Industry Commentary:
Green Video Conferencing
The following Commentary is provided by WiredRed Software regarding
the green benefits of desktop video conferencing. The mounting scientific
evidence behind climate change and global warming is sharpened by growing
first-hand experience with disappearing glaciers, forests, and reefs.
Telepresence and boardroom video facilities are notable for their obvious green
benefits such as reducing travel-related CO2 emissions.
With the latest in desktop video conferencing technology, these
benefits can be multiplied by ten, a hundred, or even a thousand-fold by
extending these very same benefits from the executive staff to line employees, customers, vendors and
partners throughout an organization – anyone with a PC and Internet access.
This opens the door to far more online meetings, travel reduction,
telecommuting, and green initiative support programs than ever before. Inspired organizations can
even track their environmental record, showing a reduction in their carbon
footprint.
How Is Desktop Video Conferencing Different?Desktop video conferencing
technology is markedly different from traditional point-to-point, boardroom
systems in that good communications software can reach any business desktop over
the Internet, not just boardrooms using like equipment and dedicated
network routes. In particular, e/pop can traverse NATs,
firewalls, and proxies, and is in keeping with standard security policies
prevalent in corporate and government networks, such as use of port 80, outbound
connections only, etc.. Video conference participants can use any PC camera they
like, and join a conference simply by clicking on a link.
The other
major difference between desktop and traditional video conferencing (VC)
hardware is line employees need far more than just video to accomplish
productive work during online meetings. For example, e/pop provides fast
application, desktop, document and PowerPoint sharing as an integral component
of the conferencing experience. Many traditional VC solutions are video-only, or
require separate products or add-ons for live sharing, which can be extremely
problematic where multiple parties and network security are concerned. [Editor's
note: a known pitfall in some VC installations is the use of encrypted
transmissions for video data,
but T-120 desktop sharing information is sent in the clear, a serious security
breach]
Why Are Desktop Systems Better for Greenhouse Gas Reduction?It is certainly
possible to belabor the key point of this commentary: desktop video conferencing
delivers the same benefits created by boardroom VC systems to all employees in
an organization, thus enabling far more applications and greenhouse gas
(GHG) reduction opportunities. However, some of the dynamics surrounding this central
point warrant further exploration. In particular, the carbon reducing
applications made possible by desktop systems.●
Online meetings with customers, vendors and partners. With good software
such as e/pop, you can hold online meetings with internal and external
participants. They do not need to re-engineer their networks or match your
equipment. So, in addition to intra-company travel, you can now eliminate repetitive
commutes or carbon-producing flights to customers and vendors too. A good
example of this type of application is the many online project reviews conducted
by e/pop civil, architectural and construction
engineering customers.
● Field Support / Technical Support.
e/pop includes desktop sharing and remote control. These tools can be used
to help customers via online meetings instead of field service calls. In
addition, there is a wide variety of specialty cameras that can be mated to
standard PC video capture cards for online remote product quality assurance,
remote inspections, failure analysis,
and other visual diagnostic procedures that help reduce timely, expensive and
high CO2-producing flights.
● Expanded telecommuter Support. This
is a big one. e/pop allows telecommuters to meet face-to-face with any company
employee, right from their own home. Plus, they can use any number of
presentation and live sharing features to better communicate complex topics and
resolve critical issues.
● Distance Learning. e/pop allows
full interactivity among all participants. This is especially useful for
seminars, workshops, commercial training, and anywhere live interaction between
students and instructors is required. It's simply unpractical to place a
traditional VC pastry cart in every training room and home office, but using e/pop for live
e-learning with typical PCs and existing Internet connections happens every day!
● Many More! There are lots
of applications, for more information, please visit our
case studies page.
What Makes a Good Desktop Conferencing Solution For Business?
There are several ingredients needed for a pleasant, greentech video
conferencing experience, but three stand out as being unique in this product category.
Getting connected over existing networks, including firewalls, NATs and
proxies, is required. Plus the
ability to manage mixed-speed connections and respond in real-time to changes in
bandwidth for each participant. And, lastly, the ability to efficiently manage each
user's processing power so that video coding and decoding doesn't dominate their PC.
In addition to these unique requirements, the general need for ease-of-use
and rock-solid reliability are always required in good software. In the case of e/pop, it uses standard Internet links and
an office application metaphor, so anyone familiar with Word and Excel
can easily become productive. e/pop is also IT friendly, with several generations of multi-office network applications behind it,
e/pop is easy to install (or activate online service), maintain and secure.
Beyond GreenGreen initiatives and related desktop video conferencing
applications have secondary benefits too. Reducing CO2 output and pollution make
for a healthier environment and may ultimately reduce healthcare expenses.
Reducing strategic dependence on foreign oil and limited fossil fuels is another
benefit.
The added flexibility of trading commute or travel time for family time can
certainly boost morale and improve work/life balance. Using state-of-the-art,
visual communications tools can inject more fun into meetings and a sense of
direct contribution to greenhouse gas reduction campaigns.
Years ago there were no 40 mile/gallon cars and easy-to-use video
conferencing solutions, today they are widely accepted and employees can take
pride in using them and doing something about global warming. Inspired
management teams can track their carbon footprint reduction and even put numbers
behind their corporate value statements. Why wait? See below and schedule a demo
to investigate an aggressive tool to
combat global warming.
Additional Resources
The following may be helpful in further researching this general topic area. There
are a growing number of carbon calculators, additional information and
authoritative resources on the broader topic of greenhouse gas reduction. Here
are just a few.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains a nice resource for U.S.
government, present and near-term greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/policy/neartermghgreduction.html
The Carbon Neutral Company (UK) has calculators for home and business.
http://www.carbonneutral.com
The calculator at Carbon Footprint is notable for both US and UK inputs.
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.html
A very nice online carbon calculator is available on the Green Mountain
Energy (US) website. This calculator was designed for consumers, it is quite
comprehensive, educational and easy to use. In particular, if you do not have
details on your electronic usage, this one is helpful with benchmark inputs.
http://www.begreennow.com/redoffset/begreenreduceofset_cal
The Climate Trust also maintains an excellent carbon calculator.
http://www.carboncounter.org/offset-your-emissions/personal-calculator.aspx
ZeroFootPrint is notable for their website, carbon calculator (US and Canada)
and CO2 reduction "without borders" campaign. They list more resources too.
http://www.zerofootprintoffsets.com/calculator.aspx
http://www.zerofootprint.net/calculators/alternate
More calculators, resources and links:
http://www.howbigisyourfootprint.com/calculator.php
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas
Going Green is Easy. Start Now, See a Live Demo!
| Click the schedule button above for a LIVE DEMO of e/pop,
a leading solution for green video conferencing.
Once you see the
live demo, you might be surprised how easy it is to start putting a dent
in your company's carbon footprint. One day you might make
intra-company or even open market trades in carbon offsets made possible
by using e/pop. |
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