What to Include in Your Space

With the right tech solutions, financial departments can elevate their productivity, streamline data analysis, and create an efficient work space for employees. When choosing technology for the financial space, consider these three essential factors: security & regulatory compliance, comfortability & connectivity, and efficiency.

Ergonomic tech products, such as wrist rests and monitor arms help create a comfortable and efficient working space for financial professionals. Dual monitor setups further optimize desk space and provide comfortable viewing angles, reducing strain on the neck and eyes during long hours of work. This setup also enables efficient spreadsheet work, providing employees the option to have multiple views simultaneously open. Digital storage solutions and cord management are other indispensable tech solutions for financial spaces, as they reduce clutter and streamline workflow.

Desk Setup Solutions

A functional and well-equipped work space is crucial for employees to contribute to a thriving and productive financial industry. Build out an optimal workspace with high-quality computers and ergonomic accessories to accommodate long hours and reduce strain.

Computer Solution

Financial professionals rely on high-quality computers, laptops, monitors, monitor stands, and docking stations to perform daily tasks effectively.

For a professional grade computer in the finance space, powerful processing ability is paramount. This allows for quick access and update saves to files and makes multi-tasking easier with faster processing times. There are a few key things to consider in making your decision. Choose a computer that has the right level of RAM, as well as adding a solid-state drive to your setup, which works as both additional and secondary storage, ensuring that your work is always saved.

Look for a model featuring a pro operating system if you often need to make company wide network updates. This system type allows corporate updates to be made to all employees' devices at once, adding an additional layer of security while IT managers make software updates to the network. There are also a few varying processor types to look at to help balance budgetary constraints while maximizing value. If processing speed or running multiple programs simultaneously is of upmost importance, a computer with a Core 5 or Core 7 from Intel or a Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 from AMD are the best options.

With several styles to take into consideration, pairing the right business monitor can be just as important to a professional in the finance space as having the right computer is. For an employee that frequently puts together presentations with a lot of charts and graphics, having a curved monitor is beneficial. This sleek design minimizes image distortion on screen, making data analysis with graphics easier to execute. With a reduced variation in distance of the screen to the eye across the screen width, these monitors also increase comfort for employees to reduce eye fatigue, while simultaneously creating a better viewing experience.

For an employee working with large amounts of data where multitasking is a necessity, a dual monitor setup with each monitor having a 16:9 aspect ratio, or an ultra-wide setup with a 21:9 or 32:9 ratio is best. These setups provide you with more screen real estate, allowing you to easily view multiple documents at once. Having this functionality can increase productivity when analyzing financial data with the ability to have various applications side by side, reducing the need to constantly switch viewing windows.

Using monitor arms to configure your employees dual monitor setup not only provides flexibility in viewing height and position, reducing neck strain during the day, it also saves desk space creating a more organized work station. Add a monitor stand to ensure viewing is at an optimal height while working, and free up even more desk space. For many working in the financial space, having a laptop that can be docked to their desktop setup is crucial when moving from desk to conference room. Being able to disconnect from the laptop dock and bring their laptop with them guarantees your employee has access to real time data and updated documents in their meetings.

Ergonomic Workspace

Considering the long hours spent working, it's essential to prioritize ergonomic solutions to support the well-being of employees. Invest in the cutting edge of ergonomic peripherals, such as ergonomic computer mice, mouse pads, keyboards, and wrist rests.

These items work to reduce hand and wrist discomfort that accumulates during the day when working for extended periods of time, alleviating pain and fatigue, and preventing muscle strain and other injuries caused by these repetitious movements over time. Ergonomic mice come in many varieties to fit your specific needs, but are designed to encourage a more natural hand position, and better fit your hand. Some key things to consider when purchasing a mouse for your employee may be mouse size and hand orientation if your employee needs a left-hand oriented option. These features allow for more palm support, and easily fit your hand size giving more control of motion. This proves to be helpful when sifting through long sheets of financial data, where having a better fitted mouse allows for faster scroll speed. Trackball mice, which are optimal for smaller workspaces since the trackball doesn't move, as well as vertical mice, are great ergonomic options, as each works to mimic the shape of your hand more closely while in a relaxed handshake position.

