Subscribe & Follow
#CannesLions
- The new standardCarl Willoughby
- All the South African winnersDanette Breitenbach
Trending
-
-
-
-
Sibanye 'isn't short on money', but may shutter metal streamingClara Denina and Felix Njini
-
-
#YouthMonth: Yoshin Leonard - Young people's voice is a rightDanette Breitenbach
Jobs
- Regional Manager Durban
- Regional Product Manager Lead Johannesburg
- Office Manager Cape Town
- Regional Manager Bethlehem
- Regional Manager Cape Town
- Operations Coordinator South Africa
- Chief - Ethics and Forensic Services Cape Town
- Front Desk Team Leader Cape Town
Future of workplace collaboration
Teamwork in the cloud
Workforces have never been more geographically dispersed than they are today, which has made collaboration tools critical to business productivity. While such solutions have been in existence for years, the uptake has not been widespread, and many organisations have been running proprietary in-house systems that are no longer feasible.
The trend toward remote working makes cloud-based solutions essential in allowing team members to work together, coordinate tasks and transition seamlessly between devices. Choosing the right collaboration solution is essential to business success and productivity.
New features, new functionality
As the adoption of cloud-based collaboration tools has accelerated and become a vital business enabler, innovations and new features are rapidly being rolled out to increase functionality. One essential component of remote and virtual working is the ability to track information to improve overall efficiency. New tools such as real-time note-taking, as well as version control and history, help teams to keep records and understand processes as they go.
There are also new innovations being rolled out, utilising next-generation technologies such as AI and virtual reality (VR). VR, for example, is being used to create virtual meeting rooms and other virtual spaces, where people who are working remotely can meet ‘in person’. This technology is being combined with AI to create smart meeting rooms, with advanced technology collaboration such as automated minutes of meetings. The ultimate goal is to reduce mundane, repetitive tasks using smart technology, to enable more time for productivity and value-adding activities.
Futureproofing collaboration
The future remains uncertain, but it seems more than likely that workforces going forward will be a hybrid of remote and on-premises. This means that collaboration tools need to be able to integrate the entire workspace into one so that the working experience is consistent regardless of location.
Organisations therefore need to be careful to select the right tools for the job, based on their own business requirements. This may mean only a limited set of features is required, or that an entire enterprise-grade system is necessary, but a trusted IT partner can assist in understanding needs and sourcing solutions. It is also critical to ensure that collaboration tools are open for integration with third-party solutions to enable additional functionality and that they are intuitive and easy to use.
The key to collaboration is to simplify and improve efficiency, without compromising on privacy and data security. Your IT partner should assist in delivering a solution that enables the workforce of today and the future.