Technology has enabled the rise of the home office. More businesses have taken on remote workers than ever before, as they offer flexible work schedules as a perk to acquire top talent around the country. Now, the world is staying in as we work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19, accelerating remote work sharply.
While the work-from-home-boom caused by the virus is expected to be temporary, it’s pushed businesses to become ready to support remote working. After the travel bans and self-quarantines finally subside, businesses may be more receptive to remote working after this test-run.
A recent piece in The Atlantic discussed how remote work could be viewed as the future: “People predicted that our jobs would eventually be emancipated from the office, and home would be the thrilling future of work.” For integrators, remote working as the future can become an opportunity.
The remote work boom in response to coronavirus was impromptu, but it makes us consider what a more balanced in-office and remote work setup might look like. When we all return to work, will we have the technology foundation to support it? Businesses need the right technology in-office to support remote work, so that teams can collaborate seamlessly from anywhere. Multi-room conference systems or huddle spaces with interactive display and communication systems must be designed to suit the business’s needs, number of remote employees, and the space.
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Integrators can seize this opportunity to expand their client base or offer new systems to existing clients, but where there’s opportunity, integrators must be cautious and must also consider how to scale and support more systems. With the right technology choices, they can set up for successful growth.
Remote monitoring and a power foundation can equip integrators for success, keeping installations running smoothly. Setting up a foundation is a best practice for office installations big and small. It starts with the network, which is especially necessary today, as most systems for remote work include cloud platforms that require a strong Wi-Fi network. Other than the network, installations also need a power foundation to stay running at peak performance.
Many clients may not realize that their power conditions can affect the performance of an installation. Other equipment like HVAC systems, appliances, and lighting can create power anomalies like spikes, sags, surges, and electrical noise. These anomalies occur daily in most installation environments, and if not resolved, can cause device downtime, system “ghosts,” and reduce equipment lifespan.
For an integrator, this can turn into extra service calls, equipment requiring premature replacement, and loss of trust from clients. To ensure smooth installations and successful growth, integrators can establish a power foundation to protect against these anomalies. The equipment of a power foundation can vary depending on the installation size and conditions, but should include a power conditioner and multi-stage surge elimination technology.
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In addition to the power foundation, analytics and remote monitoring tools can help integrators. Integrators can analyze the power conditions of the installation site before going in, to ensure that the system wouldn’t be compromised by these anomalies.
Once integrators identify the problem, they can select a mix of power equipment to protect the conference systems, huddle spaces, interactive displays, and more. A power foundation is created to suit the size of the installation; where some systems may require backup power from a UPS, others may only need surge suppression technology. Devices like PDUs also offer integrators the ability to manage equipment in an installation with remote monitoring and reboots.
Without a solid foundation in place, remote workers could be virtually locked out of the office and important meetings. Integrators can take advantage of the changing workplace landscape, using monitoring tools and the right foundation to create a reliable and serviceable system to support the changing work culture.
