Why You Need to Upgrade Your Office Projector to a Smart Projector for Business

Take a look at your office projector. Has it been there for a while? Does it need a whole bunch of other devices around it to get anything done? Then you’re due for an upgrade. If all your projector does is show stuff on a big screen while requiring a lot of fussing and hassle, then it’s indeed upgrade time. 

Even without that, companies upgrade projectors for a slew of reasons, just as with any other piece of hardware. Maybe the projector is just old and has been in service for over a decade, so constantly repairing and replacing parts isn’t viable. Perhaps its image quality has degraded in terms of brightness and sharpness, or maybe it’s behind the times with regards to resolution and other features. A lack of ports such as HDMI is often quoted as a reason for an upgrade, as projectors from the 2000s only have VGA and DVI in most cases (and yes, companies tend to hang on to projectors for ages).

But one of the primary motivators for a projector upgrade is the desire to simply have newer, more futureproof tech. In that case, when going about making a purchase decision you really need to consider upgrading to a fully smart projector for business, not just another run of the mill office projector that lacks smart capabilities. 

Usually when we say “smart” we mean “wireless”, but with good smart projectors for business there’s more to the story than that. Basic wireless projectors just remove some of the cable clutter, as in not requiring an Ethernet cable. But they often call for a USB Wi-Fi dongle, and may have issues with additional driver requirements. They’re not fully autonomous, and depend on an external PC for access to content and apps.

True smart wireless projectors for business don’t need any additional hardware vis a vis dongles or adapters, as they have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. Ditto for apps, a good wireless projector arrives pre-loaded with essentially everything you need courtesy of an Android-based operating system. From browsers to cloud storage apps, it’s all accessible directly from the projector, creating a PC-less focal platform that makes meetings snappier, more productive, and certainly less frustrating from an IT standpoint. Well-implemented wireless capabilities go hand in hand with BYOD, or bring your own device. Good smart projectors work on their own or with virtually any device used by team members as needed, from smartphones to laptops, all in “pair n play” and without annoying installation delays.

Dated office equipment quickly turns into the bane of IT departments. Frequent maintenance and calls for assistance from other teams as they struggle to get a meeting going sap the resources of company IT. The same resources are better used elsewhere, most notably in the areas of business security. 

There’s no need for any of this to happen in 2021 and beyond. Smart wireless projectors for business not only have everything you need in one package, they use ecosystems and environments that are already familiar to employees. Calling IT becomes a non-issue when you can use AirPlay and Google Cast right at the meeting room. Team members feel at home with the new generation of smart projectors, which have the same intuitive designs of other smart devices people everywhere use on a daily basis. Or more like every minute.

Seamless compatibility with team member devices plus extensive connectivity through USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI combine to create projectors that just work. No longer intimidating, archaic hulks second only to the office printer on the most reviled list, modern smart projectors appeal to managers and team members alike the same way any other ergonomic and user-centric technology does. Pivotal in this big change is access directly from the projector to pretty much all of your content and files. Because of their entirely online-focused design, smart wireless projectors for business provide instant access to cloud storage and user accounts with no additional hardware needed. They arrive pre-set up with an Account Management System (AMS) and a Device Management System (DMS), both featuring user friendly interfaces that don’t call for a learning curve or training from IT. Firmware and system updates for the projector take place automatically over the air (OTA), and again, don’t require any downtime or calling IT for support. 

That’s a big win for everyone. Team members and managers get to focus on more productive and dare we say enjoyable meetings, while a needless burden on the IT crew is removed, allowing them to better tend to more important aspects of the business.

Beyond helping boost morale and productivity through uplifted meetings, we saw how smart and truly wireless projectors for business also remove burdens on IT. They even help the purchasing department, as thanks to improved technology, new smart projectors last longer and maintain consistent quality over their product lifespan. More advanced projection components ensure brightness doesn’t reduce as much, while high resolution projection and all the wireless features and ports you need arrive right out of the box, day one. This new generation of projectors isn’t just smart, it implements countless lessons learned from previous eras of office equipment. Thus, there’s no reason to repeat what we did in the past. Don’t get just another projector for the office, get a real smart projector for business.