With a plethora of video conferencing equipment available on the market, how do you make the right choice?

Video conferencing has been around for more than a decade and back then there was a limited amount of players in the marketplace and the systems were very expensive to install as well as call costs over Telstra's ISDN network as IP networking was not an option.

The key thing to remember with videoconferencing equipment is that it should be complying with a global standard. This ensures that you get trouble free conferencing between different manufacturer's codecs but in the real world this is not always the case.

How to avoid potential compatibility issues can be done as simply as using a manufacturer who has extensive experience and market share in the video conferencing arena.

In Australia, the major players are Polycom, Tandberg & Aethra. Polycom would have the majority share of the market but it does come at a premium price and may not fit into your budget.

Aethra which is an Italian company have been gaining serious traction in the market and do offer a very economical solution to the SME marketplace without compromising performance.

Many audio visual companies offer both Polycom and Aethra products to its clients and can provide solutions such as fully integrated boardrooms and training facilities utilising automated control systems such as AMX or Crestron to provide simplicity of operation.



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Gone are the days when meetings meant a room full of men and women seating on a conference table to discuss a business agenda for hours. With globalization and new technological advancements, meetings too have become tech savvy. In an era of multinational companies and offshore business outsourcing, meetings involve people from various nations and traveling for the cause of a meeting is simply impractical. Corporate meetings extensively use of audio and video conferencing services, video conferencing being the most effective.

A video conference meeting barely has any disadvantages, but sure has a lot of advantages. It is simply a virtual meet among employees and employers who work across different geographical boundaries. By making use of video and audio aids, members involved in the video conference can see and talk to each other just as they would in a formal conference setting.

This method is definitely a save on cost. Travel costs, cost of arranging an event and hosting costs are all cut out. All it takes is a webcam, a computer, an internet broadband connection, microphone and a projector. Video conference meetings are suited for elaborate as well as short spanned ones. Since it hardly bears any additional cost, it is highly cost effective.

Of late, video conference rooms are designed and equipped to accommodate formal meetings. They can either be a part of your office infrastructure or can be rented too. Businesses across the world are now using these rooms for a variety of purposes. They use the facility to hold training programs for employees conduct product demonstrations for clients and even conduct interviews across different countries. Sure it saves a lot of bucks.

Be it a small business or a multinational corporation, video conferencing is the order of the day. It saves cost, time and also keeps you on par with businesses who are using a service like this.



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Webinars and Webcasts are terms that come under the umbrella term "Web Conferencing". At most times any terms like "web event," "webcast," "webinar," and "web conference" are used interchangeably. But they do have clear distinctions which become especially important in dealing with vendors who sell different types of web conferencing services. Making distinctions will help you choose a service that best suits your requirements.

As such, both terms can be encompassed under web conferencing. But the contexts with which they are used and the technology involved differ distinctly.

A webcast is a web based broadcast of something. It can be a video, an audio stream or even a power point presentation which is dispersed to a large audience through internet. That way, even the videos in YouTube can be called web casts. Other examples could be the tutorials used for online training, an important fashion show being broadcasted on the web and the like. It is a valuable and interesting tool for marketing or promoting something. Instead of making a drab written piece your promotion material, you can incorporate the same thing into a web cast and make it interesting for the audience. However it is a one-way flow of information and does not allow the audience to participate. They are merely spectators here. Their opinions and doubts cannot be expressed and does not reach the propagator.

With a webinars, things get interactive. It is a seminar aided by the web. It attempts to produce effects similar to a live seminar. In its simplest form, a seminar is streamed in the through internet. Audience participates, ask questions and give opinions. To draw more audience into participation, polls, surveys and ratings can be incorporated. Some platforms also allow live chat which is effectively contributes to the success of a webinars. Although they are mainly used for propaganda, it is very educative and connects the audience with the business in an effective way.

In understanding the difference between the two, we should be able to judge the kind of technology and equipment that may be needed for both conferencing services, which clearly is different from each other. So in dealing with a vendor who may sell a composite web conferencing package without making a distinction, knowing the difference between the two comes handy. Also, you can put them into best use for the purpose you are using it.




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With all the talk of a green economy and reducing emissions, audio conferencing makes a good solution for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint. Business travel often represents half of a business's CO2 emissions. Another source of high emissions, employee travel to and from work will represent about 25% of most companies' carbon emissions.

By using conference calls for the majority of client meetings, companies make a large impact on the global air quality and help reduce global warming. Allowing employees to telecommute and take place in company meetings through conference calls, employers reduce the carbon footprint and make happier and more productive employees.

Still, there are few businesses willing to make such changes only for the sake of the environment. Businesses want a different kind of green. They are seeking to save money in their operations. Think of all the traveling salesmen and executives make in their business. How much of that could be saved simply by switching most meetings to conference calls? Audio conferencing calls are become the preferred method for meetings for good reason.

Traveling expenses include the cost of airline tickets, vehicle rentals, hotel stays and meals. All of these costs can be reduced or eliminated through the use of conference calls. Whether used for sales and marketing meetings, worker training or client consultations, conference calls can get the job done without the traveling expense.

Thus, con calls offer an easily measured way to reduce company expenses, showing a real value to executives considering a switch in policy. Not only will the company save dollars, it will save emissions, giving the PR department another tool for promoting the business.




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