Unified Communications Increases in Popularity with a Little Help from Video Conferencing

Many large enterprises have several locations either spread around the country or in some cases around the world, but with a unified communications solution such as video conferencing, these businesses can still collaborate on projects and keep all team members on the same page.

No longer are colleagues just simply a voice at the other end of the phone, as when using video conferencing you can actually look them in the face and see their gestures and mannerisms as if they were sitting beside you.

But a recent report from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert) reveals that in most situations, video is still being used mostly internally as opposed to the scenario mentioned above. Revealing that face-to-face interactions are still the go-to way to communicate with individuals, approximately 58 percent of respondents said face-to-face meetings are a daily occurrence while 27 percent admitted video conferencing tools are only used monthly. Even though these robust solutions aren’t used as much as they should be, 10 percent of survey participants did add that they are deploying new video tools every day.

“Visual collaboration is most widely used for internal staff communication, product development as well as product training and demonstration," according to Frost & Sullivan research analyst Karolina Olszewska. "In comparison, for situations that require diplomacy and confidentiality, such as contract negotiations, customer presentations or for HR purposes, standard face-to-face meetings are most commonly preferred."

It does look as if there is light at the end of the tunnel though, as enterprises are increasingly investing in these technologies, with around three-quarters of upper management agreeing that video conferencing will enable their organizations as whole to see a much better ROI. This is due to many reasons including the fact that with a video solution in place, companies can significantly reduce both the time and money needed for constant business-related trips.

"Meetings via visual collaboration also bring an additional element to a meeting, namely, the 'cool factor' of using a more innovative meeting tool," Olszewska said. "Thus, within international organizations, visual collaboration is and will continue to be a tool that enables close business relationships to be maintained, while containing costs."

 In other findings from the IDC (News - Alert), information gathered is highlighting that the video conferencing industry was shown to grow 14 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2012. This number will continue to climb as HD video adoption picks up, prompting enterprise to take a closer look at the many benefits of unified communications.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

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