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INTEGRATING VIDEO COLLABORATION INTO YOUR EVERYDAY BUSINESS FOR SUCCESS Introduction & Market Overview
INTEGRATING VIDEO COLLABORATION INTO YOUR EVERYDAY BUSINESS FOR SUCCESS
Introduction & Market Overview
INTRODUCTIONVideo collaboration has become an essential part of the enter-prise infrastructure, enabling teams to communicate and inter-act efficiently and independently of their location. Thus, video conferencing is becoming increasingly important and relevant - for companies of all sizes.
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Numerous manufacturers in the market offer various options, from video telephones to USB systems (all-in-one systems or distributed systems for different room configurations) to dedicated conference room solutions (whiteboards, table components) to meet the diverse business requirements.
Demand for video continues to grow and the cost of high quality video equipment and services decreases. Video has long since become the modern communication standard as the quality and experience imporves and teams spread out from a geographic standpoint.
Video has become essential to the hardware component of smartphones, tablets and desktop devices, and is no longer as cost-intensive or limited to a few user groups as it was just a few decades ago.
This eBook provides an overview of the best-known video solutions and providers in the market. Learn more about how to make the most of video conferencing and how to easily participate in video meetings without experiencing quality issues or missing the full benefits of successful collaboration.
Enjoy reading!
The workplace of the future often finds qualified and motivated employees at home. The home office workplace, allowing for flexible scheduling and work-from-home opportunities play a major role in an employee’s decision to take or leave a job. This is confirmed through various studies and surveys on the topic. For example, 43 percent of employed Americans stated that they spent at least some time working from home in 20161. Forbes further confirmed that employees working from home enjoy more freedom and thus, stay motivated and are more productive2.
As the nature of work continues
to become more mobile, it’s important for employees to have choice in the workspace that best fits their flow. According to Microsoft the average employee will work 150 percent more hours from home in the next two years3. And more: 43 percent of the global workforce will be mobile by 20224.
Findings such as these prove the continuous trend towards an agile working world in which time and place are continuously melding. But, whether on the move, in the home office or in the corporate office - employees must be seamlessly networked and easily integrated into the communication structures.
This not only means that you can read emails anytime, anywhere, but also attend meetings and edit, share and download documents. For this new "workplace of the future," employees need agile tools to stay flexible and productive on the go. The technical requirements existand have for some time - one of the most important foundations in many companies is video conferencing.
In a recent Frost & Sullivan survey, C-level decision makers responded that video conferencing accelerates decision making (86%), improves productivity (83%), boosts product innovation and improves customer experience (each 79%)5.
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VIDEO CONFERENCING – YOUR FOUNDATION FOR AGILE COMMUNICATION
of C-level decisions are accelerated because of video meetings.
see improvements in customer experience.
of the workforce will be mobile by 2022.
VIDEO CONFERENCING DRIVES BUSINESS SUCCESS
86%
83%
79%
43 %
noticed increased productivity.
1 Business Survey conducted by Gallup in 2016, 2 Forbes, The Future of Work 3 “Workplace of the Future: Progress, But Slowly,” TECHnalysis Research 4 “Global Mobile Workforce Forecast Update 2016-2022,” 2016, Strategy Analytics5 “Creating the optimal room environment for simple and effective meetings”, 2018, Logitech & Frost & Sullivan Market Insights
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VIDEO CONFERENCING – A DEFINITION
Videoconferencing describes organized virtual meetings at two or more locations through audio and video transmission - or, in short, interactive live meetings via computer, tablet or smartphone. Employees, customers, or partners can easily come together to meet, hear, and talk with each other in real-time, regardless of their current location or time zone. To hold such a conference, all you need is an Internet connection and a computer (or other device) that has a (web) cam.
Depending on the company and the user, video conferencing can be implemented in a wide range of situations - from mobile usage through integration into open workspaces to live broadcasting in an auditorium.
