ROUND TABLE
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Companies literally started throwing their VTC rooms in the dumpster, cancelling service agreements and buying headsets and webcams”
work becomes a more dominant part of present and future work environments. Moritz Helmchen Demand remains high, as this technology is also in a regular renewal cycle. During the pandemic, many companies had to create the infrastructure first and were new customers in this area. There were often massive supply bottlenecks, which also meant some projects were delayed until after the pandemic. Nevertheless, even the old customers of conference technology are regularly renewing themselves. The tech has not stood still and some customers are increasingly focusing on remote working in addition to traditional office life, meaning the desire for new remote collaboration functions remains strong. This is also a consequence of the pandemic. Bill Hensley The pandemic’s impact on remote work is still palpable. While some organisations have initiated a return-to- office strategy, the landscape remains diverse. Many companies have adopted hybrid work models, blending in-office and remote workdays to accommodate varying preferences. This approach acknowledges the newfound flexibility and productivity gains associated with remote work, while also recognising the value of in-person collaboration and social interaction. Also, the shift to remote work spurred investments in technology infrastructure and digital collaboration tools, which continues to shape work dynamics. Companies are embracing a flexible approach, allowing employees to choose the method best for them. As a result, the hybrid mix of in-person and remote/virtual attendees in meetings will persist, reflecting the diverse work arrangements across organisations. This ongoing evolution underscores the enduring impact of the pandemic on remote work practices and the conferencing landscape.
practices, leading to a surge in demand for conferencing solutions that support remote collaboration. Organisations across industries have embraced remote and hybrid meeting formats to ensure business continuity and productivity, driving further innovation in the conferencing market. As a result, we expect hybrid meetings to continue being a dominant trend regarding the conferencing market for the coming years, with continued advancements in technology shaping the way we communicate and collaborate. Trent Slyter Ten years ago, everyone was using dedicated hardware solutions in specialised VTC (video teleconferencing) rooms that ran over $50-100k. VTC was quite simple and reliable for the end user in those rooms. Those dollars bought a level of standardisation, interoperability and compatibility that was quickly lost when the desktop revolution occurred. The rooms required high-quality equipment for both audio and video, and delivered a level of performance which has taken a long time to equal in the new VTC world. The main drawback was the cost, which limited the number of people able to access the technology. With the arrival of web conferencing, we saw the needle swing in the other direction. The public was promised that anyone could jump in a VTC with just a computer. The entire experience became poor because of the proliferation of platforms, software and interoperability issues. All the manufacturers were doing what they thought was best, and no one followed any standards or worried about being able to connect to a competitor’s system. Companies literally started throwing their VTC rooms in the dumpster, cancelling their service agreements and buying headsets and webcams; it was a big mess. This was the state we were in when the pandemic started. Fortunately, many
lessons were learned through trial by fire. We are now seeing a strong resurgence in dedicated VTC hardware to provide a good experience in VTC rooms again.
s the pandemic’s impact on working practices still present? Neil Morrison Remote work is here to stay. As more people strive for better work-life balance – coupled with a desire to leave a smaller carbon footprint – remote work availability is often one of the first and most important job-search requirements. I have conducted many interviews with candidates who list this as the top criterion in evaluating whether they would want to accept a position at our company. Additionally, as a solution provider, we have seen continued focus in remote workflows in all areas of businesses. We’ve seen that businesses of all sizes are keenly focused on the inherent value in remote-focused workers. The value of well-developed onboarding for remote workers – in technology application and communication workflow – has proven to be invaluable for talent recruitment. Companies are also wanting to ensure that staff engagement and consistent communication are well-managed and analysed for their efficacy. The net effect on staff retention and job satisfaction are crucial metrics to monitor as remote
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