Now that hybrid workspaces are genuinely a thing in a post-Covid world (Dare we say post-Covid?), Cisco is unveiling something called Smart Workspaces.
For workers, it means they can rely on interactive maps to see floor plans to easily locate empty meeting rooms or desks or find other points of interest like the nearest restroom. (Especially valuable if you haven’t been back at the ‘new’ office in two years.)
Employees can gain access to real-time info on occupancy in a meeting room, for example, down to the noise level, temperature and humidity.
What’s more, a company’s IT and operations teams can be notified if a room occupancy threshold is exceeded. For future planning, the system can be used to see usage patterns, which could help to consolidate or reconfigure underused space.
Cisco said the capability costs as little as $1 per square foot a year, with benefits valued at up to $9 per square per year.
Smart Workspaces, part of Cisco DNA Spaces, relies on tech such as Catalyst access points and switches but also collaboration devices and cameras. Cisco DNA Spaces is the company’s indoor location services platform. Cisco claims it has been used to digitized 6.4 billion enterprise square feet to process nearly 8 trillion data points over three years. The DNA tool captures location, presence and telemetry from Catalyst hardware, Meraki APs and cameras, Webex endpoints, IoT sensors and various applications.
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