Overview of Typical Video Conferencing Applications, © Microsoft
On the Go
Any place where remote or mobile workers need to connect, present, or conference with others
My Stage
A personal space where presenters can look and sound their best when engaging with remote audiences
The Huddle
A place for impromptu/rich collaboration and staying connected without leaving remote people behind
Next Gen Konferenzraum
The meeting room that “just works” to help presenters perform confidently and participants interact naturally
The Vibe
The public space where anyone can share, discover ideas, and make timely connections – and just have some fun
The Auditorium
Where information is broadcast or exchanged amongst a large group
REDUCE COSTS AND MAXIMIZE PRODUCTIVITY WITH VIDEO CONFERENCENCING
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There will be 30-60% eye contact during a conver-sation. This is what attracts attention and increases efficiency - active participation in the meeting increa-ses up to 22 percent, and task completion increases by up to 26 percent.
Video conferencing cuts costs up to 30 percent. Because employees do not have to travel to their
meeting and lodging accommodations aren’t nee-ded, companies are significantly reducing travel
expenses.
Free-up working time! While valuable working hours are often lost in travelling,
video conferencing can give employees back more time to focus on what really
matters. People work more productively, more focused and thus more efficiently.
Employees can quickly come together for direct coordination and digital collabora-tion - whether working from home or on the go - and never lose touch.
When people work together in different locations, they are quickly limited by time zones and geogra-phy. Video Conferencing helps to establish new forms of digital work and growing together as a team.
An average of 3.5 hours per week can be saved per emp-loyee, which adds up to a total of approximately $8B US
per year.
Technically, video conferences can be implemented in almost any situation. However, should virtual meetings be the “go to” medium?
Yes, because video conferencing not only promotes direct collaboration, it also helps to reduce travel costs and to
free-up working time.
Video increases productivityTo ensure the highest level of productivity without losing flexibility, agile communication structures are needed. This makes multi-site collaboration much smoother and more efficient with video conferencing.
The reasons for higher efficiency and
tial part of the enterprise infrastructure so that teams can communicate and inter-act efficiently and independently of their location.
Video conferencing is increasingly gaining in importance and relevance - for companies of all sizes.
massive cost reductions are as simple as they are diverse: while employees in audio calls only have to pay attention to the voice and are easily distracted, video conferences provide for better direct, joint collaboration.
Video collaboration has become an essen-
$8B US
VIDEO CONFERENCING SYSTEMS AT A GLANCE
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Desktop Systems
PCs that include all of the necessary components (e.g. webcam, microphone) and only need minimal additional equipment (e.g. headset).
• Lower costs• Especially suitable for joint
data processing, since users still have access to their files and programs installed on their PCs
Set-Top Boxes
Compact systems that need additional monitors and network connections (ISDN and/or LAN).
• Less weight and easy to install• Highly recommended for
mobile workers
Room Systems
Modular, high-performance systems with cameras, room microphones and large monitors.
• Variable equipment features for almost every meeting situation and meeting space
• Allows for installation in large conference rooms, boardrooms and auditoriums
To see and hear each other via video conferencing has never been the only advantage when using this technique. Today`s technology advancements also allow for direct collaboration within a conference – without losing time and just a click away. Video conferences are easy to implement and fit into nearly every working situation making them a true differentiator. Today, you`ll find many different systems and modules in the market.
CONFERENCING SYSTEMS – WHO IS OFFERING WHAT?
The ease with which technology allowed for colleagues to not only hear but also to see each other during video meetings opened the door to a completely new era of modern work.
Today's video room systems go even further, allowing direct collaboration. In addition to the pure language option, these systems can be used to easily share content via content sharing, to show presentations, and to work on specific projects directly and without wasting time.
Components of video conferencing solutions Planning and using a video conferencing system can be done with minimal hardware: a camera, a microphone, a monitor
and speakers as well as a codec converting the video and audio signal into a digital signal and preparing it for transmitting it over the network.
