WORK IT (FROM HOME)

Technology continues to enrich our lives in all its facets, but perhaps the most visible space in which it has made an impact is how we work.

- Ren Alcantara

First, and both the bane and boon of our work existence, is video conferencing. I feel like there’s not a lot to say about this since we’ve all been doing it for a good long while now, but the strides we’ve made in the video conferencing space have been amazing. From the early days of just audio to today’s multi-user video conferencing with passwords, backgrounds, screen sharing, and all the bells and whistles, we’ve come a long way, and that’s thanks to a few things.

First, the connectivity. The amount of data needed to do a Zoom call rests at about 2.4GB per hour, which increases tremendously as more people join the call. This isn’t something that we would have been able to do consistently (at least in the Philippines) some years ago. Current LTE and 5G connectivity, as well as terrestrial fiber connections, give us the pipes we need to get the kind of speed and latency we need to make current video conferencing possible.

The second is the software. While there have been conferencing applications in the past, the current options are worlds apart from what we had before. Software and bandwidth optimization, better interfaces, controls, availability, and most importantly, cross-platform compatibility, make anyone—from someone on a cellphone in a bus to the CEO at his desk—be able to join meetings.