Integrate for effective telepresence

Johannesburg, 13 Aug 2009

Interoperability remains the key driver for organisations to realise the full potential of visual communications, according to telepresence and video conferencing company, Tandberg.

Speaking at the opening of the Tandberg telepresence T3 room in Hong Kong last week, executives from Tandberg and analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan, stressed the need to ensure interoperability based on an open standards platform, if the technology is to create long-term value for organisations.

“The growth in telepresence has largely been driven by the introduction of higher quality products, falling broadband prices and the need for senior executives to cut costs associated with business travel,” said Bryan Thompson, Tandberg area manager for Sub-Saharan SA.

He noted that telepresence is becoming a critical part of the total visual communication offering, but interoperability is imperative for it to work optimally.

Industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan's ICT practice in Asia-Pacific, Pranabesh Nath, said: “The telepresence market in Asia is definitely seeing strong growth and awareness; however, to realise the full potential of this technology, customers need to be able to talk to each other no matter what telepresence system or vendor they use.”

According to Frost & Sullivan, organisations interested in telepresence should consider open standard technology as a part of a larger visual communications strategy and deploy telepresence solutions that will work with most existing business applications, services and infrastructure without requiring upgrades in hardware.

Tandberg added that companies should consider complementing telepresence with a variety of endpoints, such as PC-based, desktop and room-based video systems, as well as integrating with unified communications applications.

This, the company believes, will ensure maximum return on investment by giving every employee video access and help drive efficiencies and greater productivity.