Depending on where you plan to have a video conference, e.g. in a larger conference room or in an open space, enterprises can choose from a variety of different systems and modules that harmonize with their future meeting location. A solution, which should be installed across the entire company usually contains different elements.
Based on the standardization Authority ITU-T we differentiate between four larger system groups: desktop systems, set-top boxes, room systems, and other devices.
VENDORS AT A GLANCE
Until today, a multiple vendors conquered the market offering video conference systems of different kind. Depending on the type of vendor and the equipment needed, companies can choose from a range of options. Some of the most renowned conferencing hardware vendors are companies such as Cisco (Tandberg), Polycom, Avaya, or Microsoft, but today’s cloud-based video solutions including Google Hangouts and Zoom are also popular. Be it a compact desktop system or a room full of professional room equipment – you`ll find a variety of these offerings in enterprises worldwide.
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In addition to high-quality tele-presence systems for
large rooms, Cisco also offers individual solutions for the workplace such as modern, integratable video solutions
that are easy to install and use. In addition, all systems can
also be extended for mobile use.
Microsoft not only offers pure video systems, but also
supplies the whiteboard, video projector and presentation PC
in one device. Applications developed specifically for
these devices (such as Teams, Skype for Business, Office or OneNote) enable direct and
seamless collaboration.
Google Hangouts (HangoutsMeet and Hangouts chat)
is Google's own,cloud-based service for video
conferencing and instant messaging. Users an easily
connect via an app ora web browser, plan, join and
run video meetingsand chat without
losing the connection.
Zoom combines video conferencing, online meetings, chat and mobile collaboration
into one offering. The cloud service can be
used from every device and works with nearly all additional
equipment and video hardware.
MICROSOFT TEAMS ROOMS (MTR)
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When working in Teams it`s all about getting started right away and immediately working on new ideas and projects. To do so modern workers need barrier-free working processes and tools, e.g. easy access to files, applications to easily combine video, call, and chat, and instant collaboration from any network and device.
With the advent of modern office solutions such as Microsoft Office 365, the demand for combinable video conferencing solutions as part of the overall Unified Communications (UC) strategy has grown significantly.
Employees need to communicate and
Benefits of Microsoft Teams Rooms
• HD video conferencing as a room system solution with multiple displays
• Conference participation within seconds via the Microsoft Teams client login
• Seamless video conferencing with built-in camera and microphone technology
• Use of interfaces for existing displays• Direct collaboration with bi-
directional content & file sharing
collaborate seamlessly from any location and device.
Applications like Microsoft Teams provide everything you need in one dashboard. You can directly start video meetings, begin instant messaging, and create, host and work on documents. With conference systems designed specifically for Microsoft Teams vendors such as Crestron, Logitech or HP are bringing Microsoft Teams into every meeting room so users can also embrace the full benefits of modern collaboration. We have collected some of the most known vendors and their offering below:
Attending and running conference calls with Microsoft Teams has never been easier with HP Elite Slice for Meeting Rooms. HP`s solutions simplify meetings with stress-free setup and an intuitive interface. All solutions benefit from an optional Centre of Room Control, which is a 12.3-inch touchscreen tablet (hooked up via a 1.3m long cable) that allows you to easily manage your conference calls.
Crestron Flex solutions natively support the most popular third-party UC platforms like Microsoft Teams. All Flex solutions come in several forms, but all bring the same consistent user experience, regardless of the type of space in which they’re deployed. That means more uptime and less strain on your support resources.
Designed from the ground up for Microsoft Teams Rooms, Logitech Tap leverages Logitech`s market experience to streamline and simplify the deployment and use of video conferencing in any meeting room. As an integral component of Logitech Room Solutions, Tap couples the purpose-built utility and robust build quality of a meeting room touch control panel with the affordability and flexibility of a tablet.
The Surface Hub S2 is designed as an interactive whiteboard and enables a smooth workflow. Combined with rollable stands or functional wall mounts, up to 4 units can be mounted on a wall in portrait or landscape format or be used as a mobile solution. With direct access to Microsoft tools such as Office, Whiteboard meeting members can immediately start working more collaboratively.
