Welcome to The New Office

I recently wrote that the traditional office space is in the midst of its most dramatic shift since it was rocked by the creation of the cubicle more than 40 years ago. This transformation has been enabled by the shift to mobile computing devices – notebooks, smartphones, tablets – which have literally untethered technology from physical office desks. Mobile is not a nascent, emerging trend in the enterprise – in 2010, the installed base of mobile PCs and smartphones exceeded that of desktop PCs according to Gartner. The second enabler has been the rapid rise of more sophisticated communication tools on those mobile devices from email in the ’90s, to Web sharing in ’00s (think WebEx) and VoIP/video communications more recently.

However mobility comes at a price – a trade-off in quality of the interface from input, to navigation, audio and video. We see an opportunity to help solve those pain points as Logitech and want to help business users and IT managers truly enable the anywhere office. Let me give you a few examples:

  • On the Go: Distractions and an ill-equipped “work” environment can dramatically impact productivity. We’re arming road warriors with tools that give them the freedom to work anytime, anywhere – like stellar tablet keyboards to meet the needs of executives and sales forces, given the 900 million tablets that will have been purchased by 2016 (Gartner).
  • Home Office: The frontiers between life and work are blurring. The better equipped you are, the faster your work will be done so you can spend more time with your family. Our aim is to enable you to get work done from any room in the house while making your experience more comfortable and more enjoyable. From working in the dark with our illuminated keyboard to virtually gathering your team with our HD webcams, Logitech makes working from home a seamless experience.
  • Open Space: This new collaboration space requires peripherals that minimize noise and maximize privacy. As evidenced by the growth in docking station and LCD monitor sales, employees want to recreate a lightweight desktop computing environment. The need for privacy in increasingly reduced physical spaces also makes Logitech’s headset offerings increasingly relevant, such as our new wireless headset offered in partnership with Jabra.
  • Office: As communication platforms shift from dedicated hardware platforms to software ones (Microsoft Lync, Avaya , Cisco, Citrix, etc) on top of PCs, webcams and headsets will drive the quality of the interaction and the success of a unified communications deployment. Details matter in a business environment and Logitech HD webcams are the gold standard of business video communications.

The Anywhere Office has become a reality for all of us. Logitech is breaking down barriers between technology, employees, companies and life so the modern workforce can accomplish more, comfortably in The New Office. For more information, visit www.logitech.com/thenewoffice.

Author

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Logitech for Business @EricKintz