Elly Yates-Roberts |
Energy network provider Wiener Netze is using Sharp’s Windows collaboration display to “usher in the future” and deliver secure, remote collaboration opportunities.
To guarantee the security of future energy supplies in Austria, Wiener Netze invests €300 million annually on expanding its networks, primarily in renewable energy. Wiener Netze upholds the highest security standards to protect its sensitive systems and data and guarantee an undisturbed power supply.
As such, it maintains a traditional face-to-face meeting culture, only using digital technologies cautiously. However, when Covid-19 broke out in Spring 2020, the business had to adjust.
As decision-making and meetings became digital or hybrid, Wiener Netze needed to find a conference and collaboration system: an all-in-one application that would meet its security standards, could be easily integrated into the existing environment, would assist a wide variety of collaboration scenarios, and offer an optimal workflow.
The business also needed the technology to be easy to use to ensure employees would adopt it quickly, without disrupting workflow.
After conducting various tests, the IT team decided on the Windows collaboration display from Sharp. A total of 14 devices were installed in the company headquarters in Vienna in the summer of 2020.
“Ease of use was particularly important to us,” said Christian Call, spokesperson for Wiener Netze. “The technical hurdles needed to be as low as possible so that all employees could easily and happily work with the device. In the past, devices and cables had to be lugged through the building for meetings, only to find out at the last minute that a plug did not fit in a conference room socket or that a certain accessory was missing. No one liked using these systems. Now it’s easy to connect a device to the display in the conference room and immediately start a video conference with any colleague.”
The interactive, 70-inch Windows collaboration display features a 4K resolution, ensures productive collaboration and connects de-centralised teams in virtual and hybrid meetings. The plug-and-play concept differentiates the display from other solutions, with users able to connect their laptop to it via a USB-C cable or Miracast.
Sharp’s Windows collaboration display is also optimised for Microsoft applications and fits seamlessly into Wiener Netze’s existing work environment. The company now uses Microsoft Teams exclusively to plan and hold online or hybrid conferences, with office-based and remote colleagues connected via the display.
Following the implementation, Wiener Netze has shortened the preparation time for meetings, making the whole experience more efficient.
“When a meeting is about to start, I want to be able to switch on the display, connect and get going without worrying about the technology beforehand,” said Call. “That is exactly what the Windows collaboration display offers. It just works and I don't have to worry about anything and can concentrate fully on the meeting.
“In Sharp we found a reliable, highly committed partner who won us over with its competence and expertise. The collaboration with Sharp was extremely solution-oriented, straight forward, and enjoyed excellent project management throughout. For Wiener Netze, this project and Sharp’s solutions enabled us to remain true to our company motto: We're ushering in the future.”