Xybix Blog

Back in 1996, chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM’s Deep Blue chess-playing machine and we thought it was a triumph of humanity over technology. And then, a year later, Deep Blue wins. Could the world of The Terminator be coming true?

The reality is that humans were behind the artificial intelligence (AI) that allowed Deep Blue to win. And I see that in our work here at Xybix every day. The artificial intelligence from our technologies helps our ASID-affiliated interior designers communicate, but it’s their experience and creativity that brings your vision to life. It’s the human element that allows us to design workspaces that are functional, efficient and inspiring.

It’s all in how you see the column. Some see a column in the middle of the room—that pesky support column holding up the building—as a showstopper. Professional interior designers see it as an interesting challenge to solve.

"I cannot stress enough that these specifically designed UVC light sources are not safe for humans or pets.”

Ultraviolet light (UVC) sanitizing wands are flooding the COVID-cleaning market, and I’m more than a little concerned. Touted as a means of cleaning COVID19 germs out of… everything (your workstation, office, skin), here's what's even more unsettling. Sellers of these "magic wands" are advertising relentlessly to mission-critical facilities, including dispatch and command and control centers.

Before you even touch a UVC sanitizing wand, read this.

"The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat."

If you have old-school “edge-banded” desktops in your 24/7 work environment, they’re hiding a dirty secret: The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

Why? Because germs can easily hide in the seams of traditional edge-banded desks. Gross, right? Even worse is how quickly your team of mission-critical operators can get sick when exposed to harmful bacteria. This can increase illness and absenteeism among those who serve the public 24/7: dispatchers, command center operators, and radiologists.

If you’re shopping for new consoles for your 24/7 operations area, you’ve likely heard a lot of mixed messages about wood vs. steel-construction workstations. Why so much conflicting information? Because the best console manufacturers, including Xybix, invest heavily in their manufacturing infrastructures for the products they know are high quality.

So how do you sort through the myriad claims out there and, most important, choose the right materials and products for your operations center or control room? Read on as we address five common, often misleading, claims about wood components in control room consoles—and uncover the truth.

Monitor arms may seem like a good idea at first, but generally they require the user(s) to make a viewing adjustment for each individual monitor. This is a significant problem that compromises the potential for proper ergonomic benefits.

When you're shopping for a new dispatch or command center console, you want to get something that will hold up to the abuse of a 911 dispatch center. Let’s face it; 24/7 use is tough on any equipment. The actual furniture itself takes even more abuse with the constant physical contact.

Many facilities will request casters on imaging desks so that they can easily access the equipment or move a desk for cleaning purposes. Let’s be realistic; if the imaging desk is designed for easy access to the LCD monitors and CPUs, and it has a good cable management system, there is really no need to move the desk away from the wall. To emphasize my point, how many times have you actually seen the desks moved away from the wall? As far as cleaning goes, how often do the facility staff members move the desks away from the wall to clean? The answer is the same for both questions: rarely.

Panel Systems that Make Sense

When customers purchase console furniture, it often includes a discussion about panel systems. If you speak with a variety of vendors, you will certainly get a variety of panel solutions as well. I’ll share with you what is needed from panel systems (or “core systems”) so that you end up with the most efficient option.

Does Panel Size Matter?

Some manufacturers propose that the wider the core is, the more advantageous it will be, as you will be able to fit more cabling or computers within the core. That may be true. The benefit hinges on how you’re running power and data to your workstation and what access you need to those data lines or the computers.

If I said, “Your employees need an ergonomically correct workplace," you may bristle. But if I said, "Your employees will be more comfortable and more productive, and they’ll likely complain less,” I’ll bet your ears just perked up.

Ergonomics is the critical component here. Not only is does it provide a workplace standard, but it also sends a message to your team that you care.