Polycom’s Top 7 Workplace of the Future Predictions for 2015

Polycom’s Top 7 Workplace of the Future Predictions for 2015

Collaboration technologies transforming how we work now and in the future

NEW ZEALAND – January 8, 2015 – The way we work is changing. Collaboration technologies are ushering in a next generation workplace that is more productive, efficient and delivers meaningful cost savings to organizations of all sizes across NZ and around the globe. With new, more advanced mobile devices giving employees the freedom to work from anywhere, these technologies will only continue to reshape the look and feel of the “office”. As such, Polycom today is unveiling its top seven technology predictions for 2015 and beyond that we believe will transform how we work now and in the future.

1. Globalizing companies will rapidly adopt and use collaboration tools
Global expansion means working across time zones, borders and cultures. The future of business requires collaboration tools that extend business and defy distance and time. Ultimate success comes when organizations embrace individual collaborative preferences and build a culture of collaboration by accommodating a variety of tools from email, telephony, social media, video and content sharing. In 2015, more tools that enable visual communication from people to content will help break down communication borders and enable more global success.

2. Integration, not just interoperability
Video conferencing is altering business models, according to the white paper, “Revolutionising the Future Workplace” by futurist Jack Uldrich. It is quickly becoming one of the most used collaboration tools and is expected to overtake email as the preferred tool by 2016. But mass adoption does not happen unless it is made contextual to an end user’s preferred work style. Integrating collaboration technology, such as voice, video and content sharing tools into communication systems, business applications and workflows will drive adoption. New technologies such as WebRTC, standards-based video, rich software development kits and a deeper understanding of unified communications applications, make this a reality. New industry-specific solutions—particularly in healthcare, government, financial services and retail—will increase the use and relevance of video this year.

3. The workspace itself will evolve
The workspace itself is changing significantly. To reduce real estate space and related expenses, some companies are moving from rows of cubicles to more open workspaces and offering employees flexible work arrangements. As a result, we expect workplace innovation from a distance to define the future of working. New technology innovations, like noise cancellation, lighting adjustments and digital white-boarding, will support this transformation. These technology innovations, coupled with a stronger desire for open collaboration, will render the current office-based workspace obsolete. More emphasis will be placed on connecting to anywhere, from anywhere, at any time.

4. The Age of ‘Supermobility’
In “Revolutionizing the Future Workplace,” Jack Uldrich predicts smartphones will grow to 2.4 billion units by 2018—a ratio of 6:1 to PCs. In 2015, device-to-device communication will enable contextual-based collaboration. We are entering the age of “supermobility,” in which mobile devices will provide all of the tools and technology that employees need to be productive on the go, including voice, video and content collaboration solutions. This “supermobility,” which will include more use of near field communications (NFC), Wi-Di, Ultrasonic and other wireless technologies, will give mobile device users easier and more secure access to an enterprise’s visual collaboration tools.

5. The SMB market will accelerate the use of cloud-based collaboration solutions
Fueled by the evolution of mobility and the cloud, subscription-based services provide organizations with the ability to collaborate and achieve more. More than ever, large scale movement of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMB) to cloud-based VoIP, video and content sharing services will grow. Traditional PSTN infrastructure is becoming outdated, and with a regulatory mandate to move all voice services off PSTN within the next five years, cloud-based voice, video and content use will rise dramatically. New applications and capabilities that were previously hard to get in the traditional premise-based world will become much easier to deploy with these cloud-based collaboration services.

6. Browser-based collaboration solutions will become the tool of choice
Companies looking for simple and effective communications will turn to the web browser in 2015. Enabled by WebRTC, companies globally will come to depend more on the browser to perform communication functions within work streams. Simplicity will ultimately rule this change, as more businesses look to make video an easy to use option. WebRTC will continue to gain traction in 2015, but will remain basic, meaning any advanced functionality will still require an enterprise solution. We believe 2016 will offer even greater adoption.

7. Meetings as you know them are changing for the better
Meetings are changing because technology continues to foster new ways to communicate. Better quality and easier to use collaboration solutions are making it feel as natural as being there—so users have a common experience regardless of their location or device. Video conferencing solutions also will easily connect to third-party audio services, such as Skype for Business (Microsoft Lync), increasing business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communications.
Expect 2015 to be a signature year for advancement of collaboration tools around the globe. With work environments shifting from traditional to more advanced collaboration environments, more employees will look to their employers for flexible yet productive “offices” to conduct work from wherever they choose. Video collaboration is eliminating the distance between locations and the barriers to communication with as good as being there experiences. The workplace is changing for the better, and we expect visual communications to be one of the biggest catalysts in next generation team collaboration.

About Polycom
Polycom helps organisations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom to increase productivity, speed time to market, provide better customer service, expand education and save lives. Polycom and its global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user experience, the broadest multi-vendor interoperability and unmatched investment protection. Visit www.polycom.asia or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or the Polycom Asia Pacific blog, www.polycom.asia/theview, to learn more.

Forward Looking Statements and Risk Factors
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding our technology predictions for 2015. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the advancement and adoption of other competing technologies and tools in the collaboration space, the future markets in which we will participate and the future solutions that we will offer. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2014, and in other reports filed by Polycom with the SEC. Polycom disclaims any intent or obligations to update these forward-looking statements.

NOTE: The product plans, specifications, and descriptions herein are provided for information only and subject to change without notice, and are provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Polycom reserves the right to modify future product plans at any time. Products and related specifications referenced herein are not guaranteed and will be delivered on a when and if available basis.

© 2015 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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