As Cisco’s VP and general manager for collaboration devices, Espen Løberg is focused on connected, AI-powered workplaces. His keynote address on Thursday, June 18, at 11 a.m. in Room N249, will introduce “Connected Intelligence,” the company’s approach to unifying networks, collaboration platforms, devices, and AI for better workplace experiences.
“Here's what it looks like in practice,” he explained. “A worker walks into a room. The system recognizes the meeting and enables people to start the call with the touch of a button. During the meeting, cameras and microphones work together to ensure the focus is on the right person—everyone in the room and joining remotely can see, be seen, hear and be heard, all without touching a button. If something changes in the room, the system detects it and resolves it proactively. A facility manager sees space utilization across every floor from one dashboard. The IT team sees device and network health across every space in the building from one place.
“That's only possible when devices, network, and management are built to share information rather than operate in isolation,” he added. “For organizations still running those systems separately, that level of coherence isn't achievable by integration alone. It requires a common foundation.”
Current return-to-office strategies have exposed how much work is still left to do. “People came back, but with different work patterns, and they found rooms that looked great but didn't perform the same way they did with the apps they'd become used to,” he observed. “The bar has moved, and the people in those rooms know it better than anyone.”
Løberg also believes there is a significant amount of untapped analytics information being generated by devices in today’s workplace. “Most of that data sits in silos and never informs a single decision. When you bring that data together in one place, you stop guessing about what your workforce needs and start knowing,” he said.
Intelligent collaboration doesn't have to be expensive, according to Løberg, but it must be right. “The organizations I talk to aren't asking whether they can afford it,” he noted. “They're asking how to justify it internally. My answer is always the same: Look at what you're already spending on systems that don't work together.”
Løberg is looking forward to interacting with InfoComm attendees. “I'm excited to share what we've learned,” he said, “and to hear what this community is seeing on the ground. There's no better room to have that conversation.”
