The matrix for tomorrow’s office

Rooms that recognize employees when they enter and automatically adjust themselves to their lighting and temperature requirements. This and much more is made possible by state-of-the-art IP networks.

"There is a difference between simply knowing the way and breaking new ground." This quote from the movie "The Matrix" could also be the guideline for the T-Labs in Berlin. This is where Deutsche Telekom researchers are working together with the Technical University of Berlin and other partners to develop, among other things, new concepts for workstations and office buildings. To this end they are connecting the real environment with the virtual computer world. The core of it all is the T-Systems IP network.

One day in the "future" office

Using booking systems that can be operated through the mobile phone while en route to the office or at home via the Internet, the employee finds an unoccupied desk. As soon as he swipes his personal RFID card on the scanner at the desk or enters his PIN into the IP phone, his user profile automatically activates on the phone and the workstation lighting adjusts to his settings. A digital office layout diagram on an information display shows his colleagues which workstation he has booked. They can also look up his current location on a so-called Magic Map, which pinpoints the whereabouts of the colleague through his map or when he is using his IP phone, as long as he has consented to this.

Meetings can be planned through an online portal and the required documents can be saved in advance in a virtual data area that participants have secure access to. Invitations are sent through Outlook. This way the system knows the names of the participants and grants access rights with their RFID card. The digital name plate shows the name of the meeting. Interactive whiteboards display the agenda in the room. During a presentation, comments made at the table are collected and made available to all participants on their computers after the meeting.

Thanks to the integration of various systems that are based on internet protocol, office tasks can be organized even more efficiently.