Paul Scott, CTO of office booking platform Matrix Booking, discusses digital transformation and sustainability in the workspace booking sector.
Paul Scott is the chief technical officer (CTO) at Matrix Booking, an office booking platform. For the last two and a half years, Scott and his team have focused on navigating the rapid changes in the resource management and workspace booking sector, helping clients tackle the challenges posed by the shift to hybrid working models and the need to manage office space and resources effectively.
Aside from his role at Matrix Booking, Scott also advises several early-stage and up-and-coming technology-based companies.
Scott says that when the Covid pandemic disrupted the working world, it was a “personal call to action” for him as well as an industry challenge.
“The pandemic triggered a massive shift in workspace usage, with desk space becoming a scarce resource,” he says. “This led to a total overhaul of workplace dynamics and altered customer priorities, as businesses adjusted to new working models.
“Our client base now varies from those returning to pre-pandemic office set-ups to those implementing hybrid models to manage office occupancy.”
What are some of the biggest challenges you’re facing in the current IT landscape and how are you addressing them?
In our fast-paced tech landscape, my biggest challenge is to strike the right balance between innovation and stability. We operate with the energy of a tech start-up while we support a mature client base and product line. This unique position requires not just the upkeep of our robust platform, but also a keen eye on what’s happening in the wider industry.
Choosing the right technology is like walking a tightrope. I believe in waiting for technologies to prove their worth before adopting them into our product development roadmap. This helps us avoid unnecessary risks and ensures stability for our clients.
Addressing these challenges, we’re updating our software to be more flexible and easier to integrate. We are implementing modularisation, breaking down our application into smaller, independent units. This enhances our software’s versatility and stability. Additionally, we are moving towards microservices and serverless architecture, which makes our systems more reliable and scalable.
This evolution in our architecture allows us to integrate more effectively with other tools and systems that our clients might use. It could be anything from managing employee details to syncing with calendars or controlling building access. This way, our software fits smoothly into our clients’ overall tech set-up, helping them work better and more efficiently.
What are your thoughts on digital transformation in a broad sense within your industry? How are you addressing it in your company?
Digital transformation in our industry is now focused on effective data use, beyond just managing physical resources like rooms and desks. Our customers are shifting from basic dashboards to seeking deeper insights for strategic planning. They want actionable insights for meaningful changes, not just data presentation.
In response, our focus is on gathering and analysing diverse data types, such as sensor and proximity data, to understand resource usage better. We’re examining not only if resources are used but how efficiently they are used. For instance, if a meeting room booked for 12 people consistently sees only two attendees, it signals an opportunity for companies to downsize spaces. This can save costs and redirect funds to improve other areas of employee experience.
Our goal is to optimise resource use, reflecting the new flexible working patterns in today’s hybrid work environment. For me, digital transformation is about telling the story behind the data and helping our customers see the bigger picture.
Sustainability has become a key objective for businesses in recent years. What are your thoughts on how this can be addressed from an IT perspective?
I firmly believe that sustainability should be at the heart of modern IT strategies. We have embedded sustainability at the core of our product development and recently became a B Corp. We have teams dedicated to evaluating our practices and supply chain, aiming to work with partners who share our commitment to sustainability.
From an IT perspective, we’re tracking and reducing our digital footprint, particularly in our cloud-hosted platforms with AWS. This involves actively monitoring our energy usage and incorporating sustainable practices into our software development. We’re revisiting classic coding principles like efficient memory and disk space usage, even in a cloud-based environment.
In our cloud-based world, it’s easy to overlook the environmental footprint. That’s why we’re rethinking how we develop software, focusing on efficiency and sustainability. Our strategy includes designing efficient architectures to minimise unnecessary data transfers and energy consumption.
Sustainability is also vital for our clients. We provide them with data-driven insights to optimise resource use, such as advising on the right size and type of workspaces based on actual needs. Our analytics also support smarter, data-driven decisions in building management, like adjusting heating or lighting based on real-time occupancy. This is how we help our customers implement responsible and environmentally conscious business practices.
What big tech trends do you believe are changing the world and your industry specifically? Which of these trends are you most excited about and why?
I’m particularly enthusiastic about the role of AI in enhancing analytical reporting and predictive analytics. Over the past year, we’ve invested significantly in tools that help us and our customers analyse large datasets more effectively. This has opened opportunities for us to provide forward-looking insights, like predicting future resource needs based on usage trends.
Imagine opening an app and it already knows what you need – that’s the kind of intuitive AI-driven experience we’re working towards. For instance, if I usually book a desk on Tuesday afternoons, the app could proactively suggest this booking without me having to go through the entire process. This level of personalisation is a game-changer.
Another area we’re exploring is generative AI, especially its applications in creating more intuitive interfaces. This could include using natural language processing to make it easier for customers to interact with our software, like making bookings or enquiries conversationally.
While technologies like quantum computing are still a bit far off for our needs, the advancements in AI are truly transformative.
What are your thoughts on how we can address the security challenges currently facing your industry?
In today’s digital age, robust security is vital. Particularly when it involves safeguarding client data. We are constantly exploring ways to be better prepared and protect against potential attacks. This involves direct real-time monitoring of our technology stack and vigilantly scrutinising third-party libraries and code for vulnerabilities.
Being predominantly cloud-hosted, we benefit from the collective advances and experiences of the broader cloud community, often leading in security innovations.
I think it’s important to constantly monitor the ways to increase security measures. Staying informed about the latest vulnerabilities and threats, as well as learning from the experiences of those in the community, is integral to our approach. With the rapid development and deployment of new software, we can update and replace systems more efficiently. This agility allows us to implement new policies and ensure we are as defended and security-aware as possible.
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