Today's working environment is more mobile than ever, with workspaces moving away from traditional bricks and mortar environments to a workforce that is always 'on the go'.
According to David Sales, head of product management at Kathea, this trend presents challenges to organisations. "Users expect technology and communication to be available on demand in an easy-to-use, efficient and reliable manner. Furthermore, they require access from any device, including notebooks/ultrabooks, smartphones and tablets, and do not want to wait for the IT department to set this up," he says.
Typically, establishing this flexibility for video collaboration (VC) involves complex third-party integrations, but this is changing, says Sales. "With the introduction of application programming interfaces (APIs) onto VC platforms, customisation and integration is simplified, enabling organisations to tailor their VC solutions to meet the unique needs of their organisation and employees."
Employees need to be able to use technology as and when they want it, without restrictions, notes Sales. "APIs, now included on open-integration-based VC platforms, can be leveraged to develop custom applications and integrate the necessary services into the VC network, allowing this on-demand access to be made possible, among other benefits."
Sales describes traditional VC and collaboration tools as "an island", but open APIs change this by providing a gateway that facilitates application development, allowing organisations to create custom applications that integrate with a variety of third-party solutions and platforms.
"This enables users to make use of a single application for the scheduling and management of all rooms and communication infrastructure, including VC. Rooms can be booked using custom APIs, which include booking management and VC functionality in one easy-to-use, intuitive application," says Sales.
He goes on to say that VC calls can easily be initiated between various parties regardless of their locations and the devices they are using, and resources can be centrally managed through a user-friendly interface. This makes integration a simpler task, Sales points out, allowing for the recording of calls and the generation of reports and graphs to quantify a return on investment (ROI).
"Virtual meeting rooms in the cloud can enable users to conference with a variety of end-point devices, and an API can be used to monitor these virtual meeting rooms, with an application via the API layer used to manage the call, identify participants and create visibility that previously was not available."
APIs can easily be used to customise solutions within organisations with in-house developers or can be outsourced to distribution partners should the company lack in-house capabilities.
"APIs open up the VC space to allow for greater levels of integration and customisation, enabling organisations to fully utilise the power of their technology investment to drive greater effectiveness and efficiency and maximise return," he concludes. "By customising and integrating business processes within VC, video can become an integral part of modern business."
Kathea's VISCOM 2013 event takes place on 16 July at Summer Place, Johannesburg. To register, click here.
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