UC Expo 2017: can the internet of things benefit workplace communication?

The hot topics at the Unified Communications (UC) Expo 2017 were the internet of things (IoT) and the future of flexible working, connecting business via the cloud and video and the value of seamless communications and true mobility.

The role of the IoT in communications was the focus of the talk “Where UC meets IoT”,  which gave an insight into the future of communications in the workplace. The fact that IoT and UC often intersect means they go hand in hand. There are three key ways in which types of IoT and UC intersect: an IoT device is a new communications endpoint, an IoT event triggers a call or message and an IoT device improves a communication performance.

Increasingly there is an interaction between organizations and technology partners as they work to increase the efficiency of systems. The answer is often embedding communications systems in an organization. This allows for more effective systems that mean workers can both be more agile and improve the way that they work. The idea of what an office can be is evolving and IoT systems are helping to accelerate this change. Video systems, for example, are being improved so that they can be more powerful and useful. Innovations such as emotional analysis and facial recognition mean people can communicate more effectively from any location.

Communication solutions like these are now being tailored to specific industries. Creators are building systems that have functions and applications that can benefit specific working environments and which allow workers to do their jobs more easily and effectively. Technology now permeates every industry and IoT allows organizations to perform their core objectives better while also allowing them to provide new services.