In the past two years, Plug and Play endpoints have been exponentially growing in popularity. The main reason is obvious: remote working has become the new norm, and the use of USB-based endpoints has been increasing accordingly. This increase, in turn, has been creating new challenges for both individual employees and IT departments; and sticking to P'n'P products is the perfect way of handling them.
As a successful endpoint manufacturer, JPL Telecom has been very much focused on their P'n'P headsets, webcams and conference room solutions for quite some time now. JPL refers to this product category as 'Software Last' – as no software download is required to be able to use them (however, they can be upgraded remotely if required).
JPL's decision to focus more on P'n'P products started when they noticed a drastic increase in sales of their BL-053 headset cable right after the pandemic hit.
"This caught us by surprise, since we thought people liked having the call accept and reject button on the inline cord of their headsets; and the BL-053 doesn't have it," shares Jonathan Nuttall, UK Sales Manager at JPL Telecom.
"However, it turned out that most people were using the mouse to answer and end calls, so they weren't too worried about having a Teams or Zoom certified product."
JPL have actually conducted an online survey on social media, asking the masses whether they preferred accepting and ending calls using the mouse or the inline cord buttons. The answer was unequivocal: "Over 80% of people said they preferred the mouse," Nuttall shares.
After all this buildup over Plug and Play headsets: what are some key benefits?
Secure, Hassle-Free, and Cost-Effective
"Most of our competitors have suites that users need to download onto their computers in order for the headsets to work," Nuttall notes.
"Now, we definitely offer headset cables containing the call accept/reject function for those who want full control from the inline cord. After all, JPL is 'Software Last,' not 'Software never'," he jokes.
"But we're seeing that most organizations nowadays are going for Plug and Play for a number of reasons."
One key reason is security.
"Organizations are interested in keeping employees from downloading malware and avoiding data breaches, and GDPR is obviously a very big deal," Nuttall explains.
