Multiple displays for the workstation are being used more and more, in order to boost business productivity. If you’re considering providing your staff with additional monitors, you need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using multiple displays.
Advantages
The principal benefit of using multiple monitors is that it makes multi-tasking much easier. With just one screen, you may spend a lot of time switching between tabs in your browser to compare information, or moving from a website to the document that you’re working on. It’s easy to miss something that’s going on in the background while you’re working in another program. With multiple screens you can have email always on display, so office communications can be seen with a glance while you work on other things. It’s especially useful for viewing different versions of a document, image or similar, without switching windows, or viewing items half-size on a split window.
Connecting an external monitor is easy enough, as long as your computer has enough ports to connect them to. If not, you can use mobile devices instead. With technologies like Google Chromecast or other dongles that connect to an HDMI port, you can cast from your smartphone to a secondary screen. Apart from having enough ports, the only other limitation is desktop space, but extra screens can be wall-mounted to get round this problem.
Disadvantages
The upfront cost is probably the biggest obstacle to equipping all your workstations with multiple displays. Good quality monitors that are reliable, with good resolution displays that aren’t too tiring for the eyes, aren’t cheap. But if you’re going to choose this route then it isn’t worth skimping too much on the price.
Extra screens can be a great advantage in the workplace, but you can sometimes have too much of a good thing. The more monitors you have, the more potential distractions and temptations there can be. Multiple displays can divert attention, which may be a problem if a given task requires deep and undivided concentration. You also don’t want your staff watching YouTube videos while they do other things – that’s really not what enabling multi-tasking at work should be for (though a content filter solution from Quikteks Tech Support would deal with that problem, by enabling website blocking).
Using multiple displays can make working quicker and more efficient. If your business has trouble procuring the proper technology for your employees, then give us a call Quikteks at (973) 882-4644. We can advise on the way forward, with solutions matched to your needs and your budget.