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Anywhere working: Finding the office of the future
By Fiona Graham Technology of business reporter, BBC News

In the 1930s the office of the future was all about 'flying chairs'. Where is technology taking us in the 21st century?
The world of classical music doesn't immediately conjure up visions of a bright new technological dawn.
But just as a company needs to invest in technology tokeep a mobile, flexible workforce competitive, so does a world-class orchestra. It is, after all, a business like any other.
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) has 80 musicians who travel the world performing and recording, and a staff of 75 who run the office, their London venue, music label, and education division.
"For a lot of the time the orchestra is away from the Barbican, which is our mainbase," says Jeremy Garside, the LSO's head of technology.
"Their support team, particularly the orchestra managers who look after the day-to-day running of the orchestra, are probably away two-thirds of the time from our core base."
The London Symphony Orchestra travels the world performing - making technology that can keep them connected to the office in London vital
The need to upgrade theorganisation's ageing telephony network and IT infrastructure gave them the chance to introduce flexible working on the move.
"If you've got a session in Abbey Road studios, or a film recording session, or are in an airport, it isn't always possible to get through on a mobile, they're often switched off," says Mr Garside.
Getting rid of ISDN lines has produced cost savings, and the ability forthe management team to log on to their laptops and make decisions in real time whether in New York, Beijing or London has made the organisation more agile, says Mr Garside.
This might not seem to be a particularly new scenario.
But there's a growing body that sees this as the first steps to a vision of the future workplace, where, thanks to technology that keeps us constantly connected to theoffice, the office is where you are.
So how does this particular version of the future work?
Anywhere working
Technology giant Microsoft and its advisory panel, the Anywhere Organisation, advocate a more flexible, horizontal organisation.
As part of this, the company has put its money where its mouth is and is in the process of rolling out fundamental changes to the way some of its Europeanoffices function.
The catalyst for this was its Dutch office in Amsterdam.
The general manager there, Theo Rinsema, was faced with a cramped office environment and a workforce who were selling a philosophy to customers that had little to do with the way they themselves were working.
At Microsoft's Amsterdam office staff have no fixed desks, and choose where to sit depending on the type of workthey have to do that day
He decided that the best way to sell an idea was to show it in practice.
This meant a new, custom-designed office, a big investment in unified communications and cloud computing, as well as employee training and support.
Staff - including Mr Rinsema - no longer have a desk, and are encouraged to decide where they work that day based on the tasks they have to do.
Thiscould be in the open area on the first floor that includes a restaurant, coffee bar, meeting rooms and breakout areas, a private room on another floor or a hot desk.
They are also encouraged to work from home where possible. Line managers work with staff to draw up delivery schedules and expectations.
Microsoft's Klaus Holse says there are a number of things to consider.
"You've got to bethoughtful about what you're doing, because not all positions in a company are created equal.
"If you're in the HR department for example, the physical requirement for you to be at the office is probably higher than if you're a consultant."
Being clear on what is appropriate when working from home is also important, says Mr Holse.
The result, according to Microsoft, has been a happier workforce,...