VIDEO CONFERENCING – ON-PREMISES OR FROM THE CLOUD?
Traditionally, video conferencing was used in large organizations and was only made available to select employees and work groups - mostly via their own secure intranet, and without an application on the desktop.
Today, video conferencing has become an all-encompassing application that is used in conference rooms, in individual offices, on the desktop or on the move. As the number of endpoints increases, so does the demand for broadband transmission and the associated network. Although the cost of purchase/use per user has dropped significantly, the cost of maintenance and servicing has increased proportionately.
Enterprises that are shying away from the cloud, particularly due to sensitivity regarding data protection, but still want to take advantage of bandwidth and network requirements, can access individual hybrid options and use the building blocks that work best for their organization (e.g. on-premises PBX & call control or on-premises MCU with extended cloud capabilities).
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On-Premises Deployment
While video conferencing in the cloud promises the highest degree of flexibility and cost efficiency, the service is tailo-red for companies that are just starting the implementation of video conferencing in their communication structures. Ot-her companies that have esta-blished UC structures cannot just migrate into the cloud.
Cloud Deployment
Small and medium-sized companies find it difficult to establish agile and streamlined communication structures, while at the same time having to ensure the IT infrastructure, security, encryption and
data hosting are stable. Outsourcing video conferencing to the cloud can bring huge benefits and help overcome some key hurdles.
Investments in communication infrastructure typically require a decision for a special deployment setting. However, pure functionality is not the only factor, one must also consider the strategy, the size of the company and the expected maintenance and repair costs. Depending on the relevance of the individual aspects, we recommend cloud or on-premises implementations - or a hybrid solution
CLOUD OR ON-PREMISES – WHAT SHOULD IT BE?
CLOUD DEPLOYMENT
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Connectivity to external organizations and employees
Video conferencing has been limited to internal networks in the past, being used only behind firewalls and opened for trusted external IPs, however, today, conferencing is used by many users from different locations firing on your network. Cloud conferencing on the one hand ensures the highest security standards for firewall protection, yet
on the other hand, it does not have to be opened for individual IPs.
Unknown capacity & requirements
Experienced UC specialists support the administration and maintenance of the video
conferencing services in the cloud. For example, businesses do not have to buy a fixed number of MCU ports, a limited ISDN gateway, or server
capacity. In the cloud, businesses get exactly what they need and enjoy the highest level of flexibility and independence with maximum cost efficiency.
Bandwidth & network capacities
Many organizations have a heavily used network infrastructure & firewall in place and the use of a cloud-
based MCU relieves the burden on one's own IT infrastructure, especially in broadband-intensive video communication with users
outside the company. In addition, a cloud solution often provides multiple nodes, greatly improving latency for conferences with remote participants.
Hosting of calls & trustful data Many companies worry about the safety of their data and favor on-premises server solutions for file
hosting and management.
SecurityCompanies in the healthcare sector, financial service providers and Fortune500 enterprises have to meet strict security regulations and data protection guidelines. Many cloud services cannot meet these requirements, and companies continue to rely on on-premises environments.
ON-PREMISES DEPLOYMENT
MAKING VIDEO MEETINGS A BUSINESS SUCCESS
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Seamless communication and collaboration is becoming increasingly important for today's modern workers. Online meetings already play a major role for countless companies, and the ability to access and share the same content via desktop sharing is key. This increases efficiency, allowing meeting participants to quickly focus on the essentials and sustainably drive projects forward.
However, with this increasing form of virtual collaboration, comes a major challenge for IT managers to combine established conference systems from different manufacturers in such a way that the exchange and sharing of content is seamless and trouble-free. This is rarely an easy task, because historically, many video conferencing solutions have difficulties in communicating with third-party systems due to product differences, protocols (SIP / H.323), or the existing network infrastructure. All of this can be solved with an interoperability solution.
