Sound Advice:
a quarterly newsletter for facilities + design professionals
Articles Archive
- Corporate Espionage: Who's Listening to You?
- Acoustics in Open Office Plans
- Eliminating Unnecessary Noise in the Office
Corporate Espionage: who's listening to you?
Eavesdropping and audio surveillance are significant threats to corporate security.
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Ear to the wall: Don't forget that low-tech, traditional "snooping around" can be very effective unless counter-measures are used to protect critical conversations. |
With all the recent press regarding electronic privacy issues and information security leaks, it's easy to forget that all an eavesdropper really needs is a human ear.
Most important decisions are made face-to-face in meetings. When crucial information is transmitted verbally, electronic firewalls are of no assistance.
The good news: properly designed and implemented counter-surveillance measures are highly effective against both the "old fashioned" and technologically sophisticated eavesdropper. For a detailed examination of acoustical security risks and prevention, please see this recent article in Sound & Video Contractor: "Protecting Secure Facilities with Sound Masking".
CCR ASSOCIATES LLC can provide you with a detailed assessment of the acoustical security risks for your location, as well as design a remediation plan that fits your needs as well as your budget.
Acoustics in Open Office Plans
Open office environments, like almost any other human space, suffer from an acoustical conflict.
On the one hand, we require an environment where we can effectively communicate with our coworkers. This means we must allow for clear vocal transmission between individuals. On the other hand, we only want our vocalizations to reach their intended target, rather than to the office at large. Unintended noise transmission is distracting and ultimately leads to low worker productivity, among other things.
Open office plans have the potential to be a nightmare, but with proper planning and foresight they can become successful acoustic environments. Appropriate building materials, furniture, and partitions play a critical role in acoustic quality. Sound masking is an equally important, but frequently overlooked, element of successful acoustical design.
To learn more about the complex requirements of open plan acoustics, continue reading at Sound Advice: Acoustics in the Office Environment, an acoustics resource blog.
Spring Cleaning: Eliminating unnecessary noise in your office space
High performance employees are a valued commodity -- and so is the space that they work in. Value-engineered acoustical design is an effective, economical way to provide employees with the very best environment for productive work.
Again and again, studies conclude that uncontrolled noise and overheard conversations are the primary causes of lost productivity. Fortunately, implementing even basic acoustic design principles can have a profound effect on the relative acoustic quality of your office.
For more information on recent findings regarding indoor environmental quality and acoustics, please see this article in Office Insight magazine (April, 2006):
"Keeping it Quiet in the Workplace - It's Easy if You Design it Right"
Remember: good acoustic design can counter most office noise problems -- with a minimum investment of time, energy, and money.