(NAPSI)—In 2019, company leaders and their employees have an opportunity to transform how they work in order to achieve stronger results and more creative and compelling outcomes. CIOs, IT decision makers and employees all have a role to help S.W.I.T.C.H. workplace environments and leverage IT investments for the benefit of the company and the bottom line.

S=Security. When connecting devices to the network, everything should be IT friendly with all communications encrypted, to eliminate the risk of hacking.

W=Who. Knowing your audience and meeting participants’ needs is essential for putting the right technology in the right place. Small conference rooms, for example, also known as huddle spaces, may require different technology than a formal boardroom. In Barco ClickShare’s most recent study, 72 percent of workers with huddle spaces said it encourages productivity and 75 percent said it stimulates creativity.

I=Integration (and interactivity).Do you know how the workflow and digital workplace are supported? Do users have an appropriate way to interact with technology? Finding the answers to these questions can help amplify integration and interactivity in meetings.

T=Technology. Three-quarters of respondents referred to technology provided by their employer as inconvenient. The solution: Invest in technology that will be adaptable and flexible for the long term.

C=Cross-Platform. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a growing trend. So much so that 57 percent of employees prefer using their own device at work. Having technology that works with any device brought into the meeting is important for productivity and security.

H=Human-centric. At the end of the day it’s all about understanding and anticipating how people engage with the technology. Simply put: If it isn’t easy to use, people won’t use it. Today’s users want technology that’s intuitive and adapts to their preferences.

These ideas can help the everyday meeting room user have confidence that the technology will be reliable and dependable, and enable them to be productive and efficient.

The Matter with Meetings

Once the technology is set and operating flawlessly, there is the matter of the meeting itself. According to a recent study by Barco ClickShare:

• Only 30 percent of meeting time is actually spent working toward meeting objectives.
• On average, 12 percent of meeting time is spent trying to set up or connect technology.

To make your next meeting more productive, consider these five ideas:

1. Set a clear objective for every meeting. The most important aspect of any meeting should be the reason for calling it, and who should attend. Nevertheless, over half the people surveyed said they were often asked to attend meetings that turned out to be irrelevant to them. Everyone should be clear about his or her own role and responsibility in the meeting.
2. Reduce the number and length of meetings. Studies suggest the ideal meeting length is 21 minutes, instead of the now average 48-minute meeting. Ideally, the meeting should end as soon as its objective is achieved.
3. Choose the right technology and accommodate for BYOD security.
4. Keep an eye on advances in meeting technology and keep current tech optimized. Seventy-two percent of employees say businesses should invest in more modern technology to enable better meetings in which they’re more engaged.
5. Provide accessible, agile meeting environments.

• Mr. Bertier is responsible for all strategic marketing activities at Barco, Inc., a technology leader that develops networked visualization solutions. He strongly advocates design and usability in product development. Learn more at www.barco.com.

“With the right technology, people work together better and make their companies more competitive, says Lieven Bertier, of Barco, Inc., a technology leader in networked visualization solutions. He advocates design and usability in product development. http://bit.ly/2GEyNSb”