Ukraine is one the leading countries in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of the volume of IT outsourcing and the growth rate of IT industry. Therefore, a demand for leasing of office premises among IT companies is steadily huge.

High competition requires constant improvement. The work can become more efficient using a smart office, the technology based on IoT and AI.

According to MarketsandMarkets’ research, the volume of the IoT market was $170.57 billion in 2017. The market always grows and its volume can reach $561.04 billion by 2022. Besides, the greatest part of the market is taken by the corporate sector where the Internet of Things is used most actively. The volume of the AI market was $641.9 million in 2016. to the Grand View Research forecast, this figure will grow up to $35.87 billion by 2025.

What is a smart office?

A smart office is a solution based on integrated engineering systems and their centralized control. Hardware and software of the smart office suppose the activation of various engineering systems, including:

• light control;
• electricity supply control;
• climate control;
• personal and technical safety control;
• cross connection of multimedia technology etc.

Gadgets allowing to create a smart IT office

To design a smart office, one should address smart home system providers. Besides, certain smart gadgets can make the operation more efficient.

Smart ventilation

Ventilation automatic control elements and some actuating elements are usually united in a single place – station. Regulating stations are made using certified equipment by leading manufacturers:

• ABB;
• Legrand;
• Schneider Electric;
• Finder;
• Allen-Bradley;
• General Electric etc.

Currently, Ukraine offers a huge choice of ventilation automation equipment. Therefore, users can select an appropriate product in terms of the price, features, and quality.

Smart phone

After the release of recent models of iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, it was difficult to surprise consumers, but HP managed to do this. The HP Elite x3 model on Windows Phone supports the Continuum feature allowing to apply the device as a system unit. The smart gadget is connected to a display, mouse, and keyboard. Thus, one can work with apps in a full-size mode. The device is equipped with a docking station. If Wi-Fi is absent, the HP docking station can be activated using a network cable.

Google Glass corporate series

After the unsuccessful launch of the Google Glass consumer series, Sergey Brin has introduced the corporate series. Smart glasses have become widely used in healthcare, manufacturing, media, transport terminals, and warehouses. The gadget corporate version differs from the user analogue in a larger display, enhanced battery, and multi-user interface.

Robotic assistants

Robotic assistants are not a short-term prospect yet, but it is just a matter of time.

Faculty Summit 2018, Microsoft Research subsidiary showed its new robotic assistant designed to help administrative secretaries. It is able to move objects and has spatial awareness like a human being.

Currently, the android presented by Microsoft Research is just a prototype and cannot be purchased. However, its developers assume that companies will soon use the robot as an assistant at the reception desk to help secretaries in paperwork and answer visitors’ questions.

One more example is a robot lawyer called ROSS based on IBM’s Watson AI system. The program analyzes law firm data for the past 10 years. Besides, it is capable to self-learning and, afterwards, is ready to provide tips on the firm’s current practice. The AI-based colleague can perform routine tasks, for example, to prepare a schedule, organize meetings, search for documents in the database, and so on.