“Do you dream of a world where you have your choice of laptop, smartphone or tablet at work; all of which connect seamlessly one to another, and are constantly updated? Sitting at your desk, feeling the red mist descend as your ancient XP desktop computer tries and fails to open your inbox, this might seem like an impossible dream. But for some people that day is already here. In the last year the level of smartphone and tablet ownership has sky-rocketed, and with it the trend towards the consumerisation of IT. In other words, business IT organisations have come under ever-increasing pressure to let their employees choose what they use to do their work on. While many firms follow the traditional route of offering a stipend or some sort of financial incentive, others expect their employees to pick up the tab” -- Fiona Graham for BBC News
At Testing Circle, we work using a variety of different methods...we all have dual-screens, but some of us work from a laptop as well as the dual fixed screens - three screens definitely does have a very ‘Bill Gates’ feel about it! As well as this, a few of us iPads for meetings etc as tablets are really handy to carry around. The iPads are our own, and were purchased by the individuals; but of course the laptops, desktops and dual screens are provided by the Company. To be honest, when we first had the screens installed I didn’t know what on earth I was going to do with three of them - but now I wouldn’t be without them. I have my emails open on one, internet browser on another and the laptop screen that acts as my ‘desktop’ with word documents and the Company database etc. I use my iPad when I go out to meetings, to display information or even to take notes (there are some great Apps available!) The point is that we all work differently within our office, and I have no reservation in saying that everyone in the world works best in a variety of ways.
I disagree that the culture of ‘BYOD’ (bring your own device) will see the death of the desktop. The technology of constantly updating information through a variety of platforms is great (a kind of ‘super cloud’) but not all companies can afford that. Smaller start-ups can’t all splash out on whichever device their employees want, or on the cloud technology - perhaps the option expressed by Fiona Graham (at BBC News) is the way forward; companies could subsidise the cost, put money towards it or simply just say that ‘if you want it, you buy it’! Small to medium businesses can often prefer a ‘uniform’ approach - of course each department will be different and have different needs for various technologies, but on the whole, most would have the standard hardware.
At TC I like the freedom to take my laptop and work from home, to be able to come back into work and hook it up to the dual screens and take my iPad out to meetings when I need. BYOD suits us quite nicely, but as I said it’s not for everyone. So what are your thoughts?
At Testing Circle, we work using a variety of different methods...we all have dual-screens, but some of us work from a laptop as well as the dual fixed screens - three screens definitely does have a very ‘Bill Gates’ feel about it! As well as this, a few of us iPads for meetings etc as tablets are really handy to carry around. The iPads are our own, and were purchased by the individuals; but of course the laptops, desktops and dual screens are provided by the Company. To be honest, when we first had the screens installed I didn’t know what on earth I was going to do with three of them - but now I wouldn’t be without them. I have my emails open on one, internet browser on another and the laptop screen that acts as my ‘desktop’ with word documents and the Company database etc. I use my iPad when I go out to meetings, to display information or even to take notes (there are some great Apps available!) The point is that we all work differently within our office, and I have no reservation in saying that everyone in the world works best in a variety of ways.
I disagree that the culture of ‘BYOD’ (bring your own device) will see the death of the desktop. The technology of constantly updating information through a variety of platforms is great (a kind of ‘super cloud’) but not all companies can afford that. Smaller start-ups can’t all splash out on whichever device their employees want, or on the cloud technology - perhaps the option expressed by Fiona Graham (at BBC News) is the way forward; companies could subsidise the cost, put money towards it or simply just say that ‘if you want it, you buy it’! Small to medium businesses can often prefer a ‘uniform’ approach - of course each department will be different and have different needs for various technologies, but on the whole, most would have the standard hardware.
At TC I like the freedom to take my laptop and work from home, to be able to come back into work and hook it up to the dual screens and take my iPad out to meetings when I need. BYOD suits us quite nicely, but as I said it’s not for everyone. So what are your thoughts?
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