The emergency phase of hybrid work is long over, but for many enterprises in Asia Pacific (Apac), it has left behind a fragmented, patchwork legacy. As we look toward 2026, the conversation in boardrooms across the region has shifted. It is no longer about whether hybrid work functions, but whether it scales securely and equitably across the world’s more diverse economic corridors.
In my discussions with regional IT leaders, a new reality is emerging – the old “one-size-fits-all” approach to collaboration is failing the complex needs of Apac's multi-market operations. From navigating disparate data sovereignty laws to managing the visual inequality that plagues regional boardrooms, the stakes have evolved.
In 2026, workplace collaboration is moving off the IT expense sheet and directly onto the strategic balance sheet, defined by three transformative shifts.
AI evolves into a productivity engine
Walk into meeting rooms across Apac today, and you will likely encounter a digital divide. State-of the-art setups in primary hubs contrast sharply with basic conference rooms in regional satellite offices.
In 2026, artificial intelligence (AI) has moved beyond basic audio-visual hygiene to become a productivity engine. The fundamental change is the transition from device-centric to network-centric architecture via intelligent AV over IP.
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Remote participants regularly experience the “bowling alley view” – squeezed into a corner of the screen while in-room attendees dominate the conversation. Visual equity is now a baseline requirement, not a premium feature. Using multiple synchronised camera feeds, AI now automatically frames every participant individually, ensuring remote employees have an equal seat at the table regardless of their physical location.
For the C-suite, it’s more than just “better video”; it’s about maximising human capital. This modular approach allows IT departments to deploy the right mix of components for any space. Whether it’s a four-person huddle or a 30-person training session, all managed via a single network connection.
This solves a uniquely Apac challenge: allowing headquarters to maintain premium standards while enabling rapid, remote deployment in expanding markets without the need for on-site IT support.
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Radical flexibility - the end of platform lock-ins
In our diverse regional landscape, vendor lock-in has become a strategic liability. Large Apac organisations commonly run Microsoft Teams in one market, Zoom in another, and Google Meet in a third. Whether driven by regional preferences or M&A activity, these tech stack collisions often turn meeting rooms into stranded assets – expensive real estate sitting unused because a room is locked into the “wrong” platform for a specific call.
C-suite executives are rightly demanding ROI justification for their office footprints. When a premium boardroom cannot accommodate basic programme flexibility, it appears on the balance sheet as wasted capital.
The 2026 solution is platform agnosticism. The industry has moved toward a BYOM (bring your own meeting) default, where hardware natively supports multiple platforms. Anyone can walk into any room, plug in a single cable, and instantly harness the room’s professional camera and audio system. By extending this flexibility to the broader app ecosystem, such as being able to launch tools like Miro or Slack directly from a device hub, static rooms are transformed into interactive innovation centres. For IT teams, centralised cloud management is the only way to achieve this operational agility across vast geographies without spiralling costs.
Hardware is the new digital border for data sovereignty
Perhaps the most critical shift is the device's role as the primary security perimeter. Every APAC market is developing its own rigorous data protection regulations – China’s PIPL, India’s DPDP, Singapore’s PDPA, the list goes on. Because collaboration endpoints now process increasingly sensitive corporate data and AI-generated summaries, the hardware itself has become the digital border that matters the most.
Data sovereignty is no longer a theoretical concern; it’s a business continuity requirement. IT departments must provide audit trails proving that every collaboration device complies with local residency and privacy rules.
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Consequently, the procurement decisions are now factoring in the long-term security lifecycle rather than just upfront costs. IT leaders require hardware built on enterprise-grade operating systems with guaranteed support roadmaps. Centralised management platforms are no longer just nice to have; they are essential for ensuring every device from the boardroom to the brand office is patched against evolving regional threats.
The path towards sustainable collaboration
These developments solve different problems, but are fundamentally intertwined. AI creates equity between remote and in-room participants. Flexibility ensures operational agility across diverse technology stacks. Security enables trust and regulatory compliance in an increasingly complex environment.
For Apac organisations, 2026 is the year collaboration infrastructure stops being a mere IT utility and becomes a strategic business lever. The organisations that recognise this shift will gain a measurable advantage in talent retention and operational efficiency. That is what separates functional collaboration from sustainable collaboration in the modern age.
Niko Walraven is the Area VP for Apac at Neat
