboration markets are flooded with software from several providers like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Google Meet, Bluejeans, Slack, RingCentral and many more.

There have been calls for these companies to get along and provide more interoperability and integrations, but that has largely failed to materialize as the collaboration software industry suddenly became extremely lucrative and competitive.

According to collaboration industry experts, using multiple software vendors isn’t all that rare. Some companies use one app to communicate externally and another to communicate with their team. If organizations work in small teams, the software of choice can vary among groups.

“I don’t know about you, but my home system needs to be agnostic and open to the ability to be bouncing around from a Teams meeting to a Zoom meeting to a PowerPoint,” Corey says.

IT directors need to prepare for this as optimistic news about effective vaccines is getting people thinking about the return to the office.

“If you’re an IT director and planned to have a single platform in all of your offices and you have no concept of work-from-home in that platform, you’re in deep trouble,” Corey says. “At any given time, the agnostic part lets you ebb and flow with the business.”

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Hybrid Work, Remote Work, Unified Communications, Videoconferencing

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • URI catchbox 1 Catchbox Plus: The Mic Solution That Finally Gave…
  • Engaging virtual meeting with diverse participants discussing creative ideas in a bright office space during daylight hours Diversified Survey: Workplace AV Tech is Falling Short,…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.