How 30 companies across industries provide sustainable hybrid work services in Boston… and beyond

As a Boston native, I was excited to see that Massachusetts ranked as the #1 state to live in 2022. The rankings by WalletHub were determined by affordability, economy, education, quality of life, and safety. Massachusetts has been a powerhouse in the tech industry for years and is a leader in driving the Future of work.

On the one hand, according to a 2022 Brookings Report, “The pandemic has greatly impacted some of America’s most economically prosperous regions. ‘Superstar’ metro areas such as Boston, New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. have not posted strong job recoveries, their office workers have not returned in large numbers, and their rental markets have softened considerably.”

Striking a balance between remote work and time in the office is a challenge for even the most innovative leaders. It’s important to note that hybrid doesn’t mean fully remote. In most cases, it’s a flexible combo of both. With of course many industries including Emergency, Education, Hospitality and Manufacturing services onsite.

With Gallup stating half of the workforce across the country are now offering their employees a combo in office and remote, the questions becomes which resources and organizations are available to help employers sustain a long-term hybrid approach?

As a Marketing intern for NWN Carousel, the Hybrid Work company, I focused my research on enterprises that provide powerful tools to support hybrid work from one of the nation’s tech capitals, Boston.

The list below is not comprehensive but rather a selection of key UC&C orgs with nationwide locations and a presence in Boston. It includes some NWN Carousel partners, as well as a wider scope outside our portfolio.

9 key elements for productive Hybrid work:

1. Office Space Management
2. Collaborative Office Spaces
3. Conferencing Hardware
4. Communication
5. Networking
6. Staffing & Recruiting
7. Workflow Experience
8. Cybersecurity
9. Cloud Services

Office Space Management for Desk Booking & More:

It can be difficult to determine whether employees will be working from home or on-site. Many companies have run into an issue of having too much unused space. This has led them to look for alternatives to in-person workspaces. Companies now must make the decision of how they want to strategize office planning. You can now manage your employees’ return to the office with companies like Robin and Hubstar. These two Boston companies provide platforms that measure the way employees are utilizing the office space. Employees can book desks and meetings on a unified platform bringing back the in-office community while providing insights on how to better utilize your space.

Collaborative Office Spaces

Some companies have turned to not using their office spaces at all. According to the Ladders quarterly remote work report 18% of professional jobs are fully remote in 2022. If your business parted ways with their offices, it could be of interest to investigate shared office spaces. Companies like Industrious, Courtyard, and Wework all offer shared working spaces in Boston. In these buildings you can rent out a variety of spaces ranging from a private office to a suite for your entire team. You can utilize these spaces when scheduling meetings with colleagues, customers, and partners. This level of flexibility allows for you to still have in person collaboration with the flexibility of not going to the office all the time.

Conferencing Hardware to Enhance a Virtual Connection

To truly have a great virtual experience, it is important to have the right technology to make hybrid meetings feel alive. A seamless experience across locations is important. Fortunately, there are companies to transform your conference rooms into a hybrid experience. A Boston company, Owl Labs, provides cameras that can easily be installed in your conference rooms to create a 360 view for those calling in from home. PolyCom and Biamp, NWN Carousel partners, have corporate offices just outside of Boston that offer studio kits to turn your office into virtual huddle rooms compatible with Microsoft teams, Webex, and more. Other companies such as Pro AV Systems work to enhance your experience through office hardware installations. By integrating cameras and microphones into your office space it will allow you to connect with employees in person without leaving anyone behind at home.

Communication and Collaboration tools

Allowing employees to work from anywhere will help you to retain talent. While many people prefer to work on-site, for others, not having remote flexibility could be a deal breaker. To ensure employees have this option it is key to support them with the necessary collaboration tools. For example, phone calls are still effective, yet a robust video and messaging platform is what will unify employees. Face-to-face communication (even via video conferencing) is preferred! While there are many popular communication platforms such as Microsoft teams, Webex, and Zoom there are a few smaller companies based directly in Boston. GoTo and Fuze are Boston Based communication platforms that are here to help support hybrid work. These platforms can be integrated into your hybrid offices to allow those working remote to have an immersive meeting experience.

