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The ID10t error is a prolific technological nuisance found throughout many of our day-to-day tasks. The error is not bound by operating system, as it is present on both Mac® and PC machines (although seldom seen on Linux®) and is even known to creep into a variety of other IoT devices.

ID10t errors can be difficult to diagnose, as they are rarely reported with relevant qualifying information, but due to their simplistic nature, they are generally easy to fix. In this guide, we’ll walk through ID10t-proofing the notoriously ID10t error-ridden technology of video conferencing and provide a breakdown of the administrative features and services that make Lifesize a ridiculously reliable, stable and secure experience. We’ll also look at some (un)common uses for video conferencing and, hopefully, leave you with a better understanding of how video conferencing has completely transformed from expensive hardware reserved for the elite few into a productivity powerhouse for daily business collaboration.

Why Video Conferencing

We recently conducted a survey of over 1,300 IT administrators to learn more about the factors that led to their video conferencing search and the features they felt made the biggest impact for their organizations.

The patterns in the data are immediately clear as businesses look to video conferencing to help them bring their dispersed teams together to speed up decision making while reducing the overall cost and time of travel. According to IT admins, the requests for video conferencing come from business leaders wanting increased productivity, increased collaboration and increased communication efficiency between teams — both inside and outside of the company.

Top IT Admin Considerations

Simple Installation

Simple UI for Users

Simple management

But there’s more to it than just buy some cameras and get the benefits. For many IT administrators, there’s security and interoperability to consider, a full deployment to manage and a comprehensive training to conduct to get people up and running on new technology.

A lot has changed over the past few years in the realm of video conferencing. It wasn’t long ago that implementing video conferencing meant all-too-frequent server upgrades and running new cables to every room that you wanted video-enabled. Connecting multiple offices was a very hands-on endeavor for IT, and even just making a call required a computer science degree.

Cloud Changes EVERYTHING

For the IT Admin

Moving the infrastructure into the cloud eliminates the burden of maintaining and optimizing on-prem video equipment. We designed the service with IT in mind — meaning we took out the parts that required constant babysitting so that users can just use it and IT can worry about more pressing matters, like compliance and regulatory requests, maintaining the help desk and getting past the Nyan Cat level of Stump the Geek.

  • Integrated Centralized Directory

    Your company’s Lifesize directory can be populated by your identity provider for Single Sign-on (SSO) or by sending out a custom link that automatically provisions as users first sign in. The directory is centralized across all users and all devices and is searchable by individual user, conference room system or meeting room.

  • Simplified Conference Room System Setup

    Connect the camera to a TV and the internet, give it power and pair it to your account to start making video calls. Today???s camera systems provide 1080p HD video with wide-angle lenses designed to capture everyone around the conference table. Cameras like the one in the Lifesize?? Icon??? operate with motorized pan/tilt/zoom that lets users adjust the frame on the fly and can even be used to capture white-boarding sessions. The hardest part about setting up a room system is figuring out what to call it in the directory. Feel free to take a page from the Lifesize playbook ??? we named ours after Texas breweries.

  • 128-Bit AES Encryption

    Security ranks at the top of all administrator and user concerns. Lifesize respects these concerns and takes security very seriously. All communication in the Lifesize app is fully encrypted with enterprise-class 128-bit AES encryption and TLS. Additionally, every data center and network location is regularly audited and hardened against physical intrusion. These are your top-secret conversations we???re talking about. We don???t mess around.

  • Automatic Updates

    Conference room systems receive updates automatically so they are always running on the latest version, giving users access to the latest features. We???re constantly adding improvements to the service, from interoperability enhancements to bug fixes. With automatic updates, IT doesn???t need to make the rounds installing and rebooting conference room systems every time a new feature comes out.

  • Web-Based Admin Console

    The Lifesize Admin Console gives you easy access to dashboards where you can check on usage statistics like Number of Minutes, Number of Calls, Call Minutes by Device, Average Call Length and Call Quality. You can also access administrative features like layout options and recording permissions and customize your user experience by uploading custom backgrounds and customizing the quick-start buttons and time zones on the home screen of the Lifesize® Phone™ HD.

For the User

Video conferencing technology has completely shifted toward the user experience. What used to be a prohibitively expensive solution reserved for the select few in custom telepresence rooms is now available for every employee right from their browser. Forget calling me on the phone ??? call me on video.

