Our new office for most of colleagues is the new location, new building, new interiors and  fancy furniture. For some of us a proper coffee machine is a must and I have to say it’s also very high on my priority list  Interiors and furniture are indeed important and I think we all have to admit that in our new office they are really well designed and made of good quality materials. However, that’s not everything.

Technology is a real heart of our new office – even if sometimes you don’t see it….

Yes, literally speaking, just behind the server room doors on various floors there are high-tech devices that let us get connected to Aon network, both via cable and WiFi, those that let us make phone calls and at the end – all those smart tools that not only look fancy in the open space and meeting rooms, but also make our work easier. If we know how to use them, of course.

The most important and critical part of technology is the one that is the least visible to colleagues. All devices located in server rooms, the one that are patched to each other with hundreds of cables. Those that let us get connected to the network and voice services, i.e. core switches, access switches, routers, WiFi controllers, voice gateways, etc. It is worth mentioning that these devices are very “delicate” hence they need to be placed in a very specific environment (temperature, humidity) in order to deliver services without any disruption.

For most of Aon colleagues, especially those who do not have too many meetings and deliver most of their work at their desks, a main change that they could notice at a first glance was new, bigger monitors with new keyboards and mice, plus docking stations which allow them to get connected with other devices with one USB cable. But hey, that’s not all!

In our new office we have implemented a number of really high-tech solutions, which not only look extravagant, e.g. 82” LCDs, but also let us deliver our work in a more efficient way.

Let’s pick up the WiFi. We may say it is a standard, because wherever we go there is WiFi available, but believe me it wasn’t that straightforward to deliver robust one that can be used by both our laptops and smartphones, both Aon colleagues and guests. I am sure we all see the difference and can forget about looking for network cables when going to the meeting rooms. It doesn’t matter if you are in the meeting room or in the corridor, or you want to show something online when you are in the kitchen. WiFi is with you across the entire Enterprise Park. There are obviously some areas where there isn’t WiFi available, like staircase, but think about how hazardous that could be to type an e-mail while walking down the stairs .I think it’s better it’s not there 

Another new IT solution, which in my opinion is really great, is a wireless presenting functionality. Think about getting connected to an LCD or a projector without any cables. Yes, we have it in various locations in our new Aon office and we know colleagues appreciate it.

How about interactive smart boards which allow you to write on it like on the regular whiteboard, but what makes it exciting is the fact that you can share your notes with any other laptop or smart board located in any Aon office. What’s more, colleagues on the other side can see it, add notes and make changes.

No more taking photos of the notes on the flipchart. Isn’t that really fantastic?

And let’s say you have a meeting in the Presentation Room and you need to allow somebody else to join via phone? At a first glance you cannot see a typical phone, but hold on, don’t give up so fast. There is an integrated telephony system which you can navigate using a small touch panel located in the room. Small, almost invisible, but powerful ceiling microphones and speakers make sure that you can run your conference call in a successful way.

I’ll be honest with you, I am really proud of what has been delivered to our new office and I’m glad that I was a part of the project team working on the relocation to the Enterprise Park. I am very excited that I can work in the office filled with so many high-tech solutions! I hope everybody will enjoy them as much as I do!