Cisco’s new office, located in Chicago’s oldest post office building—once an interconnected hub for all the city’s mail—is a 130,000-square-foot location equipped as a platform for innovation integrating new products, development and testing. Bringing together four different local offices under one roof, Cisco’s Chicago office has become the model for what a hybrid office experience should be.
With the shift to hybrid work, Cisco found that by building new spaces with the network at the center and optimizing it for collaborative experiences, they were able to address many of the hurdles employees were facing with the transition to hybrid work.
Cisco Chicago Office: A Model Office of the Future
Cisco’s Chicago office is a showcase of what the office of the future might look and feel like, featuring a variety of new technologies and experiences, as well as development and testing, all in one space. By enabling smarter work experiences, employees and visitors can see a real-time view of their environment — from ambient noise levels and air quality sensors to occupancy levels.
Video devices are also found throughout conference rooms and calling stations to automatically identify the user by facial recognition and adjust the height of the device to be an ideal height for everyone.
Additionally, with the data that Cisco can collect about its space utilization, the office can ‘talk back’ and tell Cisco’s building and operations management teams what is working and what is not.
This unique, one-of-a-kind workspace also boasts:
- Smarter Spaces –
- Next-Gen Wireless Connectivity – with a comprehensive cloud-managed platform and wireless access points, this provides occupancy data based on the number of people connected to the network, helping show crowded areas in the office.
- MV Smart Cameras – equipped with Cisco DNA Spaces, MV smart cameras can identify empty desk areas and meeting rooms as soon as employees leave, to help employees quickly find available workspace.
- Webex Video Devices – With Cisco Webex, conference and meeting rooms are equipped with telepresence devices to support hybrid work and integrate with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
- Safe Environments – with Cisco Meraki environmental sensors in every conference room, this ensures that rooms are clean and safe for the next meeting.
Driving Innovation
The Cisco Chicago office also embodies a strong focus on social connection, wellbeing and culture, and serves as an office blueprint for customers. For many customers, hybrid work raises questions around the use of physical office spaces, especially as some employees return to the office and others remain remote. Cisco customers have a reference model with the Chicago office’s interconnected hub that drives collaboration, regardless of physical location.
Cisco’s Chicago office is innovating the real estate space with smart technology, from hybrid-work-first technologies to enabling more effective building and space management.
“More than ever, employees are demanding more visibility and control over their work environment,” said Javana Vinston, digital workplace experience site lead at Cisco Meraki. “By creating smarter workspaces, it not only allows employees to feel safe returning to the office, but also helps provide remote and in-person employees with a connected and collaborative experience.”
Now, with the new smart building technologies the Chicago office provides, buildings can provide companies with the technology and tools necessary to continuously perfect a space.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
Leave a Reply