A hybrid approach to work
Two years of the pandemic have mixed the job market heavily, and we’ve changed terms like “work from home” or “work-from-home” multiple times in all cases. Something that was once treated as an occasional perk for an office worker has become commonplace, and at the same time the very way of thinking about how and where we do our jobs has changed.
Although we were forced to do so at first, over time we have come to appreciate the benefits of working remotely. The pandemic period has also provided a lot of research material for various types of reports and analyzes concerning the evolution of the labor market.
The State of Hybrid Work 2021 study, published on the Ring Central blog, shows that 67%. of respondents do not expect to return to the office five full days a week after the Covid-19 pandemic. In another industry report, The Work Trend Index, we can read that up to 73%. of respondents are satisfied with remote or hybrid work and prefer not to go back to the traditional office model.
And what are the opinions of employers? In 2020, according to the Gartner survey, 82%. of companies said they intend to allow remote work after the pandemic. The hybrid working model is also an opportunity to easily recruit talent from different parts of the country or even the world, or people with disabilities, as well as significant cost savings, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
Both parties have discovered that thanks to technology it is possible to work effectively and efficiently also outside the office.
ASUS ExpertBook B5 is the first business laptop with an OLED display, available in classic or convertible versions, with a 360 degree hinge.
Hybrid laptop – what is it?
Technology is the key word in this case, because among the many conditions that must be met for hybrid operation to be effective, good preparation in terms of equipment is extremely important. If our office is to “follow” us everywhere, we must organize it in the best possible way. The absolute basis is choosing the right laptop.
The pandemic not only changed the labor market, but also boosted laptop sales, so much so that at one point demand exceeded supply and there was a shortage of components for their production. However, the crisis has been averted and we can choose from many models of laptops, advertised as devices for remote work.
But what does a laptop mean for remote work, since what we do professionally differs significantly from each other? Consider the example of two new ASUS computers – these are high-end business laptops, so they should be universal and can handle even very demanding tasks.
ASUS ExpertBook B5 is the first business laptop with an OLED display, available in classic or convertible versions, with a 360 degree hinge. We can associate the OLED name mainly with high-end televisions, and now this technology, along with Full HD and HDR resolution, is found in a laptop. This translates, for example, into very natural colors (100% coverage of the DCI-P3 cinema-class color space) and an ultra-high level of detail in the displayed image. It will be appreciated by all graphic designers and representatives of the creative professions, as well as the recipients of our presentations and content that we wish to share. The detail of the screen is of great importance in this case also because the screen itself measures 14 inches. And here we come to another key element of laptops for hybrid work, namely their mobility.
When we work from home, sometimes in the office, sometimes in a cafe and sometimes on a train, size and weight matter. ExpertBook B5 is less than 1.7 cm thick and is made of pure aluminum with the addition of magnesium alloy around the keyboard, which makes it very light (1.2 kg) and at the same time durable (meets to the demanding military standards MIL-STD 810H).
Working on the go and wherever we don’t have a free power outlet at hand, we will also quickly appreciate the battery capacity. The battery of this model allows you to work up to 12 hours, and thanks to the fast charging technology we can recharge it up to 60%. in just 39 minutes.
Remote or hybrid work means communication, in most cases, at a distance. And that, in turn, means the need for webcams and microphones. Unless they are implemented, we find them in the laptop. ExpertBook B5 features AI-assisted two-way noise reduction technology, both in terms of sound and image. Thanks to this, both sides of the conversation will be able to hear each other well, with ambient sounds hidden behind the filter, and see, thanks to the webcam, which will improve the sharpness and quality of the image even in low light. lighting.
Equipped with the most sophisticated features, a computer would be useless without high quality components and a solid “technical base”. In this case, in its maximum version, the B5 has an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor, an Iris Xe graphics chip, two SSDs up to 1 TB each and an ultra-fast Intel Wi-Fi 6.2 wireless card, which improves data reading and speeds up discs.
In addition to ASUS ExpertBook series laptops, we also have access to solutions that help improve the performance of routine tasks, allowing employees to remotely control or manage company assets.
Enterprise class laptop
Another new product from the ASUSA offer is the ExpertBook B7 laptop, also in a convertible design, so we can use it as a tablet, with a finger or a special stylus. The main difference from the previous model is the possibility of 5G connections. Sounds like something we know from modern smartphones? No different – the computer supports 5G cellular network connections, providing higher transmission speeds and more secure connections while working anywhere, even without the need to connect to Wi-Fi (in this case, we also find the aforementioned Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless card).
In terms of design, compactness, durability and components, B5 and B7 are similar devices, although the latter has RAM up to 64GB, and also runs on Windows 11 Pro, not Windows 10 Pro. Here, too, the focus is on communication solutions – two microphones are located on the top bezel of the screen for optimal voice pickup, and two Harman Kardon-certified speakers are located at the bottom for quality sound movie theater. These elements also come with the aforementioned two-way intelligent noise reduction.
Both laptops also have a wide range of useful sockets and ports (two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.0 port will allow, for example, three additional 4K monitors to be connected at the same time), as well as extensive security features .
This is another important aspect that has become even more important after the massive shift to remote working mode. During the pandemic, hacker activity has increased dramatically, and they are now attacking smaller, less secure entities and businesses (including our laptops) more often. The ExpertBook B7 Flip is equipped with multi-layered enterprise-class security that effectively protects the business and personal data stored on it. It is not only known from less advanced laptops, a fingerprint reader or a physical webcam cover, but also a modern infrared camera which, together with the Windows Hello service, will unlock the computer by recognizing our face, as well as a TPM 2.0 chip that stores passwords and encryption keys for added security.
In addition to ASUS ExpertBook series laptops, we also have access to solutions that help improve the performance of routine tasks, allowing employees to remotely control or manage company assets. This translates into greater time and cost savings for the entire company. These can be, for example, the optional ASUS Control Center (a centralized software package for managing IT infrastructure), ASUS Business Manager (a platform that facilitates the management of individual laptops) or Link to MyASUS ( seamless connection of a laptop with a smartphone for access and transfer of work files).
All of these activities can of course be done remotely, as befits a real laptop for hybrid work.