  • Call by Name

    No dial strings, hold music or waiting for moderators to connect. Lifesize makes it easy to start a call by clicking on a person???s name, conference room system or meeting room in the directory.

  • Add More People

    Unlike a meet-me service, Lifesize users can build up to 300-way group calls on the fly by just adding more people from the directory. No need to hang up and send out a special virtual meeting room link just because you need to talk to a group of people.

  • Connect External Users or Guests

    When you need to meet with external contacts, all you have to do is send them a link. There???s no extra fee, and your guests don???t even need to download an application ??? they can join right from their Google Chrome??? or Internet Explorer?? 11 browser with the Lifesize web app.

  • Share Your Screen

    Anyone can share their screen in a Lifesize call. Just click the screen share icon to present the entire screen or just a single app. Lifesize is video, audio and web conferencing combined.

  • Chat, Group Chat and Recording

    It chats, too ??? both one-on-one and meeting room group chat. So actually, it???s video, audio and web conferencing, chat and the ability to record any meeting with a single click.

  • Smartphone Simplicity

    The secret to ID10t-proofing video conferencing is making it simple. When it comes to video conferencing, the easier it is to use, the more it will be used. Features like call by name and dynamically transforming a one-on-one call into a group call are designed with simplicity in mind. Let people meet in all the different ways they want to meet inside a single app that???s intuitive to use and just works, and you???ll soon see them using it in ways you???ve never thought of.

Some (Un)common Use Cases

The easier a technology is to use, the more it will be, and the simplicity that we???ve built into the Lifesize app has led to some fantastically creative use cases.

At first, you might think about the multinational team meetings where people from different offices connect over video to meet and discuss how different the weather is from one region to the other. Or maybe you picture the teleworker dressed in business casual on top and pajamas on bottom. But what about the more obscure ways video technology can enhance your business? Lifesize may have been born out of boardroom necessity, but it???s now finding some new uses outside of the meeting room.

Virtual Front Desk

When reception can???t be manned or multiple businesses occupy the same building, set up a virtual front desk to greet visitors over video at the point of entry. The receptionist either connects the visitor to their host or provides instructions for navigating the building.

Quick-Connect to the Help Desk

One way to customize the Lifesize Phone HD is to add a quick-start icon to the home screen in every meeting room that calls the help desk. Just because making and receiving video calls is ID10t proof, it doesn???t mean the guest WiFi network, projector, lights or electronic white board are.

Food Truck Line Cam

The food truck phenomenon is in full force in Austin, and Lifesize HQ has been fortunate enough to have a rotating food truck every day for lunch. But who has time to risk hitting a rush hour line or going all the way outside to realize it???s the one truck you swore you???d never go back to? We set up a food truck cam that anyone can call before heading outside just for that.

Virtual Office Olympics

Every other year, as the best from around the globe head to the seasonal Olympics, companies prepare to hold their own office-style Olympics. Video conferencing lets global teams compete live over video and offers a simple way to engage in team-building without the cost of flying everyone to the games.

The Conference Room Matters

We know that conference room technologies remain integral to collaboration for the average organization. For many, the conference room is the anchor of the meeting experience, with remote participants connecting virtually as needed. We’ve seen this time after time. In fact, 75% of our customers pair conference room systems to our cloud service and over half of all calls on the service include at least one conference room system.

A good conference room experience can make all of the difference in your team collaboration. From the intuitive interface of the phone to the integration of the centralized directory and the quality of the image produced by the camera system, the conference room experience sets the tone for the meeting.

About Lifesize

Lifesize solves the problems of poor communication, remote teams and slowed decision making, and it does it without neglecting the conference room or burdening IT.

For more than a decade, Lifesize has been at the forefront of video collaboration. We combine a cloud-based conferencing experience with award-winning, easy-to-use conference room cameras and HD phones that let you connect to anyone, anywhere.

Download a free, full-featured trial of the Lifesize app and experience firsthand what we mean by ID10t-proof video conferencing. Lifesize is streamlined, intuitive and built to work all of the different ways people communicate.

  • Chat
  • Web Conferencing
  • Audio Calls
  • Video Collaboration
  • Screen Sharing
  • Recording