Opting for an ergonomic keyboard as well promotes reduced strain on wrists, as many are designed to promote better typing posture, with a more wrist friendly, split-frame key layout. Aside from minimizing the risk of strain injuries, using these can result in increased typing speed and accuracy, which is important when looking at, and reporting on financials. Some ergonomic keyboards include a sloped ramp or a wrist rest, but if yours doesn't, it's helpful to have a wrist rest to prevent fatigue while typing, as well as an ergonomic mouse pad to prevent strain while using your mouse.

Alongside computers, an office-grade printer is a valuable asset that streamlines document distribution and supports seamless communication. Access to a printer makes it easier to provide clients with physical copies of important documents, reducing the reliance on digital files alone. For employees that often print investment or customer portfolios, presentation slides, or other client facing documents with graphs and images, choose an inkjet printer model for optimal image quality. Laser printers are best if your team prints a lot of reports, contracts, proposals, financial statements, invoices etc. and an all-in-one option allows for both if you find your employees often need to print high-resolution images along with these text-heavy documents. Don't forget to pick up some ink and toner for your printer!

Financial calculators expedite complex computing tasks, enabling financial professionals to make quick and accurate calculations. Computer cleaning accessories, such as electronic dusters, wipes, and sprays, are essential to keeping tech equipment clean and in good condition. Regular maintenance enhances equipment longevity by preventing overheating, keeping screens and other items clear, ensuring optimal performance over time and helping to guarantee that you get the most out of your tech.

Communication Solutions

Keep your teams connected to colleagues and clients regardless of location with communication tools like headsets, webcams, and modems or routers. These essential tech tools upgrade meetings and enhance communication for a seamless and more productive workday.

Efficient collaboration with team members and clients alike is crucial to success in the finance industry. With high-quality headsets, your professional teams can engage in clear and uninterrupted communication during virtual conferences and video calls, making it easier to collaborate. If your team primarily uses Microsoft applications for virtual meetings, select a MS certified headset, these headsets are optimized for better performance as they automatically configure when using MS applications such as Teams for meetings. If you and your employees use several applications, or aren't sure what platforms your virtual calls may be on, a UC certified model is best as they are optimized to be used with a variety of software applications.

Headsets with noise-canceling features help block out distractions, allowing for uninterrupted communication while in use. Preventing distractions can be especially important in financial office environments as this improves focus, and with it, overall work quality. This helps mitigate errors made as a result of unclear communication, or misunderstandings, establishing trust among colleagues and clients. For employees that don't want any external noise distractions while on calls, you can opt for active noise-canceling headsets. These are specifically designed to completely block outside noises, allowing your employee to be fully invested and focused on the call or task at hand. Ambient sound headsets, which allow for some noise, but not enough to be distracting, are great options for employees that may need to be more environmentally aware, say, if they're often working on the go while traveling and need to be cognizant of their surroundings.

Webcams enable face-to-face interactions, even when working remotely, helping to enhance your meeting in providing a sense of connection. A conferencing webcam is best used when presenting during a meeting, or in a case where only part of your team is able to meet in person, and the rest of the meeting participants are virtual. This type of webcam has a wider scope and is able to capture the entire room within its display. Add a TV display screen to show virtual participants to those who are in person, creating a fully collaborative meeting space. Universal webcams are great for employees meeting virtually with clients right from their desk, or for an at home office setup. These can be clipped right onto your monitor screen, and often feature noise reducing mics to help in filtering out background noise, making it easier to hear clearly, which can be particularly crucial when going over financial data. Establishing trust with clients is important, and it often helps to be able to see each other. When selecting your universal webcam look out for one with lighting options, many automatically adjust lighting based on your background environments to make it easier to appear well-lit and be more easily seen onscreen.

A reliable modem and router ensures stable internet connectivity, helping to minimize disruptions during online meetings and ensure a seamless virtual presence. For a smaller at home office space, a single-unit router is ideal. However, for a larger network, a mesh router with several nodes placed throughout your office space will be needed to extend the Wi-Fi signal and seamlessly connect together to provide full coverage and avoid any dead zones.