Will the hybrid work model be just a passing fad? As pandemics fade into memory, will companies demand that workers get back into physical offices in the name of productivity and fostering interpersonal relationships? We can’t predict the future, but the reality is that hybrid work was already a growing trend thanks to technological advancements.

Twenty years ago, knowledge workers could telecommute (a now quaint-sounding term) with voice and internet access. The experience was less than perfect, as the integration of offsite staff into onsite meetings and activities was not quite there with the existing technology. The advent of unified communication and collaboration (UCC) solutions provided powerful and scalable tools for workers to have a common platform that worked not only in the office but anywhere with a solid internet connection.

These solutions, embodied by such platforms as Cisco/WebEx, Microsoft, Zoom, RingCentral, Google, and others, provide a rich set of tools for knowledge work, unifying voice, video, messaging, collaboration, presence, and meeting tools into easy-to-use software. Further, these solutions have all moved into cloud-hosted SaaS (Software as a Service) models, making them easier to administer, manage, and scale.

How does this unified communication as a service model impact hybrid work? Read on below for more

Recently we posted about how the user experience is driving the modernization of AV systems and services. In the modern, connected world, everyone is a user and consumer of AV technology. The pandemic of the past two years created Zoom experts out of grandparents that had never video-conferenced in their lives. With the seismic shift to hybrid work models, the ability to see and talk to someone on a computer or device is merely baseline functionality.

So, users in the workplace - home workplaces too – have high expectations for AV systems. They need to be easy to use, allow them to multitask, hold large and inclusive meetings, and have sophisticated tools that integrate easily to share information and freely collaborate. As we noted – and you already know – this is a software-driven world. The smartphone showed the world how you build a smart device with an almost-ready-for-prime time feature set and proceed to make it far more powerful and usable with three years of software updates. Tesla applies that model to automobiles, in an industry not previously known for any upgrades that didn’t involve buying a new vehicle. One of the last industries to catch on is AV, and that presents new challenges.

Modern smart conference room technology is more dependent on software than hardware for the new features and services that today’s workforce expects and demands. And software is a different model when it comes to management. Keep reading below for an outline of three trends that are changing the game in AV services management.

With Level 3’s philanthropy mission to help children and families, we focus our efforts on activities that will make a lasting impact. This quarter we have partnered with GiGi’s playhouse, an organization with a mission to change the way the world views Down Syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all.

World Down syndrome Day is celebrated on March 21^st to honor Down Syndrome people who have 3 of their 21^st chromosome. We joined the celebration by raising donations to Gigi’s playhouse and asking our employees and community to wear crazy socks, highlighting our differences as individuals.

As shown in previous posts, simulation is an increasingly popular tool for training healthcare professionals. Across the U.S. and worldwide, teaching hospitals, medical schools, and nursing schools are employing realistic simulation labs to hone training for future doctors, nurses, and physician assistants. And we've delved into new areas where simulation can help other professionals when faced with life or death decisions, such as police training and EMS professionals.

This post will add another area where simulation offers unique advantages in training medical professionals – cadaver or "wet" labs. Simulation environments for wet labs also present some unique challenges, but the benefits are invaluable for training. Keep reading to learn more about how the Level 3 SimStation simulation suite adapts to cadaver lab training requirements. 

Digital signage has been around for some time with many successful applications, from restaurants to shopping centers to building lobbies and transportation hubs. The advantages of digital display technologies are numerous and well-understood, but companies are taking a closer look at this solution for a new area  that is not so well-understood – hybrid workplaces.

Come with us, for a bit, for a walk back in time to the 1980s. That decade saw the dawn of the personal computing era. Until the advent of the personal computer (PC), computing power lay in data centers in mainframes and minicomputers. There were no such things as “apps,” but there were complex applications to run financial and operational aspects of companies.

Most importantly, however, before PCs (we mean all of them here of any operating system), the IT department controlled all that computing power. In those days, IT was called by many other names (sometimes not flattering ones), but generally, professional workers had little control over what IT did, and they might wait years to be able to take advantage of that computing power to make their job easier.

Why is being disciplined so difficult? The results of discipline are amazing. It feels great after you apply discipline, you feel like you accomplished something. It literally makes you a better person. So why are our brains wired to make it hard? I am sure evolutionarily speaking, there is some reason behind it. Lounging certainly allows you to conserve calories and stay alive longer when food is scarce. Adrenaline will get us going when it is absolutely required but being at a heightened state of activity is not sustainable for too long. And binge-watching Real Housewives of New Jersey is just so dang appealing! The draw to being undisciplined is always present.

Managed support services are well understood and utilized in the IT world, and they are increasingly popular for various reasons. Perhaps one reason not discussed as much is the sheer breadth of technology in use today in organizations of all sizes. In IT, support has to cover services like cloud infrastructure, SaaS (software as a service), networks, wireless and mobile computing, security and cybersecurity, and much more. This breadth requires a significant amount of expertise and training, as well as specialized tools for monitoring and user support.

AV systems in organizations have gone through a similar evolution; they now encompass a wide range of technology and have joined the IT and IoT world as IP-based connected systems requiring the same security and monitoring levels as other IT systems. That means that user support must also include specialized training and tools, further burdening chronically understaffed IT departments. Managed support services for AV can ease the burden on organizations and provide the specialized services needed. Let's explore several models below and their potential benefits for your organization.