Unified Communications Featured Article

Address the Challenges of HD Video Conferencing for SMBs

There is an old saying, “Out of sight is out of mind.” In the connected world in which we live, where video interactions with associated collaboration tools have become increasingly important, that saying is becoming more pertinent. In fact, as a result of the Internet and the need for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to effectively reach global customers and other stakeholders, having quality video conferencing capabilities has become not a nicety, but a necessity.

Yes, desktop video using capabilities such as Skype (News - Alert) are growing in popularity, but for SMBs looking to give the impression of being a sophisticated organization, and for those where in-room group collaboration looks, sounds and feels better than a table full of individuals logged in on their laptops, there remains a need for a high-performance room system.

While the need is demonstrable, the problem for SMBs in obtaining such capabilities has been daunting. The obvious one is price, as in the cost of room systems has been SMB prohibitive. The second is that an investment in a room system, and now what is known as a video appliance, needs to be interoperable with most, if not all, of everything that is out there. In the real-time world, not being able to interact with a customer or business partner visually because of technology issues is just not acceptable.

There are three words that should be music to the ears of SMBs desiring quality video conferencing capabilities which can demonstrably drive their business. These are, “Help has arrived.” There are now next-generation video appliances available that give SMBs all of the functionality, and then some, of legacy room systems and at a fraction of the price of their predecessors.

Better yet, as is the case with the appliance from video conferencing solutions provider telylabs, they are plug-and-play and pack a lot of punch at attractive prices. Attributes include such things as:

• Skype friendliness, which means you have the ability to reach virtually anyone anywhere with a camera on their laptop or smartphone;
• Designed to work with the vast majority of systems and services including those from not just Skype but Polycom (News - Alert), Broadsoft and BlueJeans Network;
• Support the H.264 and H.263 video standards;
• With minimum bit rates can achieve high quality resolutions and high-fidelity voice quality.

SMBs are keenly aware of how video conferencing could help them reduce costs (especially those involving travel and decision-making time frames), strengthen customer relations, and improve teamwork on critical projects that involve interactions with remote individuals. 

An explanation of what cost-effective video conferencing can mean to your organization is the subject of the insightful webinar, “Solving the Top 5 SMB Challenges with Video Conferencing Appliances”, to be held June 11 at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). Join me and Dave Crilley, VP of Marketing at Tely Labs, and Rob Carrao, COO at the LAC Group, as we discuss in detail those top five challenges and how they can be overcome, and look at several case studies which highlight the value to SMBs of using a next-generation video appliance. 

The fact of the matter is you want your organization to be able to take advantage of all the quality that video conferencing has to offer, and really have the look, sound and feel of a large organization. Plus, if you are an SMB with multiple sites, you want to be able to afford to place this type of capability everywhere it is needed and not be gated by price or interoperability constraints. 

This is how to make that big screen -- along with a quality appliance and associated collaboration tools -- enable you to create a new type of engagement experience with all of your critical stakeholders, which use-cases are now proving are important keys to success. 


Edited by Rory J. Thompson