Video conferencing FAQ: A buyer s guide

Transcription

1 Video conferencing FAQ: A buyer s guide The answers to essential questions when selecting video conferencing solutions for smaller, expanding and mid-sized businesses A Paralogic Networks guide

2 Introduction Video conferencing was first introduced to the general public at the 1964 World s Fair in New York. It should come as little surprise that it evolved from television and simple analogue conferencing capability was first developed by linking two CCTV systems with a cable. Major network technology breakthroughs in the 1970s and 80s led to performance that supported international conferencing; however, the hefty price tag restricted its use to governments, their executive agencies or large corporates. One early commercial product had an investment cost of 175,000 and line charges of 700 an hour. By the mid-90s the development of the Internet, video compression, and the underlying IP (Internet Protocol) technologies enabled development of PC-based video conferencing. When compared with today s multi-mega pixel and HD expectations, the quality was poor, to say the least. At the turn of the Millennium, a mid-level business-class video conferencing solution required dedicated hardware in the shape of a camera equipped conferencing (or PTZ unit) and large screen display, an investment of perhaps 10,000 at the time. Call quality was dependent on bandwidth and the public internet just couldn t guarantee to provide a consistent result. Consequently, digital dial up lines for carrying data (ISDN) were used, with each capable of carrying 64K of data. Acceptable minimum quality required 2 lines. To get anywhere close to what you might describe as business-class quality for the time, 256K of bandwidth or four ISDN lines were required. A four line ISDN call between London and New York might typically incur charges of between 700 and 1,000 an hour depending on the carrier s rates. Within a few years reasonably priced high-speed internet access became available and modems were replaced by high speed Broadband routers. Today we are at a point where we all take video calling for granted. Skype and Facetime provide face-to-face connections over public Wi-Fi and mobile networks from smartphones and tablets. A plethora of video conferencing services for business are available. Larger, more ambitious deployments include video conferencing as part of a Unified Communications (UC) suite. Despite the choice and the advances in network and video technologies, the experience of many is that performance and call quality remain highly inconsistent. In short, choosing between video conferencing solutions can be a somewhat bewildering proposition. In this Buyer s Guide we aim to help by giving you a good starting point with answers, pointers and guidance on some key questions. Page 2

3 FAQ1. What s wrong with using Skype for my business needs? Many people share the perception that Skype is OK for the video communication needs of businesses. However, it shares the problem common to many video applications that use the public internet: Inconsistent performance because of unpredictable and variable bandwidth. When a business needs video conferencing, Skype is sometimes adequate. If a business needs reliable, consistent performance on every call for every connected party, then Skype may prove disappointing. FAQ2. What are the alternatives? There are a number of alternative solutions that offer better performance and functionality. Telepresence Most closely simulates a live meeting. Large screens show people at life size. Directional audio and cameras mounted at eye level may make it seem as though participants are in the room Room-based Providing less sense of presence, room-based video conferencing systems mount hardware, including large screens in a dedicated meeting room, or perhaps on wheeled stands for mobility Desktop Desktop video conferencing employs desktop, laptops and other fixed devices. Mobile device video conferencing is now also available from several vendors Page 3

4 Hybrid Hybrid video conferencing systems combine elements of those above. There is often some overlap between telepresence and room-based systems and this may allow better flexibility Service options There are many video conferencing service providers; some use the public internet while others utilise dedicated infrastructure and are able to control the underlying network Web-based video conferencing subscription services over the Internet, such as GoToMeeting use software on end-point user devices and communicate over the Internet Fully managed video conferencing services may enable any combination of telepresence, room-based or desktop to be provided as complete service from a single supplier, sometimes in partnership with a carrier FAQ3. Don t these solutions suffer from inconsistent performance and call quality issues too? Good question! This really comes back to whether the video conferencing solution under consideration uses the public internet. Any video conference connected over the public internet may be susceptible to inconsistent performance as a result of variable bandwidth. For more reliable bandwidth and better video conferencing call quality, many solutions generally utilise alternative connectivity. Some medium-large enterprises may opt for the expense of ISDN to guarantee total control. Page 4

5 FAQ4. What causes bandwidth to be so variable? Just like the road transport system, data networks are subject to ebbs and flows throughout the day, with peak time spikes and off-peak dips. Digital lifestyles mean people swap from digital work time to digital leisure time. Off-peak dips are getting shallower and shorter as digital and mobile increase their influence on our in work and out of work activities. Also, even though we don t think we re sharing connections, many of us are. For example, a remote worker connecting to the office using a typical residential broadband service for internet connectivity may be sharing bandwidth with up to 50 other residential customers, something called the contention ratio. This means there is significant potential for changes in bandwidth throughout the day and a significant risk of inconsistent quality when video conferencing. Business-class broadband services may also have contention ratio caveats attached to the service, so it is not just residential connectivity that may experience fluctuations in available bandwidth. FAQ5. Won t my carrier deal mean I get top quality video conferencing? Mid-size businesses may find it beneficial to negotiate deals with carriers specialising in the SME market for connectivity. Generally, carrier networks prioritize the traffic of realtime communications data to help prevent packet loss and latency, the main factors that determine the quality of VoIP (Voice over IP) internet telephony and video services. However, no matter which carrier the deal is with, it is unlikely to have any control over the end-point bandwidth of all the parties in a video conference! Page 5

