Video is being adopted in new spaces

There are four significant trends. User experience is a big focus. Customers are looking for solutions that come with an ‘auto learning experience’. What this means is that they look for technology that doesn’t require hours of training or having to read through several manuals before you know how to use it. User experience also encompasses the need for solutions that work in any environment of the customer’s choice. For example, desktop video collaboration should deliver the same experience and functionality as you would find in a conference room collaboration setting.

Another focus area is use of open standards. UC environments in every organization are different – generally, multiple technologies would have been adopted from several different vendors. Customers are very much focused on investing in technology that can interoperate between all these systems. Focus on standards-based interoperability rather than proprietary systems ensures easy integration into practically any communication system, and seamless operation for our customers in their existing and future environments.

Video is being adopted in new spaces. Previously, video collaboration was a technology reserved for large conference rooms in an organization. What we are seeing now is that customers are looking to equip smaller spaces ( such as ‘ huddle rooms’) with video, where the only communication tool may have been a phone line and perhaps an audio conferencing system before. New collaboration spaces are being created now as workspaces continue to modernize and evolve.

Workplaces and workspaces are changing. Traditional offices and meeting rooms are giving way to open team and mobile spaces, which present challenges for effective collaboration. “Work” is no longer a place you go to, it’s something you do, irrespective of time, location, and the devices we use. When it comes to collaboration, your teams will want to talk with each other naturally, regardless of where they happen to be. They want to connect from any location, and they expect that experience to feel no different from meeting in person. Organizations need to consider how to create a better workspace for a tech savvy workforce and maximize use of costly office space.

MD, Polycom India & SAARC.