Business
Video Conferencing
WHITE PAPER
Seeing is Believing: The
Business Benefits of New and Innovative IP-based
Multiparty Web and Video Conferencing.
This white paper introduces Internet conferencing,
covers the most popular business applications, and most
importantly, the key areas where there are hard cash
business benefits.
The sponsor of this white paper,
WiredRed Software,
includes screen shots and examples of its e/pop product.
e/pop is used among organizations of all sizes, but it
is especially popular in small and mid-sized business (SMB)
because it’s optimized for getting users connected over
firewalls and combinations of public/private networks,
provides excellent multiparty VoIP and video and
supports the cost-effective use of off-the-shelf video
peripherals.
Introduction
Small and mid-sized business owners are faced with a
special set of challenges and demands that don’t
generally concern executives at the Fortune 1000. The
challenge of operating multi-office companies with an
understaffed and overworked IT department and tight
operating budgets are a constant concern, so despite
these challenges, how can
mid-market companies grow
their business, reach new markets and compete with
companies many times their size without dramatically
increasing overhead? In this case, technology provides
the answer: the newest generation of web and multiparty
video conferencing software can be used to dramatically
reduce travel and meeting expenses, improve sales, and
even cut teleconferencing expenses related to recurring
inter-office meetings. Moreover, web and video
conferencing is increasingly part of the ‘technology
arsenal’ employed by mid-market organizations to help
them reap the benefits of globalization and compete with
companies many times their size.
New advancements in the Internet, IP networks, desktop
PCs and communications software have elevated
IP-based
web and video conferencing technology to an integral
part of the business communications mix previously the
domain of the Fortune 1000. In particular, the
increasing reach of the Internet and compute-power of
Pentium PCs enables live video interaction that used to
require dedicated lines and $50,000 dollars or more in
fixed-site video hardware. Let’s take a closer look at
the new, IP-based web and video conferencing software
solutions.
What is IP-based Web & Video Conferencing?
The term ‘IP-based’ generally means software products
and online services that run over the public Internet
and private local area networks (LANs) configured for
the Internet protocol (TCP/IP). Most LANs today use
TCP/IP, so most, but not all IP-based products are
immediately useful over existing networks. Unlike
previous generations of video conferencing hardware,
good IP-based products such as e/pop do not require
dedicated lines and network re-engineering.
Modern IP-based web conferencing solutions – sometimes
called Internet conferencing or rich media conferencing
– effectively combine a rich set of features, such as
video and desktop/application sharing that enable
productive meetings with multiple people in real-time.
This is not the person-to-person video most commonly
seen in years past. These meetings may include
presentation sharing, sharing any document available on
one’s PC, application sharing such as CAD and desktop
sharing, simultaneously with multipoint VoIP and video.
There is no client software installation required. Once
the web conferencing software is installed on a central
server, or activated as a hosted service, all that is
required is a standard Windows PC, web camera,
high-speed Internet connection and any web browser. To
utilize the VoIP feature, an audio headset is
recommended. The conference attendee joins the
conference with a simple mouse click on a conference
link, which is usually sent in an email or instant
message.
In addition, some products such as e/pop, take great
pains to support business-class users in separate
offices behind their own proxies and firewalls. This is
an area where IP conferencing products differ a great
deal, and only those like e/pop that were designed for
ad hoc conferencing do well. Products and services
designed for consumers and classrooms typically fail
because they often use peer-to-peer or broadcasting
protocols that do not work for business users because
firewalls block these types of connections. With
business-class products such as e/pop, you can connect
reliably and meet with geographically dispersed offices,
employees and customers online at anytime.
The Leading Business Applications for Web and Video
Conferencing
The ability to utilize standard web browsers,
off-the-shelf web cameras and headsets, in addition to
the existing network infrastructure, has accelerated the
popularity and growth of web and video conferencing and
has helped to drive it into most vertical markets,
including finance, manufacturing, healthcare,
engineering, construction, law, commercial training and
business services, among many others.
