Whether you’re in charge of delivering and maintaining your organization’s technology, or you’re working in an office environment, it’s time to say goodbye to antiquated tech that’s taking up space and delivering little or no benefit.
1. Desk Phone
Ah yes, the cornerstone of every person’s desk for more than a century. Desk phones took a major leap forward from electro-mechanical contraptions to software-based network devices years ago. Guess what? They’re all obsolete. With a virtual phone system and a smartphone in hand, people are more accessible, there’s no need for expensive hardware and operating costs are greatly reduced.
2. Fax Machine
I remember getting our first fax machine in the early ‘80s, but the patent on the facsimile machine dates to 1843! Even with steady improvements in the printing technology, fax is slow, delivers inferior resolution, requires a dedicated line and just reeks obsolescence. Use your smartphone for quick scans or a scanner for longer documents and send images faster and more securely than fax.
3. Videoconferencing Equipment
While some larger organizations had videoconferencing capability before then, it wasn’t until the ‘90s that it became affordable enough for smaller companies to install. Often clunky, closed systems, the hardware is still expensive and hence limited to only certain rooms. As long as you have a decent webcam and audio gear, you can tap into conferencing services like Skype or Zoom and run meetings from any laptop, tablet or smartphone.
4. Wired LAN
Sure, there are still use-cases for wired network gear, but when it comes to clients, they all need to be wireless. With gigabit speeds and seamless coverage, a properly designed wireless network makes wired Ethernet obsolete. With users no longer tied to a network cable, office layouts can change as needed, without the cost and delay of running wiring and installing jacks.
5. Wired Projectors
Back when every laptop had a VGA connector, using an office projector was no big deal—just plug in and go. Now it seems that every meeting is dragged to a standstill as someone searches for their “Mini DisplayPort to HDMI” adapter dongle. The same technology that lets you stream movies to your home TV is now available for the meeting room, eliminating the need for video cables altogether. Making presentations wireless reduces downtime between presenters and boosts productivity.
What other office “technologies” have reached the end of the line in your organization? We’d love to hear from you.
Resources
Virtual Telephone Systems: Phone.com, Grasshopper, RingCentral
Scanners: PC Magazine, Genius Scan 4
Videoconferencing: Skype, The Wirecutter, ZOOM
Wireless Projection: KLIK Boks