Tablet Whiteboards and the Internet of Everything
Our “A” line of office furniture, Knoll, has come up with another great insight into today’s work environment. They have noted 10 Tech Trends that are Redefining the Business World. In this post, we are going to look at two of these trends: Tablet Whiteboards and the Internet of Everything.
Tablet Whiteboards
From the report:
“Much like telepresence systems, a wave of big, pricey digital whiteboards swept into the workplace a few years ago. But, as often happens with good ideas, a better, cheaper alternative is now popping up in a far more accessible form.
Tablet-based whiteboard apps like Groupboard let you quickly kick off a whiteboard collaboration with a group, either remotely or in-person, wherever you are, bringing a newfound agility to the whiteboard experience. You can even chat with remote colleagues as you draw without requiring a separate conference session.
The upshot: It’s no longer quite as critical to have a massive whiteboard in every room, but you may want to install a few extra AirPlay-enabled monitors around your workspaces for impromptu digital collaborations. For those times when the real deal can’t be beat, mobile markerboards offer flexibility that wall-mounted whiteboards can’t match.”
The Internet of Everything
From the report:
In a few years’ time, you may find yourself sitting around the campfire with your kids, regaling them with tales of the olden days when only computers were connected to the Internet, because in the new world, everything will be online. Known as the Internet of Everything, the coming wave of connected objects is already beginning to emerge as smart chips and wireless Internet connections are popping up in everything from smoke detectors to toothbrushes. Google’s recent $3.2B acquisition of connected-thermostat maker Nest hints at the growing importance of the trend.
In the workplace, the Internet of Everything reality will mean a massive rethinking of IT resources as every object in the office – from the vending machine in the breakroom to the paper towel dispensers in the lavatory – gets an Internet address of its own. You’ll need to beef up your network bandwidth, but in exchange you’ll gain insights never before possible, such as the ability to correlate data points between the temperature and humidity of the office and employee productivity.”
What it means for you
Everything that has any amount of computing power will be connected to the internet and unleash a flood of data relating to its use. Smart companies will take advantage of this in two ways. They will use this “Big Data” to run their operations more efficiently and cheaply. And they will use this information to become more competitive versus the competition that doesn’t keep up with change. Cloud computing will run all your business software including what you use to communicate and collaborate. Get hip to why coding is important to your business if you want to succeed.