Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is a communications technology that integrates video and voice to connect remote users with each other as if they were in the same room. Each user needs a computer, webcam, microphone, and broadband internet connection for participation in video conferencing. Users see and hear each other in real-time, allowing natural conversations not possible with voice-only communications technology.

Very appealing to the educational and business sectors, video conferencing allows users to save time and money on travelling and accommodation costs by bringing people face-to-face virtually. Many prominent universities have adopted video conferencing as an educational tool to be used in conjunction with online courses. Business leaders around the world use video conferencing to keep in touch with important contacts while on the go.

Video Conferencing requires a large amount of data to be sent or receive so the bandwidth has to be as much as higher as possible. The higher will be the bandwidth; more information can be send over internet. This technology is still rapidly changing and people can even do face to face conversations from their cell phones only. As the technology will be improving in the near future, Video conferencing will have a large number of users and will be benefited from this technology.

Essential readings on Video Conferencing

• Enterprise Video Conferencing – Ready for Prime time
• The top five benefits of Video Conferencing
• The Business Case for Videoconferencing

Online Meetings

To partially minimise costs on business travel, many companies worldwide are replacing business trips with online meetings. With this technology, customers and partners are able to communicate with images and audio over the Internet, while special presentation functions reinforce the personal aspects of a meeting. Software licenses, Webcams, and headsets are worth the investments. Companies that use Web meetings discover new methods of collaboration and reduce their own output of greenhouse gases.

Essential readings on Online Meetings

• Online meetings as an alternative to business travel
• A Two Step Program to Unleash the Full Potential of Web Conferencing
• Six Reasons Why Web Conferencing Will Eventually Replace the Telephone
• 10 Commandments for a Successful Web Meeting

Telepresence

Telepresence is a collaboration tool used in conjunction with audio and web conferencing, messaging, mobility and IP telephony. Telepresence is a new form of digital communications that rivals the effectiveness of in-person meetings.” The concept of telepresence is simple. A solution typically comprises of large high-definition screens that transmit the information workers at the table in their respective locations, to each other in actual size. The technology and equipment provide superior audio and visual quality. There are no fade-outs in speech, no lost words, no judder or staccato body movements. Just pure, rich, seamless surround sound, perfectly synchronised with fluid, natural flowing body motion – all in real-time.

Essential readings on Telepresence

• Seven reasons to invest in telepresence
• Telepresence: A reality in the business world
• Telepresence: High-Performance Video Conferencing
• Maximizing the Value of Telepresence Interoperability is Key to Success
• Carbon Disclosure Project Study 2010 - The Telepresence Revolution

Webinar

A Webinar is an online seminar supported by professional Web conferencing software, which transfers in real-time whatever is on your computer's monitor to the screens of the seminar participants. To give visual support to your presentation, you can display graphical images or demonstrate your products live. This will allow you to present your portfolio to a large targeted audience in a clear and concise way, saving yourself the cost and hassle of a business trip to visit just one potential customer. The participants at your seminars also avoid travelling, sitting instead comfortably at their own desk, – whether from home, at work, or anywhere else they have an Internet connection.

Essential readings on Webinar

• How webinars can help you attain greater success

IP Telephony

Enterprises are rapidly adopting IP telephony for cost savings, productivity gains and business innovation. The main benefits of IP telephony are:-

• Cost savings: IP telephony offers significant cost savings by providing an alternative to high cost toll services. Organizations can reduce recurring voice toll charges and reduce the high cost of supporting remote offices.
• Productivity: Worker productivity and efficiency are increased with advanced, easy-to use features, such as integrated call handling with Microsoft Outlook for efficient call management.
• Innovation: IP telephony increases an organization’s ability to innovate by converging data and voice networks into a single infrastructure, thus improving operational efficiency.
• Collaboration: IP telephony also provides a flexible platform for collaborative unified communications (UC) capabilities, such as distributed contact centres, multimedia training and file sharing. As a result, business both within and across the organization is conducted more efficiently and productively.

Essential readings on IP Telephony

• Is your Network ready for IP Telephony
• The world of voice conferencing: A guide to creating the right environment