Commercial Integrator August 2021 - 25

her own needs and for their team's needs.
The primary infl uencer (45% of requests)
was the IT manager from a fi rm looking
establish WFH solutions for the employees.
Other infl uencers include department
managers and facilities managers.
Meanwhile, there are clear signals that
while the WFH situation is likely to be
ongoing for some, many corporate clients
are moving their teams back into their
offi ces, albeit not full time. According the
study, about half of corporate clients (47%)
are aiming to have their employees back
in their offi ces four days or more per week.
About one third (29%) say that employees
will only be coming into the offi ce for
collaborative meetings only, and working
from home for the bulk of their time. Only
7% of integrators' clients have expressed
that their staff s will likely remain fully
remote and not be required in the offi ce at
all even aſt er all pandemic-related restrictions
are liſt ed. In all, a median of 72% of
end-user clients expect their staff s to return
to their offi ces in some form or another.
Lastly, integrators have not parlayed
WFH solutions into increased recurring
monthly revenue (RMR) in the form of
remote managed service agreements.
A great majority of integrators (80%) say
home offi ce solutions have not resulted
in increased managed services contracts.
Perhaps there is an opportunity there being
untapped? CI
Shure
For years, organizations have been upgrading their enterprise videoconferencing
capabilities. But the sudden shiſt to remote working has made it obvious that the need
for clear and eff ective audio isn't confi ned to the offi ce; it's just as essential when
joining video conferences from home. This makes an audio solution that provides enterprise-grade
productivity a valuable extension of any home entertainment AV package.
In some ways, home is a more challenging acoustic environment than the offi ce.
Depending on where the workspace is set up, noise can intrude during calls and be distracting
while working. An external microphone with a unidirectional polar pattern (like
the Shure MV5C) can cut down on noise pickup so that clients and colleagues may not
even know that there are other people nearby. Comfortable earphones or headphones
(like the Shure SE215) that provide isolation from your surroundings prevent distractions
and make it easier to concentrate.
Bluetooth headphones or earphones (like the Shure Aonic 50 or Aonic 215) provide
even more freedom, allowing you to stay involved in a call or webinar while you get up
to stretch or grab a refi ll of coff ee. With the right audio tools, remote workers can sound
like they're in the offi ce even while in the den or at the kitchen table.
Most Common Hybrid Work Soſt ware (Percent of Integrators Who Installed in 2020)
Cloud-based Applications 40%
Collaboration Platforms 35%
Communications Platforms 16%
VPNs 28%
Employee Monitoring Soſt ware 21%
Data Analytics Platforms 14%
Hybrid Work End-User Decisionmaker for Employees
Facilities
Manager
7%
Department
Manager
17%
Owner/
C-Suite Exec
29%
IT Manager
45%
Other
2%
While not as prevalent
as hardware applications,
integrators were
busy installing certain
soſt ware solutions for
WFH environments.
Future Offi ce Return Plans for Commercial Clients
(Percent of Workforce to Return to Offi ces)
0% to
25%
9%
81% to 100%
35%
61% to 80%
26%
Integrators primarily worked with the IT director at their commercial
clients to develop the WFH solution for their employees.
Work From Home setups have taken hold, but 79% of
integrators' corporate clients anticipate having more than
half of their staff back in commercial offi ces.
commercialintegrator.com
AUGUST 2021 Commercial Integrator 25
26%
to 50%
12%
51% to 60%
18%

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Commercial Integrator August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator August 2021