As new versions of phones, tablets and laptops hit the market faster than ever before, it’s obvious that technology is ever changing. Quick technological advancements aren’t without frustration. We’re all too familiar with the hair-pulling challenge of finding the right device charger or learning that your six-month-old charger is antiquated. Our business environments are no different. As can be expected, the situation is often more dire than just a sea of Apple iPhone chargers when all you need is a micro-USB. Meeting room technology is intended to enhance and simplify office meetings. But often, the opposite occurs. Interestingly enough, the most frequently plagued area of technology-related stress and incompatible equipment in the workplace can often be traced back to the center of the office universe – the meeting room. Having a meeting room capable of adapting to any device or technology that’s brought in can reduce technology headaches and restore productivity to your meetings. Content Sharing Can Cause Technology Failure Content sharing is a popular, everyday function within the meeting room and, given the frequency of use, should be easy to work with, adaptable, and easily transferable to the next content sharer. Technology-related failures often boil down to a gamble and guesswork. What device is your content-presenter toting this visit? Did a critical component of your IT or AV cabling leave on a jet to Tokyo with the last presenter? Is the software download for your wireless connection cumbersome or password restricted? The possibilities seem endlessly stacked up against the AV and IT integrator. The time it takes to fidget with last-minute connection shakeups are costly. It’s within a room full of attendees, waiting on a defunct setup, that eminent stress, frustration and sweating follows. In addition to monopolizing precious time, unnecessary content-sharing issues can throw off the entire presentation, if not break down the entire meeting message. Operating Within BYOD Guesswork Business professionals want to bring their own device into the meeting room to share information. In the AV world, we refer to this as “Bring Your Own Device Technology,” or “BYOD.” However, it’s within this BYOD mentality that we have a breakdown in the simplicity of content sharing. It can often be rooted back to not having an easily-adaptable IT or AV setup in the meeting or huddle room. The answer to this problem is a solution that works within the constraints of the BYOD guesswork gamble and reduce, if not eliminate, your attendee waiting and content presentation downtime. Plug-N-Play Content Sharing Businesses are turning to an unexpected solution – hardline connections. Hardline connections offer a peace of mind that isn’t gained from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or app-based content sharing. This “plug-n-play” approach of hardline connections: Requires no password protection Needs no loading Poses no security issues Requires no cumbersome software Involves no application downloads Not to mention that hardline connections are a practically instantaneous solution with no waiting. Simply plug in, share content, and swap, if needed, to the next presenter. Managing the Constant Flux in Connection Ports While mobile devices have no standard port and are in constant flux, display devices share a common standard AV connection – HDMI. Content sharers who subscribe to BYOD can rely on routing to displays using this hardwired pathway. The pathway can then be converted to practically any device through HDMI adapters. These simply plug in and provide the appropriate device-fitting on the opposing end. As portable device inputs change, HDMI adapters advance along with them. Today, these HDMI adapters offer connections to the most current device ports including DisplayPort, DVI-D, Mini-DisplayPort, Micro HDMI “D,” Mini HDMI “C,” USB “C,” and many more. Don’t worry about a content sharer accidently taking your room’s A/V cable on their flight back home. Solutions like these adapters can be clamped onto the display’s HDMI cable, minimizing the likelihood of your equipment earning more frequent flyer miles than you. It also ensures that your solution is there for the next meeting. Is your meeting room equipped to handle any device? Take a moment to review your company’s meeting space and make note of any AV and IT deficiencies. Is the space set up to accommodate a variety of content sharing requirements? Should you need support, consult a second AV/IT integration expert. Once you have evaluated your meeting space, take the necessary steps to retrofit with flexible, content sharing solutions, ensuring that they are easily accessible and secured in a way that minimizes the likelihood of removal. Get Back to Productive Meetings Implementing solutions that will work with today’s BYOD mentality in the meeting space will reduce stress, costly waiting, inefficiencies, and message derailment, while restoring productivity to your corporation’s meeting room.
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