Striking a balance between work and personal life - this is one of the tasks companies must undertake. Employees can exert maximum potential when they have a healthy balance between work and personal life. "e-work" makes this possible by using IT well and by enabling employees to work without location or time constraints. This will help decrease the time it takes to commute or travel from one place to another. It enables employees to work in an environment they can concentrate best in. And it aspires to "improve productivity" as well as to create "an enhanced lifestyle." Moreover, commitment to the global environment is becoming an extremely important task, that sometimes even greatly influence the value the public sees in a company. "Energy conservation" is one such environmental measure that is directly associated with cost savings.

Beginning from April this year, Panasonic has implemented a policy to allow approximately 30,000 employees to work from home. This is a record-breaking figure in Japan. It has actively promoted "e-work," but the key issues were establishing "security" when accessing the corporate network, and to create a smooth "communication" platform. At this exhibition, Panasonic will provide solutions for the business environment, namely in 3 through 3 scenes, the "Headquarters," "Satellite Offices" and the "Home." First up is the "Headquarters." Mr. Abe scans some documents necessary for the presentation he is working on with the digital color imaging system, "WORKiO" and saves the scanned data on the secure document solution, "GlobalDoc SAFER." This system allows the file accesses and documents printed to be managed per user and prevents information leakage.

Here is Mrs. Saito, who works from home. Her day begins once she has sent off her children to school. Using the same contactless IC card she uses in the office to logon to her computer, she then connects to the "GlobalDoc SAFER" server at the headquarters from her home via IP-VPN to access her documents. The access from home to the computer and servers can be monitored using the same card used in the office. Mrs. Saito seems to have been drafting the presentation using the data Mr. Abe had scanned earlier in the office. And the finished presentation, too, was secured safely on the "GlobalDoc SAFER" server.

Mr. Abe has received an e-mail from the PBX system, "IP-Digaport," on his mobile phone, letting him know that he had just received a call in his office from Mrs. Saito. Because he is notified by e-mail, it enables him to listen to the message when suitable without interrupting a meeting or a negotiation. Next we have the "Satellite Office." With the integrated security system, "eX-SG," you can monitor the entry into or exit out of an access area in the "Headquarters" using the contactless IC card, and also monitor the PC logon in relation to such access records. Unauthorized access will be monitored by the information breaker system, "Intra POLICE." The physical access security, information security, and the security offered by video content is all linked on the IP integrated network platform, "Sinapse-Net."

And when combined with the PBX system, "IP-Digaport," and the wireless LAN system, "WINDIO," a single mobile handset can be used as a mobile phone outdoors and an internal line in the office. Moreover, the IP network makes remote conferencing easier and more cost efficient. With the IP speaker phone, the plasma display, and the network camera, you can hold a more dynamic remote conference. Of course you can even share the images on your PC screen with your colleagues on the other side. Panasonic provides various solutions that makes "e-work" or working from satellite offices and from home as though you were at the headquarters possible.

Panasonic has concurred with the "Team Minus 6%" promoted by the government and is committed to playing its part in mitigating global warming with the latest IT and environmental technologies. For example, with the EMIT building controller, "WeLBA," you can holistically control the power, energy, air conditioning, and lighting for the entire building facility via the IP network. You can monitor this on the web browser on your PC, and this will lead to savings in the workload. And in conjunction with systems that monitors access in and out of an area and various other sensors, you can control the lighting and the packaged air conditioning, further promoting energy savings. Energy savings is an environmental measure that is directly linked to cost reductions. Panasonic offers optimal energy efficient systems befitted to the size of your building/office.

"Security" and "Communications" that realizes "e-work," a ubiquitous and flexible way of working. And "Building Energy Management" that realizes energy conservations. Panasonic will offer benefits (safety, security, convenience, and comfort) realized by linking various systems and services via the IP network. Furthermore, Panasonic will continue to contribute to "realizing a ubiquitous network society" and "living in harmony with the global environment" by upholding "making use of IT to ensure safety and security in our lives" as its principle, which will allow each and every one to use IT easily and conveniently not only for business but in our lives and for society.