The Ultimate Guide to Cloud Video Conferencing How we communicate around the office and with our clients and customers is changing. Where there was once costly travel, conference calls emerged to speed up the conversation and help expedite decision making. Flash forward 20 years, and employees are working from home in greater numbers, mobile devices have become viable work machines and people are able to meet face to face over video with the click of a button. With cloud video conferencing, you can be up and running in minutes, making HD video calls from your favorite devices from anywhere you can connect to the Internet. For the user, the human element of face-to-face communication provides a more natural experience, and for the administrator, deploying and managing a cloud solution is easier and more secure than ever before. This guide is designed to provide you with the knowledge you need to search out and select the best video collaboration solution for your needs. We’ll cover the four classic approaches to video conferencing, the features worth evaluating and the pitfalls to look out for.
The Four Schools of Video Conferencing Video conferencing services come in many different flavors, but the majority fall into one of these four categories: Traditional On-Premise Video Conferencing Heavy on the hardware and hard on the wallet, traditional on-prem solutions are typically focused on high quality meeting room hardware and require the most support from IT and outside integrators. Servers and meeting room systems need to be maintained and monitored for outages and upgrades throughout the life of the system. Web Conferencing Some web conferencing providers offer a video element to their web-based meeting room services. These types of solutions are usually best for a small group of presenters to share information with a larger audience. Think of it like an upgraded audio conference call that allows the speaker to share their presentation and their face. Meet-Me Video Services The “meet-me” solution, also known as reservationless conferencing, varies slightly from web conferencing in that it doesn’t require scheduling. The process for connecting to a meet-me video meeting is very similar to a web conference—dial in to a shared meeting space in the cloud and wait for the moderator to connect and start the call. It’s like a calling card for video. Cloud Video Conferencing Business-Class Video Services Cloud video conferencing is the easiest solution to deploy and use. The call experience is centered on a shared company directory so users connect by name instead of by dial string. Business-class solutions are typically higher in quality, more secure and, because there are no hefty hardware costs, more affordable than their on-prem counterparts. Free Video Services Most free services are built as consumer products. Either they are ad supported or they come with limited features. Free services give you all of the quality and support you would expect from a free service. The biggest downside to a free service is the lack of security and service-level agreements. As video services differentiate themselves, you start to see the importance of matching your priorities to the solution set that best fits your needs. Some services offer a mix of web collaboration and content sharing but fail on multiway video conferencing. Others offer audio, video and web conferencing capabilities but lack enterprise-grade features that businesses look for, like recording and reporting. Beyond a Meetings Tool If your only motive for video conferencing is to upgrade your meetings, then you’re in for a wealth of unexpected bonus content. Here are a few departmental use cases you may not have thought of: HR and Training From recruiting new team members to training and career development conversations, nothing is more important than face-to-face communication. HR teams can always benefit from the enhanced nonverbal communication that comes across over video conferencing. IT Let’s face it—IT departments are known for their interest in all things tech, so they’re sure to find creative ways to use it. Teams can record process updates, support remote employees and collaboratively troubleshoot over video to service the help desk. Professional Services Video conferencing provides another means of communication for consultants to manage global projects with their customers. Professional services teams are able to stay on track and on budget without unnecessary and costly travel. Marketing and Sales Most marketing and sales teams require extensive collaboration with customers and external agencies. Video conferencing helps them connect on projects to create more engaging campaigns that ultimately help customers make more informed decisions. Engineering Research and development can’t stop and wait for business trip logistics. Engineering departments are able to optimize their time with global experts by collaborating over video. Daily scrums, bug triaging, prototyping and quality control are all perfect for video conferencing. Every department and every industry can benefit from the collaborative powers of video conferencing. From the weekly 1:1 meetings to the monthly status meetings and even just to say hi, video conferencing helps you build relationships by providing more personal connections.
Connections Matter At Lifesize, we understand the power of connecting people to make the workplace great. Our video conferencing solutions are designed to meet the demands of today’s modern enterprise yet fully accessible to businesses of any size. See if Lifesize meets the criteria on your list and try it out for free. Support for all the ways your company communicates Connects all the devices your company loves to use Affordable and easy to purchase, manage and support Interoperable, regardless of manufacturers or operating systems Complete security for your top-secret conversations Highest video, audio and presentation quality Recording and sharing platform Affordable and easy to purchase, manage and support