Zoom/Teams Rooms vs Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for the Flexible Workspace
The team at Seon Solutions are often asked about the differences between Zoom/Teams Rooms and BYOD setup. Our response is often to investigate several things, the field of work they are in, the users experience with technology, the size of your business and if an IT team is part of that business. All these questions are very important in understanding if Zoom/Teams Rooms or BYOD is the most suitable setup.
What separates the conventional office space of the past with todays thriving flexible working space is the sheer number of people from different businesses, fields of work and walks of life all working out of the one space. This presents with so many amazing opportunities but also requires you to consider what technology will suit your customers. Both Zoom/Teams Rooms and BYOD have their advantages and disadvantages.
Some of the advantages of the Zoom/Teams Rooms are you can setup and participate in a meeting without the need for a laptop, it’s extremely easy to start and run a meeting, the relevant software and hardware to operate the meeting is already installed in the room. Essentially the brains of the conferencing equipment is ready to go, whereas with BYOD the brains of your meeting is the laptop you bring along.
While you might be thinking Zoom/Teams Rooms sounds great, there’s also a lot of disadvantages. Software updates often happen at the worst time and if you haven’t prepared for that through scheduling it can cause havoc on the system. Occasionally the NUC (brains) of the Zoom/Teams Room can lock up and require a restart, the last thing you want when you’re about to start a meeting or already in a meeting. A way around this that we have seen great success with is scheduling a daily restart of the system to keep everything functioning correctly. Now you might be one of the lucky ones who have avoided this, and if so, you are lucky! Another factor to consider is the cost of the system to install and maintain. To have the full functionality of the Zoom/Teams Room you require software and licensing, while its not a huge expense it is an expense that is continuous in the form of a subscription.
A BYOD setup has a number of advantages particularly in the flexible workspace. Flexibility being one, any one member can simply grab their laptop, walk into a room, plug in the fly leads and setup a meeting. This leads to one of the biggest differentiators between the two systems. In a BYOD system, a meeting is simply scheduled by either the user or they’re invited by another participant. Another big advantage of the BYOD system is that it’s significantly cheaper to install and maintain verses the installed Zoom/Teams Room. If you’re running the meeting out of the Zoom/Teams Room, the person organising the meeting will be the one sending the invitations to each participant, and an invitation will need to be sent to the room in which the meeting will take place. The Zoom/Teams Room has its own calendar and email address to send and receive meeting invitations. While this sounds great, it’s often not practical for an office that has several businesses running out of it. It can also get quite confusing for users that are not technically savvy.
These are some of the disadvantages facing the BYOD installations that we have found; nearly all meeting rooms require different adapters for different laptops. With a BYOD system in a flexible working space, you can’t control what laptop your clients are using. With Mac, PC and Chromebook all featuring within the flexible working space, the BYOD rooms must be equipped with appropriate adaptors to enable anyone to be able to use the room. There is also a level of technical knowledge a user might need to have when entering a BYOD meeting room. At Seon Solutions we avoid the unpredictability by our personally designed user and troubleshooting guides that work through all possible problems. Another disadvantage of the BYOD system is if your laptop is tied up in the meeting or if you’re the person hosting, what happens if you need to leave early the meeting early? Are you able to hand over to someone else to take over, leave your laptop behind, or simply just end the meeting early?
As you can see, BYOD allows for more flexibility with the ease of meeting creation, but it does have its limitations too. There is a time and a place for both the Teams/Zooms Rooms and BYOD systems. From our experience, installing this technology in the flexible working space one room design remains supreme. That is the BYOD, as its often more reliable, cheaper to install and operate, requires less training to use and simply more practical in the flexible working space. Now that’s not to say that Zoom/Teams rooms should exist in the flexible working space but rather you need to consider what equipment will work best for your situation.
Audio Visual Technology within the Flexible Working Space
Changes in today’s working landscape has led to an enormous uptake in technology within the workplace, particularly in audio visual technology. With the increase in flexible working hours and employees splitting their time between the office and home, now more than ever has shown the importance of the video conference meetings. A global marketplace has also led companies to expand business across the globe, with video conferencing being the most efficient way of communication. Recent studies have shown time spent in video meetings has risen dramatically, from 48% in 2020 to 77% in 2022. Now, 83% of employees spend up to one-third of their work week in video meetings. Over our journey working alongside Melbourne and Sydney’s largest Flexible working space operators, we’ve seen a huge increase in the need for video conferencing equipment. Clients will seek out advice in which technology to roll out because understanding the specific needs that are unique to the Flexible and Co-working environment is what Seon Solutions specialise in.
Video conferencing isn’t the only AV technology commonly rolled out in flexible working spaces. We will often see room booking systems play an integral role in notifying members of when rooms may be available. Utilising breakout spaces that can hold seminars and events are a great way to engage larger audiences and offer a more relaxing and free-flowing environment. They often contain a large display or projector screen. Followed by speakers and wireless microphone options, so the presenter can move freely throughout the space. Speakers providing background music throughout common areas, hallways and breakout spaces are often quite popular, creating a vibrant ambiance.
As the workforce changes over time so does the workspace, with many flexible working spaces offering unique and fun ways to engage with their members. Cinema rooms, Podcast studios, Yoga and Pilates rooms and workshops are all but a few that we have had the privilege of being involved in rolling out. These technological investments by flexible working space operators help with networking, team bonding, increase employee satisfaction and introduce the space for creativity.
Unlike the traditional office space where it consisted of generally one business under the one lease, with co working spaces you see dozens of businesses working out of the one Co-working location. Understanding these unique challenges is critical in specifying the right equipment for the job. Several factors need to be looked at; reliability, useability, simplicity and of course staying within budget.
The reliability of the AV system is one of the fundamental factors for a successful system. As many smaller flexible working sites remain unmanned it could cause frustration if a user can’t get a system to work correctly and are unsure who to turn to for a solution. Another potential issue is if a member has booked a meeting for a particular time and that meeting can’t take place because of system failure. Another consideration is the turnaround time for most companies requiring days if not weeks before returning to site to fix the issue. That’s why partnering with an AV team that have a service/maintenance program where you can receive same day turn around is critical. The creation of user and troubleshooting guides are another way to combat any potential technical headaches.
The importance of a user-friendly system cannot be overlooked. If members of a flexible working space are hesitant to use a system due to the complexity of it, they will shy away from it, becoming an underutilised and undervalued space. At Seon Solutions we opt for a system that’s as simple as plugging in a HDMI or USB into their device and within seconds you’re in the meeting. Often what makes flexible working spaces so fantastic is their diversity. Therefore, incorporating a system that is user-friendly for members that have varying technical knowledge, diverse skill sets and age range plays a critical role in the success of the AV installation. Your AV contractor should roll out training sessions for the staff so they can familiarise themselves with the system.
Finally keeping within a client’s budget is critical for the overall success of the AV system. A system must be designed to both meet the needs of the user while keeping in mind of the flexible working space operator’s budget. Designing a system that is affordable and allows for the rollout into multiple meeting spaces will attract members and help the overall success. Adapting to the changes in technology and the users needs is required to stay at the forefront of an ever-changing industry. Users need to know that the flexible working space they are members of are always adapting and evolving to keep up with latest technology trends.
Written by Matthew Johnson, Director of Seon Solutions.