Windows collaboration display: a Sharp focus on the future of meetings

“12 months ago, we were pioneers in bringing the Windows collaboration display to market. This was the first product of its kind and obviously a very exciting milestone for us. We were delighted to be introducing this cutting-edge technology, but also a little worried as to whether the market was ready for a product like this.  

We all work hard to specify technology that perfectly fits business’ needs at any particular moment and this time the Windows Collaboration Display has been enjoying its own very special and sustained moment in the limelight. With the explosion of Microsoft Teams, we have been in the forefront of enabling businesses to bring remote users into the meeting room in an exciting and innovative way.

To say COVID-19 is both a challenge or an inconvenience is an understatement. It is continuing to shake the foundations of not just our industry, but every industry on a global scale and has us all asking when will things return to how they were? No one could really claim to have anticipated and taken advantage of something as huge as the COVID-19 crisis, but there have been those who were better equipped to adapt and thrive.

Despite all of the COVID-19 turmoil, sales of and interest in the Windows collaboration display have been very strong and sustained throughout Europe and latterly we are seeing more uptake stateside too. Certainly a case of the right product at the right time.

Video conferencing and various collaborative solutions were seeing only steady market growth for quite some time, and industry experts have, for years, been saying this is the year video conferencing will well and truly take hold. Well 2020 was the year when the promises were fulfilled, and teams had no other choice but to fully embrace video collaboration.

So what will the next 6 months bring?

One thing is certain: from now on, meetings will always contain some element of video conferencing - which is perfect for the Windows collaboration display. The necessity of remote and hybrid workforces working effectively together makes a video conferencing solution essential to any business.

The ability and flexibility to move your meeting space to any place at any time and with any person will be crucial moving forward. This flexibility and diversity of scenario plays right into the Windows collaboration display’s many and varied strengths.

Something else we see changing is the way IT equipment and services are purchased and used. The concept of physical ownership is rapidly disappearing and being replaced by more favoured ongoing licensing and cloud based subscriptions.

The reason for this trend is that many companies are increasingly mindful of their cash flow, and looking to avoid the large upfront capital expenditure for a big one-off outlay. Instead any CFO will be looking to enjoy the flexibility and more manageable cash flow friendly regimes that come with a subscription service.

The way we present in a meeting is also changing, and is part of the shift to more hybrid and flexible working environments. Front of room presentation, for a variety of reasons, is now just another choice amongst many to present to others. The ability for a worker to bring their own device into a meeting and to share content with ease, as well as choose from where they present, or share is becoming more standard every day…. That increased flexibility in choice of location, room position, equipment and connection is a trend with only one forward direction!

As for how people behave in meetings, Bring Your Own Device is going to be even more popular in these COVID-19 times, with the idea of touching shared screens becoming less appealing. I can’t give too much away right now, but here at Sharp we are exploring these new and flexible avenues and looking into how we develop a form of shared touchless “touch” experiences, in which a variety of technologies and collaboration platforms are brought seamlessly together.

If you would like to know more about how Windows collaboration display from Sharp, please Get in Touch.