Virtual business made easier by next-generation service for SMMEs

Recently merged business and technology incubator, SoftstartBTI has announced the immediate availability of its state-of-the-art virtual conferencing facility.

The first of its kind in South Africa, the facility allows local entrepreneurs and SMMEs to access a hi-tech business communication tool usually only afforded by large corporations.

"This is a first for South Africa and we are very excited about the opportunities this facility bestows," confirms Brian Carl Brown, Business Development Manager of the Midrand-based incubator. "It will greatly assist the SoftstartBTI community's efforts to break into overseas markets and also really boost our virtual and satellite incubation programmes for remotely located businesses."

Virtual conferencing supersedes voice-only and video conferencing, both of which can be problematic. As those who have endured them know, voice-only conference calls require intense concentration and often prove hard to manage. Video conferencing has been around for a decade, but its expense, technical complexity, static-ness or rigidity, and overall poor quality has limited its adoption.

"Finally, with virtual conferencing we have a solution that is simple to set up, easy to use and allows attendees to get a real sense of 'being there together' even when they are physically apart," clarifies Brown. "You get a genuine shared experience feeling because you are meeting and interacting in such an intuitive, immersive way."

Imagine you need to discuss a new product with your representatives in Durban and Cape Town, the product manufacturer in Poland and the head of global distribution in the UK. You simply connect to the Internet via your usual broadband link or your 3G-enabled cellphone and run the small application on your laptop. You meet in a virtual boardroom, complete with table, chairs and overhead projector. Each person is shown seated at the table, using their real-time video feed, and can talk freely. A whiteboard can be shared and PowerPoint slides can be 'projected' and viewed communally, and the entire event can be recorded.

"It is as though you are sitting in an actual boardroom," confirms Brown, "you can see everyone, even where they are looking. It is incredible, given that everyone is at a terminal somewhere else in the world, using a camera and microphone."

The virtual conferencing facility is different to 'Web conferencing' tools like Skype or MSN Messenger because it creates a truly interactive environment. It can also host up to 16 participants in a meeting because it is very bandwidth efficient. The typical per-port bandwidth requirement for combined audio and video is only 150kbps.

"We have used the other tools available and found them frustrating once you involve over four participants," maintains Brown. "Yet this service requires installing an equally small application and runs smoothly on minimal resources, although an ADSL 512 line is the recommended minimum connection."

Brown is also quick to point out that you don't need any equipment to use the virtual conferencing facility at SoftstartBTI. "Our dedicated facility includes all the required equipment and meeting essentials, like Web-cameras, microphones and great coffee," he confirms, "all you have to do is walk in, pour a cup and start your meeting."

The facility is available to all members of the SoftstartBTI community and standard membership is free. ICT entrepreneurs or SMMEs interested in joining can sign up by visiting the SoftstartBTI Web site (www.sbti.co.za) and filling in the online registration form or by contacting either Brian Carl Brown (brian@sbti.co.za) or Farrah Naidoo (farrah@sbti.co.za) on (011) 695 4800.

"Obviously, this facility is just a small part of what we offer early phase entrepreneurs operating in the ICT and electronics markets," notes Brown. "We also offer all the latest office productivity tools and a full business support service."

Nonetheless, Brown believes that it is the network SoftstartBTI can plug members into that remains the most valuable contribution it can make. "To use this facility as an example, it is when we combine it with our contacts in America that it becomes a really potent way of breaking into that huge market," he explains. "Members can then have unhindered, face-to-face interactions with these contacts without having to get on a plane."

While limited use of the facility is available to all members for a nominal fee and a fixed amount of time is included in the monthly virtual tenancy package, actual tenants enjoy very cost-effective, almost unlimited access. "Tenants taking space in our new building, for example, will be able to use in facility in our dedicated training and events centre pretty much whenever they need to," explains Brown. "This will also enable them to conduct a physical and virtual event simultaneously."

Applications are already being accepted for tenants at the new SoftstartBTI building in Midrand. The custom-designed facility, prominently situated between the Allendale and New Road junctions of the Ben Schoeman highway, will be officially opened in October. Entrepreneurs interested in taking up residency should contact either Brian Carl Brown (brian@sbti.co.za) or Farrah Naidoo (farrah@sbti.co.za) on (011) 695 4800 to arrange an appointment to discuss their plans.