Smart Devices in the Workplace- Pros and Cons
Yes, it is well said that the world has become a global village. It is just because of technology.
It brings a dramatic change in our personal lives and workplaces as well. With the passage of time, many electronic things become more reliable and are very capable in our business like computers changing into laptops, cell phones, wireless connections and much more.
According to ExplodingTopic, 68% of organizations see a jump in productivity after switching to BYOD. It shows companies allow employees to use their own smart devices like smartphones at the workplace for assigned tasks to increase productivity.
Nowadays, you can go to your workplace with your smart device and you can work on it. Some companies also provide smart devices to their workers.
In this article, I will give you a brief explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of using smart devices in the workplace and also its impact on business.
Let’s start here!
What are Smart Devices?
Smart devices are electronic tools or machines that are easy to link, connect and exchange data and information to other smart devices. For example, you can connect a smart fitness tracker to your smartphone to monitor your fitness on the go. Similarly, there are many smart devices are available that make office or field work easier and more effective.
You can work in your home by using devices like a smartphone, or Tablet PC. Like in the case of the coronavirus, most people run their businesses with smartphones from home. Smart devices in the workplace absolutely change the way of working in the workplace.
Term iOT is Used for what?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the interconnected network of physical devices, systems, vehicles, and other objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity, allowing them to collect and exchange data.
This technology has the potential to transform various industries, from healthcare and transportation to agriculture and manufacturing, by providing real-time insights, improving efficiency and productivity, and enabling new applications and services.
IoT devices can be controlled remotely, enabling seamless automation and remote monitoring.
Impact of Smart Devices in the Workplace- Pros and Cons
Smart devices have a great impact in our business life. It makes the workplace more reliable and productive as well. As it has many benefits, it has disadvantages too.
There are a few benefits and disadvantages of using smart devices in workplace as you can see below:
Pros of Smart Devices in the Workplace
There are many benefits of using smart devices in the workplace, a few are mentioned below:
It saves you time
When you are working with a smart device, you can save your time. It works for you within seconds. You can easily save your business documents on your laptop. It can also reduce paperwork to help you save both time and resources. You don’t have to wait to print or fax documents. Which reduces the effort to handle business documents.
Communication
The latest tech introduces a huge range of virtual communication tools that can be used to communicate with overseas linked companies to business. For example, the use of tablets for video conferences can increase the efficiency of communicating with employees in different branches of a company.
Smart devices have the facility of sharing
With smart devices, you can share your business documents with overseas clients. You can also share one branch to another branch. This also makes collaboration easier and more effective.
Keep data safe
When you are using smart devices in the workplace you can make your activities more reliable. You can store huge amounts of data on cloud storage solutions to keep them safe and easily access when needed. Whenever you need it you can easily explore it.
Energy ability
One of the best uses of smart devices in the workplace is the level of energy ability. Everything with devices is at your fingertips. You can adjust your business dealing from home according to your health condition.
Save time and money
These devices provide convenience that helps you do things quickly and effectively. In this way, you can save the amount of time and money on some devices.
Smart devices can handle a huge range of task
Smart innovations can computerize different tasks. For example, a brilliant smart home device can consequently control the lighting, temperature, and security of your office.
Cons of Smart Devices in the Workplace
No one can deny that using smart devices in the workplace also has some disadvantages:
Costly devices
If your employees have devices given by you that is good, otherwise, It is a big disadvantage that new technologies are often costly and everyone cannot purchase them. And it needs to be repaired.
Work environment interruptions
As the number of devices increases, so does the potential for them to disturb efficiency and work processes in the business.
Extra training needs
Staff may require directions and training for the productive use of technology at work.
Increased IT security needs
Convenient devices are helpless against security hackers, particularly if they have delicate or basic business information. So there is always a threat of information loss which demands robust IT security systems.
Face-to-face communication decreases
Technologies are used alternately to communicate with business partners. It decreased the amount of face to face communication.
Technical issue
If there is a technical issue with the devices, your business operations may be stopped. It can cause significant loss and damage of reputation too.
Plenty of data
One of the biggest disadvantages of using smart devices is that it can lead to data being overwhelmed. This means when an employee receives a huge amount of data or information from different clients or companies through different mediums it may lead to difficulties in handling it.
Final Words
No one can deny the importance of smart devices in the workplace. It makes your business more reliable and easy to handle. You can store and save your business and money transactions in a smart device (laptop) instead of creating manual record keeping.
You can do business in the whole world from your office with technologies. It is a reality that it also has disadvantages but we should try to bring it to the positive side. With the proper use of devices and some training, we can take our business to the next level. With technologies, it is also necessary to have a trained staff to run smart devices.