What are the required devices for smart offices?
Creating smart spaces is not just about smart homes; it also includes smart buildings, green spaces, and let’s not forget smart offices. Speaking of the latter, setting up smart offices prioritizes certain devices over others. If you’re aiming to build a smart office or create a work environment that relies on smart devices as its main driver, we’ll introduce you in the following lines to the most important smart devices needed to transform traditional offices into smart offices.
Why Would You Want to Transition from Traditional Offices to Smart Offices?
There are many reasons to transition to a smart office and move away from the traditional office, the most important of which might be improving performance and quality within the work environment, automating difficult tasks that always require another person to do them, and facilitating control over all aspects of the work environment, such as easily managing surveillance cameras, entry and exit logs, and office locks, as well as managing appointments, scheduling meetings, and handling incoming and outgoing communications.
Additionally, it ensures security and safety within the work environment through a range of devices like surveillance cameras and alarm systems, protecting data and files from any kind of damage, helping employees manage and schedule tasks better, and making their previously difficult routine tasks easier with the help of various devices. Importantly, it also saves money and energy by replacing some services that used to consume a lot of energy with more efficient devices.
Lastly, it improves communication between different people within the work environment, such as making it easy to send emails, manage communications, and allow access to information for some people while preventing others from accessing it. Equipping the smart office with the appropriate devices can enhance communication among employees, thus increasing work productivity.
What Devices Do You Need to Develop Smart Offices?
There are dozens of suggestions for devices that can be considered essential and necessary in smart offices, the most important of which are:
Smart Surveillance Cameras
You’ll need two types: those for indoor and outdoor use. The cameras used should offer useful features such as night vision, motion sensors, and a wide viewing angle. They should also be capable of recording everything and even uploading it to a cloud system (since it’s essential for recorded data to be stored in a safe place), accessible by authorized personnel.
Smart Alarm Systems
Smart alarm systems help you continuously monitor door and window locks and alert you to any potential risks to the work environment, whether during or outside of working hours. In a work environment, it’s important to maintain the privacy of files and data, and there’s always a higher likelihood that people will try to access unauthorized areas for various reasons. Installing smart alarm systems will help you maintain the privacy of sensitive areas in the work environment.
Smart Locks
Technically, this should be the first thing you think of when starting to equip smart offices due to its importance. You’ll need many of them, whether external locks or internal locks like your private office lock. You wouldn’t want unauthorized people accessing your private office after you leave. Additionally, you wouldn’t want to arrive at work only to find out you forgot your office key, causing unnecessary stress and effort. A smart lock is very useful for controlling the office door using your fingerprint, a PIN code, or even facial recognition.
Smart Desk
By “desk,” we mean the actual desk, not the workplace (office). The desk is where you’ll place all your work and spend most of your day. Everyone chooses how to organize their personal desk, as it is their comfort zone within the entire work environment. What you might not know is that there are smart desks, such as the Smart Desk Pro, which is an electric desk that can adjust its height to suit the user. It also includes more than one computer monitor for better productivity at work and offers individual services like smart lighting. Unfortunately, equipping an entire work environment with smart desks is costly (prices start at $1,000), but if you are the employer, it might be worth investing in one.
Routers / Mesh Wi-Fi / Smart Hub
Choose the device based on the size of the office space. If the environment is small, a router might suffice; if it’s medium-sized, you might consider Mesh Wi-Fi. However, if the work environment includes hundreds of other offices, the best option would be a Smart Hub, also known as a Switch. It’s essential to maintain a fast internet connection that benefits everyone, not just individuals but also other devices (like surveillance cameras uploading their content to the cloud, as mentioned earlier). To achieve this, you need one of these suggested devices.
Other Secondary Smart Devices for Smart Offices
The previously mentioned devices are technically essential for creating a fully functional smart office, but there are other secondary devices that can be acquired later, such as:
- E-Reception Devices: These can replace or assist the reception desk. They are devices for scheduling appointments, handling calls, and managing them as well.
- Smart Thermostat: Managing air conditioning within the work environment is also important, and smart thermostats can control air conditioning and its specific settings.
- Multi-Device Keyboard: This is a wireless keyboard that can adapt to any device, allowing you to work on one device, another device, or even your smartphone.
- Smart Lighting: Though not critically important in smart offices, it adds a nice touch. The main reason smart lighting isn’t crucial is that most work is done in daylight, and only occasionally is lighting needed in the work environment.
How to Develop Your Own Office
By relying on a mix of the following devices, you can develop your own office and even the entire work environment, achieving the concept of a smart office.