6 FAQ6. What about video conferencing quality with rural UK areas? The problem of bandwidth starvation isn t just restricted to developing nations. Rural communities all over the UK are badly served by broadband. This issue is the focus of much activity by Ofcom and the government, but it is unlikely to be rectified anytime soon. Recently the challenges of low and variable bandwidth have been largely overcome by the use of innovatively designed network infrastructure working in conjunction with smart software on devices connected to wired networks, Wi-Fi, and mobile GPRS/3/4G networks. FAQ7. What about video conferencing quality with developing nations? It is an unavoidable fact that the network infrastructure of a developing nation is likely to have less network capacity and offer patchy connectivity. Until recently bandwidth starvation made video conferencing with employees in less well developed regions highly unsatisfactory. Recently this challenge has been overcome. Innovatively designed network infrastructure working in conjunction with smart software on devices connected to wired networks, Wi-Fi, and mobile 3/4G networks. Page 6

7 FAQ8. What software is needed? Hardware-based systems, such as those with PTZ devices, have their own software or operating systems for initiating and managing conferencing. Some web-based services that work with end-user devices such as laptops and tablets may just require a webbrowser. Others may require software to be downloaded and installed. Generally speaking there is no charge for the software or the licence. The best solutions are likely to offer a desktop application or a mobile device app. These may be optimised for each type of device, allowing the performance of the camera, microphone and audio outputs to be controlled by the solution and optimising video conferencing performance and providing the best quality experience. FAQ9. What about hardware costs? Purchasing telepresence and room-based PTZ, display and audio technology does have capital costs, but this is not as prohibitive as it once was. Prices start at a cost comparable to that of a high-end laptop. The better quality and improvement in experience makes many believe it well-worth the investment. FAQ10. What about connectivity costs? Inevitably, the lowest cost solutions are likely to use the public internet. Consequently there are zero cost impacts if you are connecting using an existing internet connection to carry the conferencing traffic. By definition, web-based solutions use the public internet and might be prone to inconsistent performance. However, the best solutions are now getting very smart by improving the performance/cost ratio. Using dedicated infrastructure, leveraging the power of the cloud and deploying smart software at the end points enables inconsistency to be ironed out. A true-business-class video conferencing experience is obtained at a price that makes sense. Page 7

8 Why select Paralogic for help with video conferencing? In this guide we ve discussed some of the questions frequently asked by smaller, expanding and mid-sized companies that want to choose the right video conferencing solution for their businesses. Our clients choose us for help and advice on video conferencing solutions because networks and connectivity are our business. Our solutions are: Smart on bandwidth Work with the available bandwidth of each connected party to provide consistent quality. Affordable for all businesses Cost effective and within the budgets of smaller, expanding and mid-sized businesses Device-independent Using any mix of networked, internet-connected or 3/4G devices Ultimately flexible Cloud-based solution using your webcam-enabled device or a hardware based room system Demonstrated and come with our personal recommendation See what we re using within our business to collaborate and make our team more productive Page 8

9 Why Paralogic recommends Vidyo Over many years of working with smaller, expanding and mid-sized businesses we ve often been asked about video conferencing solutions. Essentially, the issues outlined within this FAQ are the reason why, until now, we have felt unable to offer a go to solution. Vidyo uses a combination of designed and built for purpose network and cloud infrastructure and smart device software to enable outstanding video conferencing quality whether parties are connected via wired networks, Wi-Fi, or mobile 3/4G networks. Vidyo is so effective that we are making increasing use of it in our business. Whether for formal scheduled video conferences or for ad-hoc day-to-day operations or project purposes, Vidyo provides the breakthrough in quality and consistency for which business has been waiting. Page 9

10 About Paralogic Established in 2002, Paralogic Network Solutions is headquartered in Buckinghamshire. Our combination of cloud-based services, Help Desk Support and field-based people provide nationwide coverage, letting us make sure our clients stay up and running, no matter where they are located. Over the last 30 years businesses have become increasingly dependent on technology, driving demand for service flexibility and excellence. This trend continues to shape our approach to service. We recognise the differing needs of smaller (less than 25 user), expanding ( user) and mid-sized (100+ user) businesses. Our service driven ethos enables us to provide services appropriate to each customer s need, enabling the full benefit of technology to be obtained. You could describe us as an honest broker; on one side we partner with our clients because their IT is our business; on the other we maintain partnerships with leading technology vendors, keeping them in touch with the needs of our clients. We focus on delivering cost-effective, sustainable, innovative solutions and qualified, proven IT services. Clients across the UK value our professional services and benefit from implementing our solutions. For more information on Paralogic Network Solutions get in touch: T: E: sales@paralogic.uk.net W: hello@paralogic.co.uk A Paralogic Networks guide