The most
popular applications in the mid-market mirror
those in multinational corporations – sales and training
are the top two. Thereafter, SMB applications reflect
smaller companies’ need to be more cost effective. A
popular application among this group is recurring
meetings, including weekly sales meetings, project
reviews and general operational meetings between
offices. In addition, there are specialty applications
such as
telemedicine,
video arraignment,
engineering design reviews,
quality assurance, and live e-support reflecting the
more specialized nature of smaller companies. The
sponsor’s product, e/pop, is particularly adept in these
areas because it is highly optimized for getting people
connected over combinations of public and private
networks, and simultaneously sharing desktops with
multiparty VoIP and video conversations.
A recent research study done by Wainhouse Research (www.wainhouse.com)
found that smaller companies report meeting online
utilizing web conferencing more than any other method –
including in-person travel – to drive revenue or conduct
business. Approximately 75 percent of SMB respondents
believe the ability to involve/reach more people and
save travel costs and time are major reasons to use web
conferencing. In addition, 69 percent of survey
respondents use web conferencing to enable new meetings
that could not be held any other way due to cost
constraints, timing and other issues.
SMB Market Gets in on Globalization Too
In the 1990s, multinational corporations had the
infrastructure and operating budgets to take advantage
of globalization. With improved communications tools,
the SMB can get in on this mega-trend, both as a better
supplier, and now as a customer too.
Mid-sized companies may be headquartered and conduct
business from one or two locations, but business has
become more global in nature. Customers, partners,
vendors and suppliers can be located in the next state
or on several continents. In addition, finding
experienced staff may require interviewing applicants
from other locales. Web and video conferencing is an
ideal way to interview potential employees and
contractors because it allows you to interact as if you
were in the same room regardless of time zone
differences. Training and customer support are also two
popular applications that have helped to proliferate the
use of web and video conferencing in companies of all
sizes. Training can take place from anywhere and at any
pre-designated time. The remote control feature within
web conferencing allows the host to take control of
another individuals’ PC (with permission) to actually
show conference attendees how to perform a specific
task, or use a software application, for example.
What are the Business and Bottom Line Cash Benefits?
The benefits to the bottom line are immense. Not only
does web and video conferencing allow for better and
more interactive communication, it can literally
decrease
business travel costs by as much as one-half by
completely eliminating or reducing the need for lengthy
trips that are made for recurring business meetings,
sales presentations and training.
The integration of audio, or Voice over IP (VoIP)
further decreases operational costs by eliminating long
distance calling charges for weekly internal meetings.
In addition to direct expense reductions such as travel
and teleconferencing bills, there are also revenue gains
to be had. The application of web and video conferencing
in sales allows account executives to meet with more
customers, faster, and at less expense. In addition, the
increase in reach and frequency may translate to
increased reseller sales and markedly improved customer
retention.
Beyond hard cash benefits, there are soft benefits too.
The use of state-of-the-art software can boost employee
morale, improve safety where travel requires exposure to
risk, bring telecommuters and remote offices closer
together, improve business continuity for key staff who
can work from home during weather-related office
closures, and where available, subsidies for
greenhouse
gas reductions.
On-premise software, and “use all you want” fixed-price
services such as e/pop, can compound these benefits
because in most cases, it only takes one key use of the
software for it to pay for itself. All other savings
drop straight to the bottom line.
Conclusion
It’s easy to take advantage of web and multiparty video
technology. The latest generation IP-based software is
much less expensive and more flexible than yesteryear’s
hardware-based video conferencing. The hard-cash
business benefits are travel expense reduction, the
complete elimination of teleconference bills for
internal meetings, plus increased sales revenue and
customer retention improvements.
IP-based web and video conferencing is powered by
off-the-shelf, inexpensive audio and
video peripherals
that can be purchased anywhere. This broadens the reach
of this conferencing alternative by enabling connections
to anyone in the world that has a PC, web cam and
high-speed Internet connection.
Today’s smart business can get the benefits of in-person
travel, globalization and boardroom video conferencing
equipment, but without the expense. High quality video
conferencing is no longer the dominion of the Fortune
1000. The savvy manager will use multiparty web and
video conferencing to level the playing field and
outsmart their competitors no matter how large.
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