If you have been following my posts here at No Jitter you know that I focus on video conferencing, especially on its network support. From all I can see, video conferencing is being deployed as a critical business communications tool at a higher rate than ever before. But for a newcomer to the field, there is a daunting array of choices, types of video conferencing, types of interconnect, design problems to solve, integration issues and more! How does the company new to video conferencing navigate this maze?To address this issue I have teamed up with Andrew Davis from Wainhouse Research (www.wainhouse.com) and we are presenting a conference-within-a-conference on video at VoiceCon in Orlando. Our goal is to present four key topics designed to aid the enterprise looking at deploying video conferencing, or looking to expand their current video conferencing to a broader set of users. Three of our sessions will include members of the industry as panelists, so they can respond to our briefings and answer your questions.
Videoconferencing Endpoint Strategies There is a broad range of video conferencing systems available, all the way from $500,000 telepresence suites down to free software for the desktop. This session will talk about the technologies, their advantages and disadvantages, and how they support specific applications in the enterprise. Think about the business applications that you want to enable with video conferencing, then come listen to Andrew discuss which technology will best address your specific needs. Supporting Video on the Enterprise Network The second leg of the stool is the network that needs to transport video conferencing traffic. In this session I will lay out a process for determining network needs, and discuss network strategies all the way from the LAN up through multiple global WAN providers. Getting the network right is critical, so grab your network architect and bring him along to this session so he understands the needs and the requirements of a video deployment.
Enterprise Videoconferencing: The Products and the Players This session will go back to the products discussed in the first session and let you know who the vendors are and how they approach the market. Andrew is uniquely qualified to present this data as his organization has been following the video conferencing vendors and market for ten years, and he is well connected with all of them.
Videoconferencing Support Issues and Strategies The third leg of the stool is the processes and support teams that keep the video conferencing service within your enterprise running like a good clock. Video conferencing has some unique demands and so it needs support strategies that directly address them. Andrew and I will tag-team this session to bring you our view of best-practices, the tradeoff between in-house management and outsourcing, how to leverage the WAN vendor's network and how to ensure rapid uptake of the technology among your users.
Andrew and I are looking forward to these sessions, and not just because we got a foot of new snow in New England yesterday. Video conferencing is rapidly being deployed by enterprises as a way to reduce travel and increase the collaboration and community both within enterprises and also with partners, vendors and customers. Come join us in Orlando at the end of the month and participate in this discussion.
