VIEWPOINT Levelling the playing field for hybrid work Businesses need reliable audiovisual technology that delivers high-quality meeting experiences for employees and is easy for IT administrators to implement and support Online collaboration tools have made it easy to share messages, documents and project timelines. But one aspect of collaboration that continues to be a pain point is live interaction during video conferences. Now that many businesses operate a hybrid working model, more meetings involve a combination of both in-office and remote participants. But the design of pre-pandemic meeting rooms in offices often delivers a fatiguing experience that can obstruct collaboration instead of supporting it. Businesses need reliable audiovisual (AV) technology that puts both in-office and remote workers on a level playing field and enables comfortable collaboration. However, reaching this technical nirvana is complicated due to two groups of people being involved: users and AV/IT administrators. Both have different needs and responsibilities that must be considered. First, users would rather not pay attention to AV technology at all; they just want to hear and be heard clearly. If someone notices sound quality, it’s usually because it is poor. Meanwhile, IT administrators must focus on the broader context of IT issues that affect the organisation. No one can afford to gamble on whether their AV solution will force AV/ IT teams to spend hours on configuration, support or security concerns. The goal for AV/IT staff is to create meeting environments that are intuitive and ‘just work’ every time. The most efficient option for organisations is to implement an AV solution that is certified for use with a proven collaboration platform like Microsoft Teams Rooms. Shure works closely with Microsoft to ensure that our conferencing solutions are certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms. Our devices undergo comprehensive tests in both laboratory and real-life environments so that IT professionals can be certain they will deliver a high standard of collaboration performance. The Microflex Ecosystem includes an assortment of microphones, digital signal processing (DSP) and network interfaces that can be scaled to serve small, medium and large rooms. The most recent addition, the MXA902 Integrated Conferencing Ceiling Array, combines an array microphone, loudspeaker and IntelliMix DSP technology in one device for small to medium-sized rooms. Effective technology is crucial for redesigned workplaces and integrated audio solutions that deliver proven performance can eliminate barriers to collaboration whilst supporting the responsibilities of IT managers. Julie Crawford is senior marketing manager for global integrated systems at Shure JULIE CRAWFORD: SHURE “If someone notices sound quality, it’s usually because it is poor” 62
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