Video Conferencing Use On The Rise
Business communication has come along way since the advent of the PBX phone system and hand-written messages. The lightening speed of conducting business today requires immediate answers to problems, issues, concerns and more efficient communications overall. One missed call could mean the difference between locking in a new account or losing the deal to your competitor. Cost reduction has driven globalization, telework, outsourcing and decentralized company structures that demand better communications infrastructure. Luckily, technology advancements have risen to the occasion. Boardroom video conferencing, once the domain of Fortune 100 executives, is now available to PC desktop users worldwide. And in the near future, video conferencing will take its rightful place, next to phone, FAX and email as essential business tools.
So-called ‘environmental’ costs have also fallen; 10 years ago conference suites had to be specially designed, now any room will do. The rise of public access video conferencing where facilities are rented as and when needed – by companies such as Regus has also helped to open up the technology to smaller companies.
The major indicator of the success of a technology is the point when the client base ceases to treat the technology as a novelty and begins to expect and demand its availability as a matter of course. Examples within the past decade include graphical user interfaces, Email, Internet connectivity, CD-ROM access, and classroom display technology. The establishment of reliable video conferencing standards, the decreasing costs of desktop and portable video systems, the availability of ISDN service, and increasingly robust data networks are creating an atmosphere where video conferencing is making the transition from a curiosity to an expectation. Existing media-capable projection classrooms offer an excellent venue for incorporating this burgeoning technology into appropriate instructional settings and for experimenting with teaching and learning models that include video conferencing as an integral part of instruction, rather than a specialized mode of information delivery.
