Why Take Video to the Cloud?

April 2nd, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Avvocato in Cloud Services | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

 

A common question among organizations is why they should make the decision to outsource their video conferencing environment to a video services provider.  Steve Jobs provides the best explanation with a whiteboard and a two-by-two grid. To get Apple refocused in 1997, he told his team members that they needed to focus on four great products instead of the random array of devices they were currently producing. He said, “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. That’s true for companies, and it’s true for products.”

Simply put, using video-as-a-service allows organizations to focus on their core competencies; whether it’s designing and manufacturing high quality products or providing expert services.

In order to successfully operate a video environment, an organization needs video infrastructure equipment, defined processes and procedures, and a team of video professionals with experience and expertise. This requires a substantial upfront capital investment along with additional expenses for ongoing maintenance, training and equipment replacement. Not only does this become quite costly, it diverts resources from departments critical to accomplishing the organization’s mission and goals.

Video-as-a-Service (VaaS) removes the obstacles that organizations face during an enterprise implementation of visual collaboration and unified communications solutions by providing them with the tools needed to make collaboration work.

  • The People: VaaS provides access to a team of video experts with the experience and expertise to manage, operate and scale a video environment. This allows participants to simply enter a conference room or launch a video application and they are automatically connected to the video call.
  • The Process: VaaS allows organizations to take advantage defined processes and best practices for optimal meeting experiences; including centralized scheduling process, pre-meeting connectivity testing and proactive meeting monitoring. Participants can focus on the meeting at hand rather than worry about the technology.
  • The Technology: VaaS provides advanced video technology in the cloud which allows for video bridging, audio conferencing, direct voice dialing, streaming and archiving. Additional services can connect consumer video applications (Skype) or mobile devices (iPhone/iPad) allowing participants to connect from anywhere.

With VaaS, organizations can extend the reach of collaboration throughout their organization by allowing participants to collaborate anytime, anywhere, with anyone, on any device. Instead of worrying about locating the right technical staff or determining the best way to utilize video; organizations can focus on their core business practices while realizing the ROI and other business benefits of video almost immediately.

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The Training ‘Technique’ Top Corporations Use to Get Results

March 20th, 2012 | Posted by Nina Parker in Use Cases | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

There can be no dispute about the benefits of training to both employees and the companies they work for. Training helps employees keep up with the latest advances in their trade, makes them feel supported and appreciated, and results in improved job satisfaction. Companies reap the benefits of highly skilled workers and gain a competitive advantage; an effective training program can help differentiate a company from its competitors, giving it an edge.


So why aren’t more training programs regularly administered?

There are several road blocks that can prevent management from implementing regular training sessions; time and scheduling constraints, cost of securing training personnel, budgeting and administrative challenges, and more. But the companies that administer training programs successfully have a secret to getting the best results: unified communications (UC) technology, including video conferencing and video streaming systems. These solutions allow personal, one-on-one type training, and participants can remain at their PCs, mobile devices, or local conference rooms.

There are many advantages to using visual collaboration solutions for training employees, including:

  • The ability to effectively train a large group at one time.
  • Everyone included in the training session receives the same information from the same instructor(s).
  • Subject matter experts may be brought in from anywhere without having to travel to company locations.
  • Costs associated with hiring corporate trainers and experts to travel on site are reduced
  • Training sessions conducted over video can be archived and viewed again; a visual library of all captured sessions can be created.

Visual collaboration systems provide the catalyst to efficiently disseminate information throughout the company. The technology delivers an interactive, compelling learning environment that rivals the impact of in-person sessions, but at a greatly reduced cost. Companies that have successfully integrated this technology provide a higher quality user experience that in turn benefits the company as well as employees.

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New Research Points to Video Conferencing’s Cost Saving Benefits

March 2nd, 2012 | Posted by Nina Parker in Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

Frost & Sullivan’s whitepaper, Identifying the Value of Video Collaboration: Critical Steps for Supporting Social Business, analyzes advanced communication and collaboration applications that are changing the way workplaces function in day-to-day operations. 

The research finds that through utilizing next generation tools, such as video conferencing, enterprises can expect to bolster the bottom line, cut down on decision periods, reduce costs and boost productivity. 

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/03/01/3910963/frost-sullivan-video-conferencing.html#storylink=cpy

The Convergence of Video and Pocket

February 29th, 2012 | Posted by Adam Kaiser in Polycom | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

Now in its forth year, The Mobile World Congress is a three day event that focuses on the “mobile” industry. It’s initial focus was on cellular technology, originally being called GSM Mobile World Congress. The event has now expanded its focus to encompass all areas of mobility and communications. At this year’s event video conferencing takes center stage.  Both Cisco and Polycom have a major presence at the event.  Polycom made some announcements today to extend their RealPresence platform.

Now available on the iTunes App Store, is Polycom Real Presence Mobile for iPhone (specifically the new iPhone 4s). Joining the ranks of Skype, Vidyo, and others with smartphone video apps, Polycom is extending its footprint to all levels of mobile device.

Just a few years ago it was impossible to imagine video conferencing on a device in your pocket.  Now organizations deploying or extending their visual collaboration environment can extend it right to their workers’ pockets.

What can you do with apps like these? Check out the video below:

 

 

Learn More:
Polycom RealPresence Mobile

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The Essential Role of Human Resources

February 22nd, 2012 | Posted by Adam Kaiser in Use Cases | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

The human resources department plays a vital role in the success of any organization. HR professionals must recruit, hire, and retain a company’s greatest asset – its employees. HR managers wear many hats within the organization – benefits administrator, corporate morale booster, strategic adviser, to name a few.  But at the heart of every function an HR manager must perform is communication; the ability to communicate effectively on a one-to-one and one-to-many basis.

Video Conferencing Expedites Human Resources Functions

Video conferencing solutions provide companies a competitive advantage by facilitating face-to-face communication among remote parties. Human resources departments are now using this powerful technology to expedite many aspects of the department’s functions:

  • Hiring – Visual communication reduces the time it takes to hire personnel by allowing the discussion and sharing of information in real time instead of relying on e-mail or voice-only conferences.
  • Interviewing – Video provides visual cues that provide valuable information about candidates during the qualification process.
  • Recruiting – Instead of being limited to local job candidates, video extends the reach of the interviewing process, making the geographical pool of candidates almost limitless.
  • Cost reduction – Candidates can interview from a local video conferencing location (laptop, iPad, telepresence suite) to save time and travel costs.
  • Corporate culture enrichment – Enhanced employee communication results in increased information sharing and improved productivity. In many cases, work/life balance is improved (e.g., salespeople can make customer calls from home instead of through travel).
  • Support and training – Unified communication tools, such as streaming video for training sessions, can be used to reach many more employees – simultaneously.

 

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