Office technology

Over the next decade, experts estimate that the flow of information in the workplace will increase to the point where workers must rely on powerful technology tools to get their jobs done. These new tools will allow workers to be more productive, allowing them to communicate across various media and devices, enabling smarter, yet easier ways for them to find and share information with others.

Imagine this: an office, where people are always switched on, always connected; where less information is more; working smart is the norm. From information overload to security issues to intuitive collaboration, Microsoft's initiatives could hold the answer. Could the company's upcoming Centre for Information Work (CIW) prototype be the panacea?

Located at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, the 3500 sq ft facility features experimental technologies that Microsoft envisions reaching the market in the next five to seven years.

"Anyone walking into the CIW will get a powerful experience of Microsoft's ‘People-Ready' vision for business: that an organisation's people, when equipped with the right software, are the key to driving business success," says Jeff Raikes, President of the Microsoft Business Division at Microsoft. "The innovative concepts and evolving technologies on display come from throughout Microsoft, but every one is focused on empowering workers to deliver greater value to their organisations.

The CIW creates an immerse experience for attendees, who play the part of employees in a fictitious company, Trey Pharmaceuticals, tasked with solving a specific business problem using software-based productivity tools. In this setting, visitors work individually as well as in teams to resolve scheduling issues, compliance tasks, supply-chain partnerships and other business process challenges.