Murad Ali discusses how AI-enabled devices, intuitive design and workplace analytics can simplify meetings, improve employee experience and help businesses assess technology investments
R ising expectations for seamless collaboration are prompting organisations to rethink workplace technology, from personal devices to shared meeting spaces. Ease of use, security and consistent experiences across office and remote settings are becoming central to adoption, while workplace analytics offer greater visibility into usage and investment value.
Speaking to TahawulTech.com at Logitech’s RISE event in Cairo, Murad Ali, Head of Middle East & Central Asia, Logitech for Business, explains how the company combines its understanding of consumer behaviour with enterprise collaboration needs. Ali discusses the role of AI, integrated devices and intuitive design in reducing friction and helping employees focus on their work.
Interview excerpts
How are AI-powered technologies helping organisations create smarter and more adaptive workplaces?
AI has made users more capable and more demanding. Technology providers need to move faster to support those expectations and deliver solutions that accommodate new ways of working. Our latest products bring AI into collaboration through smarter cameras, clearer audio and richer workplace data. Beyond improving the meeting experience, insights into room conditions, lighting, occupancy and meeting duration can help organisations understand how their spaces are being used. Such information helps businesses assess their return on investment and make better decisions about workplace technology.
The aim is to make collaboration smarter, easier and more accessible.
What should businesses prioritise when adopting flexible and scalable collaboration solutions?
Security should be a priority, alongside choosing the right technology partner. Businesses need solutions that work effectively with their existing collaboration platforms and provide dependable support. We work closely with partners including Google, Zoom and Microsoft. Our role also involves helping customers and channel partners identify the right solutions for their requirements, drawing on our experience across personal workspaces and meeting rooms. After-sales support, product durability and environmental considerations also matter. Organisations should consider the materials used, packaging and product longevity alongside performance and ease of use.
How can intuitive workplace technology improve productivity and the employee experience?
People use smartphones and smart applications every day, so they expect workplace technology to be equally straightforward. Nobody wants to spend time troubleshooting equipment simply to make a call or start a meeting. A user should be able to sit down, access a touch panel and begin collaborating without needing to understand the systems or data flows behind it. Removing that complexity reduces interruptions and helps people focus on their work. Automation can also support what happens after a meeting, including capturing minutes and action points and distributing them with less manual effort. The value comes from making the entire experience easier, from joining a meeting to following up on decisions.
How can organisations deliver an equally effective collaboration experience for employees in the office and working remotely?
People are accustomed to accessible applications and high-quality cameras on their smartphones and personal devices. Returning to the office should provide a comparable or better experience. Our camera and audio technologies are designed to improve the meeting experience and support continuity between personal devices and office environments. Employees should be able to move between those settings without unnecessary disruption. Understanding users is central to that approach.
People sit at the centre of our product design, with technology supporting the way they want to work.
How is Logitech supporting collaboration beyond traditional meeting rooms?
Deeper integration is making collaboration more flexible. Users increasingly expect to start a call on one device and continue on another seamlessly. Meeting analytics are also becoming more valuable. Organisations need to understand how their collaboration technology is being used, what happens after meetings and where further investment would be worthwhile. Our focus extends beyond video resolution and audio clarity to providing insights that businesses can use to improve their collaboration environments and assess the value of their investment.
How are rising consumer expectations shaping Logitech’s business strategy, regionally and globally?
Our experience in consumer technology helps us understand the expectations people bring into the workplace. A consumer is also an employee who may be using our products at a desk or in a meeting room. People want technology that is simple, requires less effort and allows them to concentrate on their work. We have applied that understanding to our business portfolio, including integrated video bars that reduce the need for multiple separate devices. Our consumer and business portfolios complement each other. Knowledge gained from one helps inform the other, and both remain important to our strategy. We continue developing products across both areas, guided by the same goal: making technology easier for people to use.
Source: Tahawul Tech