Would you like to take the benefits of traditional video conferencing one step further and start to enjoy full collaboration such as data sharing via your PC? Today`s leading video conferencing solutions are not only delivering excellent voice and video quality, but enabling information sharing - all in a single video call.
"Clients today are looking beyond the traditional `talking heads` scenario that legacy video conferencing systems deliver and focusing on the value that comes from document sharing," says Blake Smith, video conferencing product manager at Dimension Data.
Dimension Data`s video conferencing facilities allow for full PC-based data collaboration on a single video call. An architect in Johannesburg can, for example, share a complex building plan with a civil engineer in Europe in full resolution, even if the engineer doesn`t have the software the building plan was designed on.
Furthermore, the engineer can request any supporting documentation such as a bill of materials or a project plan during the video call. As long as this information is available on the local network, it can be shared by simply pressing a button.
Says Smith: "Discovering that you`ve left your documentation at the office, after you`ve stepped off a plane, can be disastrous. With video conferencing`s data sharing capabilities you can have the entire head office`s network data at your disposal."
Another significant step in the development of video conferencing is the ability to include multiple remote sites in one video meeting. Through Dimension Data services up to 16 remote sites can be included in a single meeting, allowing for input from various regions. This is all done via a bridging service.
However, the management of such a multi-way video conferencing session can be quite challenging. As Smith points out, if you have 16 remote sites with 30 people each, it is important to effectively manage the session which could otherwise result in chaos.
"Our bridging system allows for different meeting scenarios to be implemented, thus minimising the management aspects of meetings, allowing customers to get on with their core business."
So, while face-to-face meetings are still regarded as important, video conferencing tends to give meetings an edge that is not only cheaper but in many cases more effective.
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Dimension Data Holdings plc (LSE: DDT) is a leading global technology services company, which specialises in providing and managing collaborative infrastructure that enable businesses to communicate and transact internally and externally. Dimension Data, founded in 1983, had revenues of $2.5 billion in 2001 and operates in over 30 countries. The company`s global presence, combined with its expertise in managed services, network infrastructure, application integration and e-business services enables it to provide specialist solutions to help its customers become fully integrated and connected companies.
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