Smart tech is everywhere—it’s in our homes, our cars, and even our pockets. More and more, everyone is relying on smart devices for a variety of functions. We rely on smart tech to listen to us, light our homes, play our music, turn on our cars, and so much more.
So, this begs the question: do you work in a smart office?
According to Vantage Circle, a smart office is “designed to improve the overall office space with the best management tools… [to] make employees work smarter, better, and faster.” Smart offices can improve employee retention, simplify schedules across the board, and improve employee engagement throughout the company. But I can already hear more questions popping up: what counts as smart tech in an office? How can an office space be upgraded so that it is considered “smart”? Good questions; let’s take a look.
When it comes to either upgrading an office space to smart status or designing a new space from the ground up, there’s a few options to keep in mind when deciding what exactly you want to incorporate into your space.
Smart lighting is an ideal tech option for office spaces for a variety of reasons. According to Medium, “smart lighting has the potential of reducing energy costs by up to 80% or more.” Wow! That’s a big difference between conventional lighting and smart tech. And when it comes to actual function, “connectivity, analytics and intelligence will give the next generation even more control, as users can be able to control light intensity, and even adjust lighting color.”
While everyone in the office might have a different opinion on what the “perfect” temperature is, products like smart thermostats and VAC systems can save energy and money! According to Medium, “smart HVAC systems intelligently detect usage patterns within the office and automatically regulate temperature accordingly.” This means no more energy or money wasted on unused rooms or areas, among other things.
This may currently be a staple of smart tech for the home, but voice-controlled office buildings may be here before you know it, especially with the creation of Alexa for Business, the office companion of the future. Vantage Circle points out “Be it booking the conference room, starting a phone call, or sending an email, Alexa for business does it all with voice commands.” And as we’ve seen with other branches of smart tech, this is surely only the beginning when it comes to voice-controlled offices.
Modern security technology does more than just prevent theft and break-ins—”it helps to analyze the usage of office spaces with different angle views, light, and zoom features.” This makes it easier to monitor exactly how employees are using different places in the office, making those spots easier to optimize and refurbish if necessary.
Smart office improvements may appear to be incredibly costly or time consuming, but the end result is worth the effort. According to IMS, “The average office building can expect to save 18% of its total building energy use simply by adapting to smart technologies.”
If you’re interested specifically in going green and saving on energy costs, we have a fantastic lineup of green products for the office and other spaces here.
Or, if you’re looking for the best lineup of smart home products a distributor has to offer, check out our SmartestHome collection here.
And for insight into smart tech and evolving your office space, make sure to visit the Petra blog!