P2P

34 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 When it comes to firms trying to manage and improve the home network, IT cannot view it to suggest adjustments and so they are having difficulties with users that they simply cannot fix. This is especially applicable to those living in more rural areas, "we have issues with users in Exeter that have no 'last mile' connectivity." One firm stated that a user was tethering their laptop to their phone to provide a corporate network at home and so used 660GB in one month. The debate continued as to whether the home network was even the responsibility of the firm, "we need to take some responsibility for the 'last mile' by providing education for our users re the broadband packages available to them, etc. " The idea of having a dedicated network for business traffic was one suggestion that was well received by delegates, and many will look to deploy should home working become a more permanent fixture. Virtual Meetings The agenda once again turned back to the muchly debated topic of video communication software focusing this time on equipment within the office and the increased usage of it. Regarding equipment within the office, some of the firms discussed removing the expensive meeting room video conferencing equipment. Another mentioned they had paused their meeting room refresh program, "we'll look at kitting out 1 or 2 rooms and then will assess what people do when they return to the office. Will they move to a meeting rooms or simply call from their desk?" Another firm stated they needed to be prepared for any software requirement, "clients are turning up with Zoom or Teams, we need to ensure we turn up in the right outfit. The kit in the meeting rooms need to be able to support them and ensure that the meetings can be equitable." Many talked of the positives of video conferencing suggesting it was a more 'balanced' way of meeting, almost a leveler where people could express themselves better than in an office based face to face, "the Chief Exec is getting feedback that Lawyers are so much more productive on video conferences." Another agreed stating, "I always felt embarrassed if joining an important meeting via video. Today's online meetings make it a much better experience for attendees." However, there was also further thought as to whether meetings will even be going ahead in the near future in dedicated rooms, "it's unlikely that you'll have people in meeting rooms with social distancing measures!" The consensus was that people are now much more comfortable with video communications and it was largely agreed everyone being remote for a meeting was much better than an office-based meeting with some remotely conferenced in. The Office of the Future Attendees were asked about their post COVID-19 workforce location strategy and it was mostly unanimous that firms would still have their current office locations but encourage a split between home and office work. F E A T U R E S

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