Boosting your Network Strength

While employees are connecting from anywhere it has become more important than ever to have a strong network connection. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to understand someone on a call when their network keeps disconnecting. We now communicate through so many different platforms that it is essential to upgrade your networks. You can’t predict what type of service your employees have but you can provide them with the right network. Allowing your employees to all be on the same network is key to enhance the digital experience. In Boston NAN, CTS Boston, and Markley are all network providers that provide connectivity from anywhere. For computer systems many businesses are using Microsoft teams for conferencing, file sharing, and chat. Ribbon, an NWN Carousel partner, provides the Microsoft Teams Session Border Controller that connects your Teams to a telecom provider. This allows employees to have the flexibility to utilize the Teams platform from anywhere.

Staffing and Recruitment

As Hybrid work increases many Americans have changed the way they like to work. As a result, more workers have needed to switch occupations following the pandemic. Bringing on new employees can be difficult which is why staffing, and recruitment companies are there to help. It is very useful to be able to target qualified and available employees searching for work in your area. Beacon Hill Staffing, Motion Recruitment, and Bullhorn are 3 Boston companies delivering qualified employees. These companies successfully take away the hassle of searching, screening, and tracking applicants.

Workflow Experience for Powerful Analytics

As technology continues to progress it is very helpful for businesses to use services to enhance their employee and customer experiences. By combining technology, analytics, services, and professional guidance you can ensure a functional workflow. Companies such as Nextthink, Pega, Nuance, and Servicenow will automate your workflow to ensure a smooth digital experience. These support services allow you to simplify service, and boost efficiency enhancing your customer and employee experience.

Thwart Threats with Cybersecurity Support

While the online world has helped to amplify business productivity, ransomware and cybersecurity threats have become one of the leading issues companies face. It has become more difficult to manage security deployment with employee’s software’s running from anywhere. Many companies specialize in security sectors that are essential for hybrid work. Greathorn, is a Boston company that protects against phishing attacks with software integration to Microsoft teams and google workspace protecting the platform you work on. The complexity of ransomware attacks has increased which is why cybersecurity starts with your employees. ProofPoint, an NWN Carousel partner, works to protect your employees against hidden cyberattacks. It is essential to protect your employees on the tools they use with real time solutions against ransomware. Eclypses is a security platform that specializes in mobile application security promoting endpoint security from anywhere. If you are looking for a flexible security model for your hybrid work strategy, check out DirectDefense. DirectDefense, an NWN Carousel partner, works with you to create a security strategy that fits with your business needs.

Cloud Computing is essential for backing up data

Businesses now hold vast amounts of data that needs to be stored safely to ensure nothing is lost. Everyone needs to have access to all their data in a timely manner without running into any roadblocks. Cloud computing allows you to backup data, recover from data disasters, and have an easier and less expensive business flow. Wasabi, and Dynatrace are a few Boston Cloud Computing companies that are great for hybrid work. Their data storage method is highly effective in protecting your data in the multi-cloud world. VMware and Dell EMC, are two NWN Carousel partners that provide data storage across the globe. With corporate offices in Massachusetts, they provide a simplified system to control your data.

Leading Cloud Communications Service Provider

At the center of all companies working to improve hybrid work is NWN Carousel. We deliver secure, innovative, and scalable cloud solutions for leading commercial, enterprise and public sector organizations. Our solutions-as-a-service platform helps our customers work from anywhere securely. With over 7,000 customers throughout the U.S., NWN Carousel provides integrated unified communications, security, devices, contact center, visual collaboration, and connectivity through our advanced technology solutions—all powered by an Experience Management Platform (EMP).