The smart office concept has evolved significantly over the last few years. The late 20th century was the age of the client/server architecture, telecommuting, and the paperless office paradigm. The early 21st century combined cloud computing with Web 2.0 applications and subscription-based enterprise solutions. Big Data and the mobile revolution are currently ruling the smart office space, and the time has come to make room for the Internet of Things (IoT).
To begin to understand the significance of IoT in the modern workplace, consider this forecast by technology market research firm Gartner: by the end of 2016, 500 million devices will be connected to the IoT cloud by tenants of commercial buildings.
Although IoT is set to disrupt the business process, it is important to understand that the primary impact of this technology trend is on the physical workplace itself.
Energy-Efficient Workplaces
We tend to think about the industrial sector using up a lot of energy, but the reality is that commercial buildings in the office, retail, and services sectors collectively consume 40 percent of electricity on a global level.
Energy efficiency is currently one of the most common IoT functions being explored by companies around the world. The idea is to strategically embed smart sensors that can monitor energy usage and enable easy control. For example, Arup, a building consultant in London embeds sensors in workstations that transmit data to apps for the purpose of remotely controlling lighting and temperature.
A better example of energy efficiency through IoT can be found at the Amsterdam offices of renowned tax consultancy Deloitte, where the lights, indoor temperature, and Wi-Fi routers are smartly controlled by software that gather usage data from sensors. Furthermore, members of the cleaning staff can check which toilets and sinks have been used and which ones haven’t; this cuts down on redundant cleaning and maintenance.
Optimizing Workplace Utilization
In recent years, the enterprise world has been expanding without having to take up as much space as it used to. To this effect, the cloud and mobile computing paradigm have brought about working trends such as bring-your-own-device (BYOD), which reduces space requirements previously needed for conference rooms, server closets, etc.
Reducing the workspace is an enticing proposition for large enterprises, but this is something that requires an informed decision. In order to utilize the space to their advantage, businesses must consider the activities that go on in the office daily, as well as the patterns hidden inside the volume of actions. By reasoning space usage, they can design an optimal office environment that supports their organization, enhances the workflow and facilitates interaction among staff members.
Companies that currently occupy a large space can use IoT to determine the course of action they should take with regard to reduction and smart space utilization. Enlighted, an IoT services provider with offices in California, France, and India, has developed an interesting solution that allows executives and managers to make smart decisions about their office space. By placing motion and activity sensors in the overhead lights and other strategic points in the office, decision makers can see precisely how their staff members move around in the workplace. Based on such analytics, workstations can be relocated to make them more physically effective.
Increasing Staff Productivity
In terms of scheduling, delegation of duties, collaboration, and supervision, flexible workforces can be effectively managed by means of software solutions dedicated to business productivity and human resources. IoT introduces a new dimension of management by optimizing employee assignment.
The Amsterdam offices of Deloitte go beyond energy efficiency with a smart app that takes into consideration the schedules and work preferences of office staff. Employees who prefer standing desks are accommodated accordingly, and those who need to collaborate on certain projects are assigned to conference rooms.
Smart and Efficient Data Collection
Activity sensors in the Deloitte offices collect information specifically related to how individual contribution and team collaboration affect workplace utilization. In the past, gathering this type of data was a task undertaken by staff members or consultants who recorded their observations on clipboards for further data entry into Excel spreadsheets.
Sensors designed for IoT solutions can capture copious amounts of real-time data for analytical purposes. These sensors are at the forefront of Big Data; at this time, less than a quarter of all data being collected is being put to good use.
A current challenge for IoT developers consists of making sense of the enormous amounts of data being gathered by connected devices such as sensors, processors, cameras, microphones, scanners, etc. The sources of information have always been there; however, IoT experts are just beginning to figure out how to streamline the data collection processes.
When the Deloitte Amsterdam office building was being developed, the architects and builders used Big Data to guide their vision. In this particular case, the developers were able to understand how staff members utilized office space to accomplish their tasks.
The Future of IoT and the Smart Office
Workplace design and energy efficiency are small steps towards a future that analysts believe will feature IoT solutions very prominently. Smart controls of HVAC and lighting systems are the cornerstones of home automation, which is moving at a faster pace than workplace optimization by means of IoT.
The next major step in enterprise IoT integration will involve remote management and telemetry, which will in turn evolve into machine learning. Connecting smart devices to the cloud is an IoT aspect that developers are already proficient in; the focus of the next few years will shift towards designing algorithms that can automate business processes for the purpose of making smart offices even smarter.
