Distance can be a very powerful barrier that distorts messages and weakens relationship established between people who live and work thousands of miles away from each other. Fortunately, modern technology allows individuals to minimize potential communication gaps caused by this inconvenience, form much more solid connections and enhance the productivity of different kinds of companies and organizations operating in different sectors, including education, healthcare, IT, sales, marketing, client service, HR and non-profit.
The Difference between Video Conferencing and Enterprise Video Conferencing
At this point in time, business owners who want to reduce expenses, monitor the performance of all their team members (including the ones that are telecommuting), and organize flawless remote brainstorming sessions have the chance to profit from modern enterprise video conferencing solutions tailored to their own needs.
According to Webopedia, “Multipoint videoconferencing allows three or more participants to sit in a virtual conference room and communicate as if they were sitting right next to each other. Until the mid 90s, the hardware costs made videoconferencing prohibitively expensive for most organizations, but that situation is changing rapidly. Many analysts believe that videoconferencing will be one of the fastest-growing segments of the computer industry in the latter half of the decade.”
Unlike traditional video conferencing systems, enterprise video conferencing systems are especially designed to address the unique necessities and requirements of companies that are looking for affordable and extremely effective business communication solutions. As most companies experience a rapid growth, they are compelled to invest in the technological breakthroughs that enable them to create and maintain a powerful connection with important remote players—anytime, anywhere.
Since face-to-face meetings are not always an option worth considering, as they usually demand a considerable amount of time and money, business owners rely on videoconferencing to accomplish their mission. Obviously, not all corporations (especially small and medium-scale ones) can afford to spend $200,000 or more on a high-end, modern videoconferencing room, so most of them are looking forward to embracing an innovative, less expensive enterprise video conferencing solution addressing their unique needs and meeting their financial possibilities.
There are various kinds of videoconferencing solutions that may meet and even exceed one’s expectations, including videoconferencing rooms and software solutions with price tags that range from $8,000 to $10,000, or a few free or almost free less sophisticated options (Skype, CamRoll, Google Hangouts) and videoconference systems delivering cloud-based services.
Forbes reveals, “For any business with executives, employees, or customers in more than one location, videoconferencing may be the only way to bring everyone together. From high-end conference rooms that give the illusion of being in a single room, to inexpensive or free software, to cloud-based applications, there’s a videoconferencing solution for every need and budget.”
The same source indicates that “Blue Jeans Network delivers videoconferencing as a cloud-based service. People can connect using conference room equipment, a computer browser, or a mobile phone.”
Top Reasons Why Cloud-Based Enterprise Video Conferencing Solutions Are a Smart Investment
When it comes to selecting the most convenient enterprise videoconferencing systems, most potential buyers tend to go in favor of cloud-based solutions because they do not require additional hardware or software elements. Unlike standard video conferencing options, enterprise video conferencing systems display the highest level of flexibility and multi-device interoperability, basically allowing users to connect with their co-workers using a wide range of devices (laptops, mobile phones and tablets) and their favorite platform. Compared to traditional videoconferencing solutions, business-grade ones are a much more inspired choice because they provide 3 major advantages:
a) More capabilities
b) Fewer technological limitations and restrictions
c) Reduced expenses (compared to the that generated by standard bridging hardware)
From this particular point of view, it becomes obvious that cloud-based enterprise videoconferencing solutions represent the most attractive alternative at hand, enabling business owners to eliminate the barriers set up by current infrastructure deployments and use video content in a much more effective manner to connect with a wide audience.
According to Wikipedia, “Cloud-based video conferencing can be used without the hardware generally required by other video conferencing systems, and can be designed for use by SMEs, or larger international companies like Facebook. Cloud-based systems can handle either 2D or 3D video broadcasting and can also implement mobile calls, VOIP, and other forms of video calling. They also come with a video recording function to archive past meetings.”
To profit from a cloud-based system of this kind, you just have to follow a few simple steps:
1) Create an account
2) Choose your favorite device and video platform to connect with your audience
3) Start a meeting
4) Invite participant anytime, anywhere
5) Control the meeting based on your unique goals and enjoy a superior video collaboration
Undoubtedly, videoconferencing is the best alternative to travelling. At the same time, traditional conference room videoconferencing has its fair share of disadvantages, highlighted by an article published by Information Week. According to this source, standard videoconferencing equipment that can be found in most conference rooms is difficult to use and expensive. Furthermore, remote participants usually require complementary systems to attend or organize meetings.
On the other hand, enterprises that want to save a significant amount of money may install free business communication tools to accomplish their goals. This approach can be counterproductive, since most free or mostly free products with a reduced performance and limited capabilities are clearly not the most suitable enterprise-grade option with much-needed management controls.
According to Information Week, “enterprise desktop videoconferencing — in which each user attends the videoconference using his or her business desktop or laptop and a webcam — is a smarter alternative.”
Cloud-based conferencing systems help users eliminate the need for expensive infrastructure, avoid complex configurations and time-consuming practice drills set up before any meeting with remote clients and employees. Generally speaking, cloud-based video conferencing services are affordable, easy to use, secure and scalable and most importantly, tailored to the individual needs of company owners who strive to improve business communication and increase profit margins.