The office has gone through several transformations over time – with different equipment going in and out of fashion. The widespread adoption of the typewriter in the 1890s changed how documents were written and formatted forever. In the early 20th century, most offices started adopting telephones, changing the way we communicate. Then computers started to enter offices in a big way during the 1980s – leading to the phasing out of the typewriter.
Digital technology has continued to evolve since the 80s at a fast rate. New technology has continued to come in and has forced other technology out. This begs the question: what equipment do we no longer need in 2024? Like the typewriter, which types of office equipment have become redundant.
This post delves into a few examples of equipment that is no longer needed in an office and what it has been replaced by.
Calculators
Physical calculators came into office in the 1970s and dramatically sped up processes like accounting. Calculators are still useful today – but there’s no longer a need for a separate piece of hardware. Computers and smartphones typically have in-built calculator apps, while search engines and AI chatbots can also calculate sums. So, there’s really no need to own a separate calculator on your desk.
Fax machines
Fax machines became popular in the 1980s. They allowed images to be transferred via phone lines – which meant that documents could be sent instantly instead of having to be sent in the mail. Of course, shortly after their introduction, email became popular. This has become a much less expensive and much more convenient way to send documents and has made fax machines largely obsolete. That said, there are still a few companies out there using fax machines for their one advantage – you can hack an email inbox, but you can’t hack a fax machine. For ultra-sensitive documents, fax machines may still have a use, but you need to make sure your recipient also has one.
Scanners
Scanners came into fashion in the 1990s. There are still times when it’s useful to scan a copy of a physical document for digital usage. However, with physical documents becoming less popular, scanners are often used less frequently. Besides, there are now phone apps that can work just like scanners, taking a picture of a document and cropping it so that just the document is photographed. Such apps are cheaper and more convenient than using a scanner.
Printers
This one is controversial given that there are still many instances where printing off a document is useful. Printers took off during the 80s and 90s. However, nowadays there are many alternatives to having to print documents – contracts can be sent via email and signed electronically, receipts can be sent by email and rotas/timetables can be shared via group chats. Print marketing however still has its appeal. In fact, it’s become easier to stand out with print marketing now that most people have switched to emails. However, you can still outsource an online printer company to print and distribute things like flyers, newsletters and posters. In fact, you can outsource printing companies to print off all kinds of documents where and when you need them. Unless you’re printing off physical documents on a regular basis, consider whether it’s better to outsource your printing instead of buying a printer.
Filing cabinets
Because there’s less need to print off documents, there’s also less need for storage solutions like filing cabinets. It’s much more convenient to store documents digitally on the cloud where they can be easily accessed by many employees, edited and more easily organized. A digital filing system also saves space. A paper filing cabinet can take up a space that could otherwise be occupied by a desk. And if you don’t need to hire any more employees, going paperless could be an opportunity to downsize your office – without the need to accommodate filing cabinets, you can settle for an office that’s smaller and cheaper.
Whiteboards
Whiteboards replaced blackboards in the mid-90s as a useful surface for presenting information to groups. They provided a surface that was easier to write on and wipe. However, electronic whiteboards would shortly render them redundant – these digitally interactive whiteboards are even greater for presentations, because you can easily combine digital media into them like documents and videos. It’s worth noting that interactive whiteboards have also made projectors largely redundant.
Landline phones
Landline phones are slowly dying out, and it’s easy to see why. Of course, phones are still necessary in offices. But more companies are switching over to cell phones and VoIP phones. Cell phones allow greater mobility, allowing employees to receive calls when they are out of the office – which can be useful for many types of workers like realtors, IT technicians and event organizers. VoIP phones meanwhile receive calls over the internet. They have been widely adopted in call centers because they allow all kinds of digital information to be stored on calls – allowing for better analytics and performance tracking.
Appointment Setting Tools
Modern technology has not only replaced older office equipment but also revolutionized how businesses manage their operations. Appointment setting is one area that has greatly benefited from this transformation. Instead of relying on traditional methods like paper calendars or manually coordinating schedules via phone, businesses can now use digital appointment setting tools. These tools allow seamless integration with email, calendars, and even customer relationship management (CRM) systems, ensuring that appointments are scheduled efficiently and without conflicts. They also enable features like automated reminders, reducing no-shows and improving productivity.
Desktop computers
Many offices are realizing that they don’t need to invest in desktop computers. Modern laptops are cheaper, just as powerful in many instances and – most importantly – portable. This makes it easier to hire hybrid staff who are able to switch between working from home and working in the office. It also reduces the need for employees to have designated desks allowing options like hot-desking that can reduce the need for as many desks.
On-site servers
Finally, many businesses no longer need to invest in a local server to store all their company’s data. Cloud storage has become more affordable and equally secure. It also has advantages such as allowing employees to access data out of the office and also protecting data if the office is destroyed by a fire or flood. There are some benefits of still keeping data on an on-site server – you don’t have to share the server with other companies and this could have security and performance advantages in some cases. But generally speaking, most smaller companies are just as well off using a cloud server.
