Office of the Future Strives to Be Flexible, Interactive
Innovations Range From Wireless Devices to ‘Smart Cards’
BY LEE ZION
Staff Writer
Science fiction writers from decades past always imagined the 21st century to be a time of flying cars and cities in the stratosphere.
Well, now that we’re two years into the 21st century, some of those wild visions haven’t yet come to pass. However, some workplace experts believe the office of the future won’t be too different from the 1960s cartoon show “The Jetsons.”
San Diego employees may soon see a wireless, paperless workplace similar to the office of George Jetson, salary man of the future. But unlike Jetson, they won’t have to commute in a folding rocket ship to get there.
Steve Gardner, spokesman for the San Diego office of Redmond Wash.-based Microsoft Corp., described an office without wires, without walls, and without limits.
“(We can) empower people through great software , any time, any place, with any device,” he said.
– ‘Smart Card’ Stores
Important Information
A promotional video from Microsoft showed a businessman soon being able to download the contents of his home computer to a cell phone via a “smart card.” The smart card would also be able to provide an out-of-town hospital with a medical history and health plan information in case of an emergency.
Other future applications include a “tablet PC,” about the size of a contemporary laptop. No keyboard needed , people would instead input information by scribbling on the screen with a special pen, or by talking into the device, Gardner said.
But some of the most promising technology is already in use. Thanks to the Internet, e-mail and similar applications, it’s now possible to do the same job out of the office as inside. In fact, for most of the 11 & #733; years Gardner has worked for Microsoft in San Diego, his “office” has been his home.
In fact, the local office, in the University City area, opened in October 2000 primarily for the benefit of customers. Most employees continue to work from home, he said.
When an employee does come in, there are open cubicles to continue work. He doesn’t even have to link his portable computer to the system, since a wireless reader automatically recognizes the device, which then functions as part of the network, Gardner said.
Being out of the office has actually made the local Microsoft employees more productive, he said.
– Working
From Home
“Everyone’s able to decide how they work, just so long as they get the job done. I’ve got DSL at home, so I can be with the kids, and that’s very nice , the way that everybody should work,” Gardner said. “Because I don’t have to be in at a certain time, they get more out of me , I work hard because I like the freedom.”
Another important development in the office of the future is wireless connectivity between devices , relying on Bluetooth, infra-red or some other application. Right now, Gardner can download his contact list straight into a personal digital assistant simply by placing the PDA near the computer, then typing a few keystrokes.
In the future, similar transfers of information can be done between computers hundreds of miles apart with the wave of a smart card, he said.
Also in the future, technology will become more consolidated. For example, Gardner’s cell phone doesn’t have enough memory to store all 1,800 people on his contact list, forcing him to carry a second device , his PDA.
Gardner expects the cell phone of the future to have additional applications , in effect, becoming a PDA.
Michael Erbschloe described some of the benefits of these technological advances. As vice president of research for Carlsbad-based Computer Economics, he advises business clients on new technology for the office.
– Wonders
of Wireless
“You can add devices to your network very readily. It’s almost a no-brainer to get wireless device (and) turn it on. You go over to your server; it identifies that it’s there, and voil & #341;! You’re in action,” Erbschloe said.
Wireless technology will also make the office more flexible, and therefore an easier place to work, he said.
“It’s easier to reconfigure, move your stuff around. You can put it anywhere you want; you don’t have to be concerned about the cables,” Erbschloe said.
Wireless technology will also aid business clients on the road. Mobile computing will become more commonplace, when combined with voice recognition software and other technology, he said.
“You can make database inquiries, voice activated, over your mobile computing device. So if you want to know, ‘Is my customer’s stuff in yet?’ You’re not going to sit down and deal with a keyboard and make an inquiry and log on to a database in that regard,” Erbschloe said.
Or a repair technician could have diagnostic information beamed directly onto the glass screen of his visor or helmet while working, he said.
Wireless technology could also lead to the “office without walls,” where employees can telecommute instead of having to travel to a central location. Erbschloe said this could make workers more productive , allowing them to spend more time with family, for example.
Wireless technology has other applications, as well. In the case of a global corporation, an executive could get his work done anywhere in the world, Erbschloe said.
“A number of companies have already done something like this,” he said. “You would have docking stations that are available in the office. And so, you wouldn’t necessarily be tied to a single office or a single desk, but you could use docking stations made available by your organization anywhere in the world.”
– Video Conferencing
Alternative to Air Travel
Still another technology that’s becoming important for modern corporations is video teleconferencing. Although it’s been around for a while, it’s taken off in the past few months in reaction to the events of Sept. 11, Erbschloe said.
Businesses worrying about the dangers of plane travel have another option for meeting clients. At the same time, reducing the amount of air travel saves money in a recessionary climate, he said.
Also the technology for videoconferencing has improved in recent years. With a broadband Internet connection and smaller, less expensive cameras, a conference is now much easier to set up, Erbschloe said.
Erbschloe also imagines the possibility of communicating by video through hand-held devices, making it possible to hold a video conference on the run, from anywhere to anywhere. However, he’s not sure if the technology will take off in the United States.
– Technology Raises
Privacy Concerns
Beth Givens, director of the San Diego-based nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, had a few qualms about some aspects of this new technology. A smart card encoded with personal information can become a dangerous weapon, she said.
“If you’ve got a card that basically has ‘you’ on it the security mechanisms to keep that card out of the wrong hands would have to be extraordinary,” Givens said.
Not only crooks, but also marketers and even government snoops would have an interest in the information on the card, she said.
“Imagine what an identity thief could do if they were to have access to everything on that card. Imagine what a direct marketer could do with all the information. They could certainly plug in all kinds of data into a marketing profile and sell it,” Givens said.
As the country moves toward increased government surveillance, the smart card could represent a frightening exercise of power, she added.
Another possibility is that smart cards could be used to discriminate against the holders. A person with a pre-existing condition such as diabetes documented on a smart card could find it more difficult to find insurance or employment, Givens said.
It’s possible that these problems could prevent some of this technology from being implemented. Or the final version of the product would be very different from the one that visionaries proclaim, she said.
