On Workplace 3.X: NETGEAR

John Henkel, Director of SMB Product Marketing at NETGEAR
(Image credit: Future)

AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for ensuring meeting equity for all employees and how to deliver the best collaboration experience regardless of location.

Thought Leader: John Henkel, Director of SMB Product Marketing at NETGEAR

Remote work isn’t going anywhere any time soon, but as companies invite employees back into the office they need to be prepared to support communication between both those in the corporate meeting space and those in home offices. Further, the physical office itself is evolving, placing more focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing in meeting rooms and break-out areas rather than desk space. To equally enable local and remote meeting participants, offices are taking a hard look at their meeting spaces, with a focus on size requirements and technology.

To equally enable local and remote meeting participants, offices are taking a hard look at their meeting spaces, with a focus on size requirements and technology." —John Henkel, Director of SMB Product Marketing at NETGEAR

Prior to the shift towards remote work, poor connection from employees “dialing in” was attributed to the individual, but now companies employing a hybrid workforce need to take things into their own hands—and their AV technology needs to be up to snuff to do so. A company that successfully employs a hybrid workforce must be underpinned by reliable, fast network connectivity, acting as a fluid substrate that brings everything together—people, apps, and devices—regardless of location. However, if not done right, or if done without thorough organization-wide communication, the AV team risks damaging the company network and alienating the IT team. That’s why NETGEAR offers products that are ready to go without flooding the network with AV signals, and free resources to help design your AV and wireless networks.

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology. Davis enjoys exploring the ethos of experiential spaces as well as diving deep into the complex topics that shape the AV/IT industry. In 2012, the TechDecisions brand of content sites she developed for EH Publishing was named one of “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 20 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. From 2000 to 2008, Davis was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Electronic House. From 2009 to present, as the principal of CustomMedia.Co, Davis developed content plans and delivered content for associations such as IEEE Standards Association and AVIXA, content marketing for Future Plc, and numerous AV/IT companies. Davis was a critical member of the AVT editorial team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. A lifelong New Englander, Davis makes time for coastal hikes with her husband, Gary, and their Vizsla rescue, Dixie, sailing on one of Gloucester’s great schooners, and sampling local IPAs.