What users expect from a successful video conferencing solution:
Modern communication is increasingly prevalent across all age groups and affects all people who want to work in a flexible, agile and self-motivated environment. Online meetings play a central role, so that coordination and cooperation also work across locations. Above all, the direct sharing of content and easy handling of the technology on site are the most important prerequisites.
CONTENT SHARING WITHOUT TROUBLESHOOTING
1 32 4 5User-friendly
and high-quality
meeting experience with video, audio and content sharing.
Easily join an online meeting – be it from a room system,
desktop client, web browser or a mobile
device.
Scalability to help IT managers plan for
current needs and expand
deployment as needed.
Transparent and attractive
licensing models,
providing the highest
flexibility on a pay-as-you-use
model.
Consistent meeting
experiences from any
platform – on- premises,
hybrid or cloud.
UCInterop – SEAMLESS CONFERENCING
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According to Wikipedia , interoperability describes the ability of independent, heterogeneous systems to work together as seamlessly as possible in order to exchange information in an efficient and usable way or to make it available to the user without the need for separate arrangements between the systems.
Seamlessly connect conference room solutions and systems from different vendors – on-premises, hybrid and cloud
An interoperability solution allows you to participate in video meetings from any system - without having to install a new system. UCInterop, our newly created video service, goes beyond traditional offerings and seamlessly creates a connection between Microsoft Office 365 and Teams and other conferencing platforms and systems from different vendors (e.g., Cisco, Crestron, Polycom, Avaya, Zoom or Google Hangouts) with a single click and zero IT configuration. UCInterop works for on-premises, hybrid and cloud environments.
Users want to join video meetings as easily as possible and they expect a trouble-free meeting experience. Our Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business certified UCInterop solution allows you to participate in Teams, Skype for Business, or Google Hangouts meetings from any system - with a single click and without having to install a new system into your environment. Every user works with the familiar interface, which increases user satisfaction tremendously.
Collaboration from every platform and device – with just one click
SEAMLESS CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MICROSOFT TEAMS & SKYPE FOR BUSINESS AND THIRD-PARTY CONFERENCING SOLUTIONS• Globally scalable Microsoft Teams & Skype for Business certified conferencing
interoperability service • Interoperability between Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business and common
SIP/H.323 conferencing endpoints, WebRTC• Supports Skype for Business on-premises, hybrid and online deployments
EASILY SCHEDULE MEETINGS & NATIVELY COLLABORATE WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS ON ALL PLATFORMS• Ease of audio, video and web conferencing use• Barrier-free configuration - easily schedule meetings in Outlook• One-click-setup - no dial-in data required• Excellent user acceptance - seamless meetings in familiar layout• Bi-directional content sharing
BARRIER-FREE CONFIGURATION IN YOUR IT INFRASTRUCTURE• Seamless connection of Skype for Business to common SIP / H.323
conference endpoints• Excellent performance with unique gateway and endless scaling function • Direct connection to your existing IT infrastructure• Highest security standards & hosting via Microsoft Azure data centers
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Video conferencing is increasingly conquering the workplace and promoting cross-site interactivity and productivity. At the same time, video conferencing can help reduce costs.
Most companies are struggling to add video conferencing to their Unified Communications (UC) strategy. With Office 365, Teams and Skype for Business, Microsoft offers a centralized communications and collaboration dashboard bringing UC into every meeting room by enabling video, audio, and content sharing at once and boosting modern teamwork. Leading conferencing vendors provide special room solutions for the usage of Microsoft Teams.
Companies already using non-Microsoft video conferencing room solutions from different vendors need an interoperability solution to easily connect their meetings with Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business. UCInterop is a cloud-based solution from SoftwareONE available for on-premises, hybrid and cloud environments. With no investments into additional hardware and zero configuration UCInterops generates seamless connections between Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business and conferencing platforms and systems from multiple vendors (e.g. Crestron, Cisco, Google Hangouts, Zoom).
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