While we may not always know what the next big enterprise technology buzzword will be, there is one thing we do know for sure: The business environment is always fast-paced and constantly evolving. This is especially true in corporate buildings that house multiple offices with knowledge workers and a multitude of facilities management staff. These buildings serve as gathering places for highly educated, tech-savvy customers and business people from many different industries and backgrounds. Even when workers are traveling or participating remotely, they still need all the collaboration benefits they get when they are tethered to their desks.

To fully optimize modern communication processes for employees, enterprises are embracing interactive digital signage touchscreens as a way to foster interoffice collaboration and increase engagement using targeted, real-time messaging. All-in-one touchscreens are more engaging than traditional enterprise tools and especially attractive to workers who are used to using consumer touch-based devices like tablets and smartphones.

Here are four ways to use an IDS solution in the enterprise:

1. Share company information more efficiently.

More than any other technology, digital signage allows corporate-branded communications to be distributed through networks of any size — from lobbies, conference rooms and break rooms to entire offices and buildings, both locally and around the world. Enterprise interactive touchscreen solutions serve as real-time, effective ways to share and broadcast a variety of specific information, such as employee training and new-hire procedures, company events, meeting schedules, safety tips, the status and location of remote or traveling employees, weather, safety or fire information, and much more.

2. Transform the company meeting.

Gone are the days when corporate meetings included dimly lit rooms, overhead projectors and static PowerPoint presentations. By leveraging an IDS solution, companies can make meetings engaging, creative and dynamic for all attendees, including remote workers. For example, an IDS system can transform a touchscreen into a fully interactive whiteboard. Rather than taking pictures of meeting notes at the end of a discussion or tasking an employee with manually recording ideas that have already been captured, employees can retain meeting notes directly from the whiteboard. And unlike traditional projectors, an interactive digital whiteboard allows staffers to integrate multimedia clips to create high-impact presentations using a finger or a stylus pen. Employees can annotate over applications, write notes in digital ink and save their work to share with others.

3. Make the cloud larger and more visible.

Cloud-based applications aren't just for the smartphone or tablet. Today's IDS solutions are made to align with the new way of working through compatibility with Cisco WebEx, Citrix GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Lync, Microsoft Skype, ReadyTalk and other cloud-based applications such as QlikView and salesforce.com. Adding the power of the cloud to interactive digital signage allows companies to better leverage and collaborate on content using bright, thin and reliable touchscreens.

4. Free up staff via automated processes.

Companies can realize operational savings and unchain workers from their desks by turning an IDS system into a virtual receptionist or wayfinder directory. Employees and facilities management staff can communicate with visitors in the lobby at any time, from any location. Guests are automatically greeted with bright, engaging display content and told how to use the interactive directory. Companies can choose to have employees communicate with visitors using video and audio, and enterprises can enable proactive monitoring to deliver centralized visibility and control of distributed signage from a Web browser, smartphone or tablet. With that capability, an administrator can better predict and minimize downtime, as well as cut down on the frequency of technician visits. The intuitive interface of a touchscreen makes it easy for one receptionist or employee in a central location to manage several remote office lobbies. As a result, visitors no longer feel lost upon entering a company lobby, and employees feel more secure knowing visitors will be automatically greeted.

The modern business needs to connect geographically dispersed office employees and remote workers to share ideas and drive innovation. The enterprise must support the new way of working: cloud-based, remote connectivity. All of this needs to be done in a manner that fosters creativity, collaboration and efficiency. An IDS solution supports these initiatives in an engaging, modern way that fits into employees' technological lexicon by using an intuitive touchscreen interface.

Waterhouse is CMO for Elo Touch Solutions, a global supplier of touch solutions including touchscreen components, touchmonitors, and all-in-one touchcomputers. With multiple touchscreen technology options, including surface acoustic wave, resistive, projected capacitive, acoustic pulse recognition, infrared and optical, Elo strives to meet the diverse requirements of digital signage, retail, point-of-sale, hospitality, medical/health care IT, industrial and consumer end-users.