Transforming the Home Office Into a Hybrid Office Workspace

With the rise of remote and hybrid work, more and more people are setting up home offices to work effectively from home. An effective work-from-home environment starts with having a dedicated workspace free from distractions, such as a separate room or a quiet corner of the house. Technology is the driving force behind the hybrid work model and needs to be integrated throughout the home office workspace. 

Optimizing Your Home Office Workspaces

When designing a home office workspace, hybrid workers need to identify an area where they can work comfortably and efficiently. Whether it’s a separate room or a quiet corner of the house, this separate workspace helps maintain a clear separation between your work and personal life, making it easier to focus on your work tasks when you are at home.

Integrating Functional Technology In Your Home Office  

Technology is a primary consideration for a home office in addition to the workspace location. Once you identify your home workspace, make sure the technology within it can support you. A laptop powerful enough to handle the demands of your job is a must - this includes a fast processor, plenty of RAM, and a large hard drive. The computer should have access to all applications and data to successfully complete required tasks.

To participate in video meetings and access company resources, hybrid workers need a stable, high-speed internet connection or to upgrade to a dedicated home office network. This will prevent disruptions and ensure that you can work effectively. 

Consider Your Circumstances  

Here are some other important considerations such as furniture and equipment for hybrid workers when setting up a home office.

1. A webcam and microphone that are capable of capturing clear audio and video so you can fully participate in video meetings.

2. Invest in ergonomic office furniture.  You will be spending a lot of time in your home office, so it's important to invest in a good chair and desk that are comfortable and ergonomically designed. This will help prevent fatigue and ensure that you can work comfortably for long periods.

3. Make sure you have good lighting: Proper lighting is essential for a home office. Natural light is best, so try to choose a room with plenty of windows. If this isn't possible, make sure you have good artificial lighting that is bright enough to work by without causing eye strain.

4. Think about noise levels: If you are working in a shared space, it's important to consider the noise levels. Invest in a good pair of headphones or earplugs to block out distractions, and choose a room away from high-traffic areas.

Enhance your Company's Flexibility  

Cisco solutions for hybrid work optimize the work experience with security, privacy, and corporate compliance while allowing users access to applications on any device from anywhere. Cisco solutions provide IT real-time visibility into distributed applications, security, networks, and user performance. 

Collaboration tools are secure and flexible to create inclusive team engagement that enhances productivity. With Webex Suite, enjoy the ability to work from anywhere. Security is built-in to protect your organization’s data and privacy. Industry-leading AI provides integrated intelligence across meetings, messaging, calling, polling, whiteboarding, webinars, and events —with people inside and outside your organization. Easy management allows IT to orchestrate the entire organization with single-pane-of-glass management across all users, security, and devices.

All users and devices need secure, consistent, and flexible service and access to the network, wherever they work. Get security everywhere, and empower employees anywhere, with simple unifying Cisco Secure Hybrid Work Solutions. 

	Duo - Two-factor Identity authentication before access is granted to corporate networks. Users can log in from anywhere, and companies are safer.
	Secure Firewall - Gain superior visibility and control of encrypted traffic across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
	AnyConnect - Empower remote workers with highly secure access from anywhere with an industry-leading Virtual Private Network (VPN) with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). IT professionals manage dynamic and scalable endpoint security agents in a unified view.
	Umbrella - Cloud-delivered security ideal for branch offices and remote users to hold the first line of defense against cyber threats. Extend effective protection.
	Secure Endpoint - Maintain the last line of defense with rapid incident detection, response, and remediation of advanced threats.
	Secure Email - Safeguard your e-mail against threats. Rapidly detect, quarantine, investigate, and remediate cyberattacks that target your email.

Cisco offers solutions enabling enhanced home experiences for workers with specialized functional requirements.

Cisco desk series - High-quality,  face-to-face collaboration with the Cisco desk series.
Cisco Access Networking - Delivers the optimal end-user and IT experience through software-defined, AI-driven simplicity, automation, security, and shared visibility.
Umbrella - Cloud-delivered security ideal for branch offices and remote users to hold the first line of defense against cyber threats. Extend effective protection.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) - Optimize workloads across a hybrid cloud with flexible consumption for your on-premises infrastructure. VDI supports remote workers, maximizes performance, improves security, and reduces CapEx and OpEx.
Webex Contact Center - Cloud contact center solution that brings your business the innovation, flexibility, scalability, and agility of the cloud without sacrificing security.