Top workplace collaboration trends and challenges

The way we work has changed more in the past 16 months than it has in the past 16 years. The move to a more virtual workplace has many employees connecting with each other across a wider range of systems, applications and devices than ever before. And they’re doing it everywhere from traditional offices and converted guest rooms to co-working spaces and even the coffee shop down the street.

As companies embrace more flexible work environments, modern communication and collaboration solutions designed to meet the needs of a distributed workforce become critically important. To meet these needs, we’ve introduced Spectrum Business Unified Communications with Webex, a fully managed, cloud-based solution that provides seamless user collaboration experiences from anywhere on any device, nationwide.

I recently spoke with Javed Khan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration, who leads strategy and development for Cisco’s Webex solutions portfolio, to get his insights into emerging collaboration trends, common collaboration challenges, why Cisco chose to partner with Spectrum Business and more.
 

Andrew Craver: What are some of the emerging collaboration trends you’re seeing?

Javed Khan: Our research shows that as we move forward, 98 percent of meetings will include remote participants, and 77 percent of larger organizations will transition to hybrid work models supporting in-office and remote workers. As a result, more companies will move to adopt collaboration tools that provide the flexibility to support this way of working so employees can be productive regardless of where they are or what applications and devices they’re using.

Another emerging trend is an increased focus on inclusivity. Not everybody has had the same level of access to a capable network or device, so some employees are able to collaborate more effectively than others. And there’s also a human aspect to inclusivity, which is that some people are comfortable on video and speaking up in meetings, while others are not. Companies are increasingly working to ensure everybody’s included regardless of socioeconomic status, personality and other factors. Collaboration tools can help with many aspects of this by providing features that make it easier for meeting attendees to be seen and heard.
 

AC: What are some common collaboration-related challenges companies are struggling with?

JK: One big challenge for many companies is manageability. One aspect of this challenge is that companies often use one application for meetings, another for receiving phone calls and yet another for messaging, so managing everything is very complex. Another is the issue of delivering the same experience to users that work across many different locations with different networks.

Companies also struggle with security — making sure their collaboration tools are secure when accessed from different locations and devices.

Modern communication and collaboration solutions like Spectrum Business Unified Communications solve these challenges because they bring voice services, messaging, meeting, content management and app-based capabilities together in one secure, cloud-based platform that delivers a consistent experience to all users, and that is fully managed so IT teams can focus on other priorities.
 

AC: Why did Cisco choose to partner with Spectrum Business?

JK: For companies to get the most benefit from Webex, it must run on a secure and reliable network like the private Spectrum Business fiber network. Partnering allows us to create an all-in-one communications and collaboration solution that provides organizations with both the best collaboration tools and the best network to support their needs. And, by joining forces, we can more rapidly provide businesses with the new tools and solutions they will demand as collaboration continues to evolve over the next couple of years.