Working from homes is going to get a whole lot easier with a number of new technologies and some others becoming more mainstream…
Thanks to new technologies like video conferencing and high speed broadband, working from home is an option in most industries now.
But 2017 is bringing with it not just some new technologies but also the mainstream adoption of other technologies that have been unaffordable until now.
Here are 5 technologies that will change the way you work from home in 2017…
1. Virtual Reality
Thanks to increasingly powerful smartphones and simply made headsets, virtual reality can be accessed by pretty much everyone now.
And while main applications are currently games and fun, there is potential for VR meetings and collaboration this year.
Facebook has already shown it can be done, while the New York University Media Research Lab created a VR video showcasing its potential as a meeting and collaboration tool.
2. 5G
While the UK is still struggling a bit with its 4G coverage, it’s hoped that the next level will be better. 5G might not appear on these shores until later in the year – or maybe even 2018 – but when it does it will change the way we use our phones.
How fast is it going to be? Very fast. Some say it’ll be 1,000 times faster than 4G, with the potential to download an entire HD film in less than a second.
Think what this could mean for mobile video conferencing, downloading large projects to your phone and your general ability to work from your phone while on the move.
3. Internet of everything
There were big moves in this area towards the end of last year with devices like Amazon’s Echo. These smart hubs connect various aspect of your life that can then be organised via voice command from your home.
When it comes to working from home, these could make life a lot easier. Such hubs could inform you of meetings, when important emails arrive and keep you up to date on industry news. You can also use them to organise your meetings, take notes and even plan your commute.
It’ll hopefully free you up from being stuck on your laptop all day, allowing you to work from wherever you need to be in your home.
4. Affordable 3D printers
What seemed to many like a gimmick – and an expensive one at that – is now becoming the norm in many industries.
From small designers to larger manufacturers, 3D printing has allowed processes usually performed in large factories to be done at home.
And now they’re getting much more affordable, with prices in the hundreds of pounds, not thousands. This means people can effectively create factories in their homes with the minimum of start-up costs.
5. Cloud adoption
Cloud computing really took off in 2016 – but next year will see it become mainstream. And you might not even realise it.
From automatically backing up your work to central storage, to online collaboration through the likes of Google and Microsoft, you’ll be using cloud computing pretty much every day in 2017.
This year will most likely see it spread to other software programmes while the size of storage should see an increase as well.
Posted by The Secret Businessman