spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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Does anyone use such facilities at the moment?
Basically it is something our company are looking to progress into.
Offering flexible working space for professionals etc, giving them space to work with other professionals without the huge over heads of their own office.
Let me know if you do anything like this or if it is something you would be interested in, mainly so I can gather feedback from you.
Cheers people.
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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Guy i know has loads of serviced offices.
He's minted. Like, properly minted!
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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http://www.titanbusinesscentres.co.uk/
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spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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This is more what we are looking at:
http://www.forwardspace.co.uk/
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by spencer88
This is more what we are looking at:
http://www.forwardspace.co.uk/
Cant make head nor tail of that site.
He also does that 'hot desking' thing.
Personally id prefer a serviced office. Someone there to answer your calls for you if your not in. Your own space to make calls etc.
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spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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Basically that site I put is a very nice version of what your friend does, but they encourage the businesses to talk to each other etc etc, making more of a community from the businesses.
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Ian
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Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
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Hot desking to me sounds like a bloody nightmare.
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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Ahh kk. Would want to offer both.
I wouldnt want to be sat accross from some loud cunt on the phone all day. also wouldnt want folk listening to my calls.
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spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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quote:
Originally posted by Gary
Ahh kk. Would want to offer both.
I wouldnt want to be sat accross from some loud cunt on the phone all day. also wouldnt want folk listening to my calls.
I thought that. I think these have an open downstairs for places like studios etc then more private suites upstairs for the businesses. I think they aimed more towards architects and the like.
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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Stick to some nice serviced offices.
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spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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I will take your comments on board  Thank you.
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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Would you be offering meeting space also?
Cant just have a meeting at a desk
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
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quote:
Originally posted by Ian
Hot desking to me sounds like a bloody nightmare.
Hot desking, in my opinion is a completely viable and sensible option in some companies. At present only 2 our of 20+ companies I maintain have implemented hot desking. Others won't entertain the idea.
The idea of Flexible Business Space, in my opinion, is an absolute nightmare and potential logistical disaster magnified by the idea of having multiple work spaces linked with multiple and potentially different companies in different locations alongside the information governance risks that are associated with having multiple companies in one place. I know of companies that have made it work, however not via hotdesking.
Personally, it is not something I would ever look into unless it was a clients desire, and even then I'd probably drop the account due to not knowing enough about the implications that come with it (I have enough nightmares with clients in the same building let alone using the same office space).
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
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Oh, and hot desking in my definition is having clear desks with docking stations/workstations/slim clients and a phone from which any member of staff can log on/dock their laptop and complete their days work. I find this type of environment works well in places where staff have strange working patterns, 24 hour working etc and its not viable to have 100 desks when a max of 30 staff are in at any one time.
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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quote:
Originally posted by spencer88
This is more what we are looking at:
http://www.forwardspace.co.uk/
It's like they're trying to sell art. Not to the point at all, i'm out.
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spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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Thanks Neo.
From our research we have seen 'Business Hubs' which offer both types, from desks with an internet port and telephone to a fully serviced office space.
Like I say, we are just looking into peoples requirements as we have space available.
We are mainly going to aim it at people working from home, like accountants or Surveyors etc, who wish not to work from home anymore but cannot afford a whole office.
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spencer88
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Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
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And yes, meeting space would be available.
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Loads of them in Birmingham: http://www.custardfactory.co.uk/space-to-let/office/ - That's the only one I can think of at the moment though.
A friend of mine's company are all set up for it, it seems like he could work from anywhere in the world with a WiFi connection, right down to having the Cisco app on his iPhone so that if anyone calls him on the IP Phone he can take the call. I like their setup lots.
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Gary
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Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by ed
app on his iPhone so that if anyone calls him on the IP Phone he can take the call. I like their setup lots.
I have this.
Not a Cisco app though. May have to find that, although the phones dont run on cisco software
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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They're a Cisco partner or reseller and recently upgraded all their stuff for this to work, whilst giving everyone iPhones. We've got Cisco phones at my office but we haven't got the right setup to use it on mobiles yet.
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
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Spencer,
How would you go about actually implementing a system like that ?
Say for example you have a space that can seat 50 people. You find 30 small comapnies (of 1 to 2 members of staff). Each is likely to have their own SBS server or similar with domain etc. Some may even run ftp etc and allow clients to connect to download/upload files.
