Lenovo has launched new Internet of Things (IoT) solutions called ThinkIoT Back to Work, for businesses returning to work after the coronavirus pandemic.
Lenovo has assembled an ecosystem of IoT solutions to help make it easier for customers to get back to work in offices without dealing with the hassle traditionally encountered in IoT projects. To that extent, Lenovo validates, deploys, and manages these end-to-end solutions globally in a set of turnkey offerings, especially important for large businesses with distributed locations. These are the first solutions from Lenovo’s Commercial Internet of Things Business Group, established in 2019 to help drive the company’s service-led transformation.
Lenovo provides a single point of accountability for customers across their Back to Work solutions. Lenovo tests each solution through a rigorous validation process that includes up to 140 steps covering security, serviceability, scalability, and reliability. Lenovo’s field network of more than 20,000 technicians handle deployment for all the solutions with minimal site disruption. With customers in more than 180 markets and expertise supporting more than 125 million devices, Lenovo provides solution monitoring and management to keep all these ThinkIoT Back to Work solutions running for customers.
Three-step framework for Back to Work
In a recent Lenovo survey in the U.S, 58% of respondents said their job shifted to remote work in response to COVID -19, and 88% say it’s important for their companies to deploy technology-based safety measures within their workplaces before they go back to work.
Lenovo outlines a three-step framework with technology at its core to help make spaces safer and to accelerate business transformation for the long term.
1) Controlling who gets into the location
2) Managing behaviors within the space; and
3) Preparing to respond to incidents
ThinkIoT Back to Work solutions support this three-step framework with a set of end-to-end, pre-tested and validated IoT solutions incorporating carefully selected and proven hardware and software partners, including CXApp, Inpixon, L Squared, Openpath, Relogix, and Viper Imaging. These solutions help make workplaces safer as employees progress through the building:
- Touchless building access: Modern access control that allows touchless access, phone-based authentication, easy cloud management, and integrations with legacy access control systems and IoT solutions. (Openpath)
- Elevated temperature screening: Thermal screening solutions using U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared thermal cameras to identify elevated body temperature in individuals as they go through access points. (Viper Imaging)
- Digital signage and policy communication: Integrated digital communication and content management solution to effectively communicate policies and information to your workforce. (L Squared)
- Safe workspace monitoring: Office occupancy monitoring solution with granularity to a seat level to comply with social distancing protocols and identify workspace utilisation for target cleaning. (Relogix)
- On-Premise contact tracing: Employee and visitor tracing using existing Wi-Fi network to monitor workspace zone health and enable a focused response in the event of an incident. (Inpixon)
Customers can choose what’s most important to them and mix and match solutions based on their desired outcomes. Lenovo serves as the one-stop shop for deploying and managing these Back to Work Solutions.
“For the past decade IoT solutions have promised great results but haven’t delivered,” says John Gordon, Lenovo’s president, Commercial Internet of Things. “Our purpose is simple – to overcome the logistical challenges of IoT systems to make them practical at scale.
As the #1 PC maker, Lenovo is in the unique position to understand what it takes to manage electronic components spread around the world. We build on our global strength in services and supply chain and layer on industry-first IoT management software and a proven partner ecosystem to help customers finally get the value they’ve always wanted from IoT, quickly, and hassle free.”
At a time when IoT solutions are plentiful, single IoT solutions can easily require hundreds of thousands of sensors and end points when deployed across global site locations. Once companies start considering multiple IoT solutions, this challenge can easily reach millions of devices, limiting businesses from realising the potential value of IoT.
Lenovo recognises and overcomes the business challenges associated with leveraging IoT solutions by identifying trusted solutions, deploying at scale, and managing across vendors and sites over time.
ThinkIoT Back to Work Solutions are available beginning immediately in select regions through Lenovo sales channels.
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