The business world is expanding at a rapid pace. The needs of business of all sizes are changing every day, and that means changes are happening in the world of video conferencing, too. Use this guide to help determine if it is time to make an upgrade to your video conferencing system. There are many levels of video conferencing for you to choose from. The equipment you choose will depend on your budget, time spent using video conferencing, the pace your business is growing, and the needs of your clients.
Analyzing Your Video Conferencing Needs
Are you happy with your current videoconferencing set up? That’s a question that businesses of all sizes have to ask themselves every few years. Technology is constantly evolving, so there are always new video conferencing options available. As businesses grow video conferencing needs change. Companies like Blue Jeans offer video conferencing equipment for businesses of all sizes, and upgrading a video conferencing set up is something that businesses need to consider regularly. Sit down with your employees and your clients to determine if your current video conferencing needs are being met. You can set up a task force to see what upgrades need to be implemented. Check on how the technology is holding up and see if the set up is still in working order and functioning reliably.
Going From Low End to High End
Bigger businesses will need a more advanced video conferencing set ups. A small business is not going to need a fully integrated system, which takes up an entire room, but a larger business may want to consider this kind of system that includes a telesuite. Cost is a very important factor. Your business may grow and become more successful, and that means you will have more money for expenditures like a video conferencing set up. However, there are plenty of low cost options available for smaller businesses. Skype and Google Plus are free to use, and now they even come supported in browsers. These programs may suit your need for a few years as your business starts to grow, but soon you might have to consider set ups that cost thousands of dollars or more.
The Peak of Technology
The pinnacle of video conferencing is telepresence technology. This tech will make you feel like you are in the same room with the person you are talking to, even if you are in Singapore and your client or business colleague is half way around the world in New York. For a set up like this you are going to need large monitors that can display life size digital images, and only the highest quality picture will do. This tricks your brain into thinking the people you are talking to, who are thousands of miles away, are actually in the same room as you. Telepresence is so advanced that it makes other forms of video conferencing seem primitive. Of course, an upgrade like this is only necessary if it will help your business’s bottom line.
Do You Need 4K?
Resolution for monitors and screens is improving by leaps and bounds at a rapid pace. Today, there are 4K video monitors readily available. You should ask yourself if you need a picture of this quality for your video conferencing set up. 4K video offers 8 millions pixels – that’s a picture quality that’s four times better than 1080p. So, 4K offers a much crisper and sharper picture for video conferencing, but so far most business have been slow to adapt to this groundbreaking technology. 4K video is still fairly new to consumers, and it’s about three to six years away from being mainstream. According to Wainhouse Research, the main reason that businesses are slow to introduce 4K into their video conferencing set ups is bandwidth limitations. 4K will use up more data and put a larger strain on a network. So, if you are upgrading to 4K you will probably also have to upgrade your Internet connection. Demand will probably remain low until the technology improves even more and the cost goes down. Until then, only the biggest companies will be using 4K resolutions in their video conferencing systems.
In Conclusion
When considering an upgrade to your video conferencing set up there are many factors you have to take into consideration. Are your needs currently being met with your current set up? Is there a need to upgrade to 4K video? Is the technology keeping up with the pace your business is expanding? What is your budget like? Are your employees and clients happy with the video conferencing set up you currently have in place? Ask yourself these questions every year or so and determine if it’s time to upgrade or not.
By Staff Writer
