In the beginning…
As technology has moved on so has the way we work and study. Email was invented in the 70s believe it or not, but it didn’t become something people actually used until the 90s. The personal computer was invented in 1973 but wasn’t brought to mass market until a decade later and didn’t become a fixture in offices and schools until the late 80s and 90s.
We want convenience
Its all very well having the technology, but it needs to be convenient for the people using it. Above is a photo of the Xerox Alto 1973, the first personal computer. Yes it’s all computer… The small refrigerator sized unit underneath the screen contains 2.5 MB of storage – about enough to store 1 image taken on your smartphone! Incidentally if you have the latest smartphone in your pocket it probably has 256 GB of storage – one hundred thousand times more storage space!
The point is that the giant computer was not convenient, and people will find the easiest option when trying to get work done.
Do you remember work and studying before computers?
Do you remember what is was like not to have a smartphone? Try not using either of them for an entire work day… actually don’t, you might get sacked!
Students and colleagues now expect to be able to work anywhere. The portability and power of laptops, tablets and even smartphones means that this is possible and providing the infrastructure for this as an employer or learning facility is important.
Unemployment is currently at a record low in the UK (3.5%) and US (3.3%) and this means it is easier to get a job and easier to move around. In turn employers must do more to motivate and hold on to employees.
The trend in business is to make employees feel more comfortable by allowing flexibility. Comfortable meeting areas to aid collaborative work, height adjustable desks and businesses allowing more and more people to work remotely or providing offices closer to where workers live. For instance HSBC rented 300 hotdesks in a space run by WeWork in Hong Kong and IWG a work place provider based in Zug, Switzerland released research that stating that 50% of people globally, work from home half of the time!
Wifi and power anywhere
At schools and universities as well as at businesses students and employees use mobile technology like Chromebooks, smartphones, laptops and tablets anywhere they want to providing they can get wifi!
This means supplying more extensive wifi and power which presents a problem for infrastructure providers. For instance, a floor box to supply power in a concrete floor can cost up to £3000 to install it’s also a solution that isn’t flexible!
In contrast zioxi rechargeable powerHubs allow you to put power wherever you need it, giving you a flexible environment complete with all the infrastructure your staff or students need. Interested in seeing if powerHubs could work for you? Contact us to arrange a free trial.
Check out the zioxi range of mobile power hubs and tables.
