Imagine if your iPhone® could communicate only with other iPhones and all of your friends, family members and colleagues with Android™ phones were totally unreachable unless you purchased an additional (expensive) product to talk to them. That type of scenario is unimaginable for mobile calling but all too common in the video conferencing industry. Your teams need to be equipped with data exchange and collaboration tools that can not only run alongside your organization’s growth but also push your company to grow even faster. And for that growth, interoperability is key. 

What is interoperability for video conferencing?

Interoperability is the ability for a solution or software tool to exchange data and operate in conjunction with other solutions or software tools. When it comes to video conferencing software, interoperability describes a solution’s ability to send and receive video, audio and presentation data with other solutions, regardless of which manufacturer created them, without disrupting the conference call. Here are some benefits of interoperability for your growing organization.   

Improve collaboration 

Ofvideo conferencing users, 41% cite overly difficult downloads/joining processes as a detractor to the meeting experience. Being able to connect and communicate without technology getting in the way is key for your important conversations. By investing in solutions following interoperability standards, you’re able to remove the inefficiencies that come between companies and departments. 

Enable flexibility

Even if you’re able to standardize on proprietary closed information systems internally, you limit the flexibility for connecting with external vendors, customers, and partners outside the office. Video conferencing solutions that prioritize structural interoperability give you the flexibility to exchange information and connect outside of your walled garden to make use of the advantages and benefits of video conferencing at every touchpoint. 

Investment is one and done

There’s nothing worse than learning a new tool, customizing the tool to do exactly what you want it to do, then finding out that you’re getting a brand-new solution you have to relearn. While cloud-based video conferencing solutions are remarkably easy to use, the better alternative is to find a solution that is ageless and can play well with older tools as well as newer tools. With a properly interoperable solution, you won’t have to worry about investing in new tools or software because everything already seamlessly integrates.  

What interoperability means for Lifesize

As a member of the International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC), an international community of companies working together to enable real-time, rich-media communications between people in multiple locations around the globe, we take pride in providing our customers with an easily connectable and modern way to meet.  

Interoperability with standards-based video systems

Lifesize interoperates with any standards-based H.323/SIP video endpoint and our cloud architecture is designed using WebRTC, which mandates secure connections and runs natively in modern browsers, allowing anyone to join a call without having to download an app or install a plugin.  

Integrations with leading communication solutions

Lifesize integrates with calendaring and scheduling apps, chat and messaging tools, and digital whiteboarding and signage solutions for seamless integration into your daily meeting workflow.  

Microsoft

Lifesize <> Microsoft integrations are perfect for enterprises that have standardized on Microsoft tools for their email, calendar and real-time communication solutions. With our leading Microsoft integration, Lifesize adds best-in-class audio and video quality and advanced communication and information sharing technologies to your existing Microsoft Teams and Microsoft® Outlook® workflows. 

 

Google

Lifesize fits within existing GCal/Gmail workflows, providing a simple way to schedule and make video calls. Lifesize natively supports video calls in the Chrome browser and provides a Chrome extension that lets users easily schedule calls and exchange data using their Google apps.  

Chat and Messaging Integrations

Keep your important conversations going over high quality video and start a Lifesize call right from Microsoft Teams or Slack. Once enabled, users can initiate Lifesize meetings natively from within their app of choice and make use of the advanced video conferencing features of the Lifesize service. 

Lifesize leads video conferencing as an interoperable solution

Interoperability has always been a key factor in the design and production of the Lifesize solution.  


“Lifesize showed itself to be the most interoperable option with third-party solutions — a strong argument for the adoption of the system by the highest number of agencies.” 

— Laurent Marquet, systems and unified communications manager at RESOTIC, Cerfrance’s IT subsidiary 


We think interoperability is a necessary feature that all vendors should strive to not only broaden the adoption of unified communications but to enhance the end user experience as a whole. The sad truth of the video conferencing world is that other vendors have remained steadfast in their commitment to developing and selling proprietary solutions, which, in turn, makes for a very fragmented UC community.