www.comms-dealer.com
VIEWPOINT
COMMENT
Video comms
The focus
is shifting
away from
update:
surviving
to planning
for the
Visual communications – whether
future
in the form of a desktop video unit,
a videoconferencing room system,
COLIN ANNETTE, DIRECTOR, BT WHOLESALE
or the top-end telepresence
The dust is settling on the economy, and
solution – is proving to be a
confidence is returning with the recent
declaration by the Prime Minister that Britain recession proof investment, writes
is emerging from the recession. The focus
Clive Sawkins, CEO at BCS Global.
Clive Sawkins
is shifting away from surviving the here and
now to planning for the future. The tipping
point in the recovery will come in January
2010, according to recent research by BT
Business. Many would say that the channel’s I
t has been a tough year for many using the technology. An all-encompassing
businesses, but despite the recent managed service will build on the basic
challenges, videoconferencing sales elements of technical support and resource
primary customer base never stopped have come through relatively unscathed. reservation to deliver a complete meeting
planning for the future. In fact, small and Furthermore, the last five to ten years have solution. This will involve managing all aspects
medium sized businesses are best placed to seen an unprecedented technology boom. of the meeting, thereby allowing users to
weather difficult times as they can be more Rapid advances in both picture and sound focus their efforts wholly on the subject matter
flexible and agile than their multinational quality have been coupled with the wider without being distracted by the underlying
counterparts. The Business Culture Index availability of lower cost of bandwidth and technologies. Managed services can also
found that 84 per cent of SME businesses had developments in network quality of service. facilitate call set-up with external parties – such
a stable headcount with 10 per cent even This has led to an increasing demand and as customers and suppliers – saving valuable
increasing resource – a vastly different story appreciation of visual communications. time and removing the complexity of making
to the one heard in the rest of the economy. the connections across different network
With the influx of new videoconferencing types, or between different generations of
The Government recognises the value the SME devices is the growing trend towards the videoconferencing equipment. By ensuring
sector has to play in the UK economy and use of hosted or managed services. The a consistently high quality of experience,
has introduced a number of initiatives that complexity of maintaining and monitoring the the organisation will derive benefits from the
could not only benefit your SME customers but video hardware, infrastructure and networks perceived professionalism of its operations.
also offer your own business a new revenue has led to more and more customers asking
stream too. To name a couple, grid for for a managed service on top to ensure Businesses around the world are re-discovering
learning funding and assistive technologies that the end user experience is what video the benefits of visual communications. The
funding for disabled employees are currently promises it to be. This is why many resellers are recent advances in this technology are quickly
on offer. It’s just a matter of taking some time partnering with service providers to provide an dispelling the old concerns about ease of use
to do the research. Remember not to narrow all-in-one solution, combining hardware with and reliability. Today, the videoconferencing
your thinking. Take, for example, disabled network and ongoing managed services. managed service providers are enabling
employees – this covers the spectrum from In a recent Frost & Sullivan end user survey, organisations of all sizes to communicate
a mild disability such as wearing glasses 47 per cent of respondents indicated that more effectively, while helping to maximize
through to more severe disabilities. they retained existing levels of investment the payback on their investments. Combined
in managed services over the past 12 with hardware and network resellers, the
Now is the time to take advantage of these months – and a further 51 per cent of combination of videoconferencing offered as
opportunities for growth, not only for your own respondents increased investments in an all-in-one solution is a compelling proposition
business but for your customers’ businesses managed services over the same period. for customers.
n
too. Resellers are all too often criticised for
only contacting customers when the time Typically, whether internally provided or
Analyst comment:
comes for contract renewal, so pointing out delivered by a service provider, a managed
Dominic Dodd, Global Programme Director,
these opportunities will deliver an enhanced service will offer remote support and monitoring
Frost & Sullivan: In terms of usability and call-
customer experience and deliver your of vital equipment, with a technical support
by-call reliability, the latest videoconferencing
business with its own rewards. Government helpdesk available to resolve the users’ meeting
and telepresence products are a world away from
funding just scratches the surface of the problems in a timely and least disruptive
earlier systems. IP, high definition, service quality
opportunities out there, CSR and other manner. Adequate training and access to
control and network management each play a
initiatives are also ripe to drive value into your instant, reliable user support are important decisive part in making videoconferencing a
business... more on that next month. features that a managed service can offer, viable, cost-effective tool for today’s businesses.”
n
enabling users to derive maximum benefit from
46 COMMS DEALER NOVEMBER 2009 www.comms-dealer.com
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