How would you go about bringing those services for every company into one space, allow them to login on any desk, connect to their own domain and fulfill all security requirements in the process.
Furthermore, how would you be able to ensure minimal to no downtime. Obviously having so many companies in one place would require them all to accept your SLA's regarding maintenance, however, and only in my point of view, if you had a power cut (that admittedly wasn't your fault) you would have everyone of those companies on you like a ton of bricks.
Added with having to keep track on multiple update schedules, maintenance agreements, contracts ending, starting, renewing as well as ensuring the companies working within the space "get along" (I can't imagine having multiple accountancy firms on the phone to clients with others being able to over hear the conversation would go down too well)
Not having a dig, I just cannot get my head around how it would be useful way to try and utilize the space to its best potential.
If I was in your situation, I'd have soundproof booths put in with "x" desks. The booths can then be rented. When the booth is rented, a full network is configured to the clients needs. multiple booths can then be connected together so if a company wished to have 2, 3 or 10 booths they could. Running on the desks are slim clients. Rental cost would take into consideration costs of equipment, maintenance, floor space etc. Being slim clients are easily swappable so maintenance costs are low and workstation SLA's would be able to be hit without thinking. The only downside is its more like a datacentre with multiple racks and obviously you would need to put thought into off site backups etc - the good thing though is that could be an option added with the rental cost.
Sorry if that came out a bit mumbled, doing 101 other things so that was written in random chunks
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by ed
A friend of mine's company are all set up for it, it seems like he could work from anywhere in the world with a WiFi connection, right down to having the Cisco app on his iPhone so that if anyone calls him on the IP Phone he can take the call. I like their setup lots.
This is exactly the system we have, however there are so many limitations that I prefer being in the office, and it certainly isn't a system I'd rely on for working 9-5.
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Leighton
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Registered: 21st Feb 01
Location: Liverpool
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Cisco Borderless Network  thats all you need
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spencer88
Member
Registered: 6th Oct 08
Location: cornwall
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Neo
Spencer,
How would you go about actually implementing a system like that ?
Say for example you have a space that can seat 50 people. You find 30 small comapnies (of 1 to 2 members of staff). Each is likely to have their own SBS server or similar with domain etc. Some may even run ftp etc and allow clients to connect to download/upload files.
How would you go about bringing those services for every company into one space, allow them to login on any desk, connect to their own domain and fulfill all security requirements in the process.
Furthermore, how would you be able to ensure minimal to no downtime. Obviously having so many companies in one place would require them all to accept your SLA's regarding maintenance, however, and only in my point of view, if you had a power cut (that admittedly wasn't your fault) you would have everyone of those companies on you like a ton of bricks.
Added with having to keep track on multiple update schedules, maintenance agreements, contracts ending, starting, renewing as well as ensuring the companies working within the space "get along" (I can't imagine having multiple accountancy firms on the phone to clients with others being able to over hear the conversation would go down too well)
Not having a dig, I just cannot get my head around how it would be useful way to try and utilize the space to its best potential.
If I was in your situation, I'd have soundproof booths put in with "x" desks. The booths can then be rented. When the booth is rented, a full network is configured to the clients needs. multiple booths can then be connected together so if a company wished to have 2, 3 or 10 booths they could. Running on the desks are slim clients. Rental cost would take into consideration costs of equipment, maintenance, floor space etc. Being slim clients are easily swappable so maintenance costs are low and workstation SLA's would be able to be hit without thinking. The only downside is its more like a datacentre with multiple racks and obviously you would need to put thought into off site backups etc - the good thing though is that could be an option added with the rental cost.
Sorry if that came out a bit mumbled, doing 101 other things so that was written in random chunks
I think your thinking beyond what we are offering. If you have a look at that website I posted, it is similar to what they offer, or these which are local to us: http://www.workhubs.com/what-workhub
We are aiming more at small businesses where people work from home or self employed consultants who travel.
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Neo
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Registered: 20th Feb 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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I see, however, as said your target audience is small business', they are unlikely to have sophisticated VPN technologies and therefore, how would they connect to their emails etc. Even small business' (in my experience) use a SBS or linux server for mail, file storage etc. Obviously you will have one man bands using gmail and hotmail accounts however surely this isn't the norm ?
Essentially, and I may be very very wrong and just overly tired, "workhubs" are offering an upscale internet cafe ? Except the coffee is free and you pay for the internet connection ?
[Edited on 21-07-2011 by Neo]
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