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Additionally, businesses can leverage cloud-based solutions which offer both scalability and flexibility, allowing them to adapt to constantly changing work environments seamlessly. Trent Slyter I prefer any appliance- based Teams room solutions because they operate on a platform that everyone already knows, providing the highest ease of use and interoperability. From your desktop to a large meeting room, the experience can be very similar. Teams has so much market share that it is hard to use anything else if you need to communicate outside your immediate organisation. Let’s be honest, nearly everyone is using the Microsoft suite of office tools. Nothing integrates with that as well as Teams; it provides a seamless experience. To use anything else simply takes more time and effort that people do not have these days.
they are not necessarily cheaper than customised solutions. Another increasingly important trend is AI and automation. AI-supported functions such as automatic subtitling, speech recognition, transcription and translation are progressively being integrated into conferencing platforms. Language barriers disappear as the spoken word is immediately translated into the respective language and/or transcribed into the text. After the meeting, it can then be summarised using certain tools such as Microsoft Copilot and/or questions about the meeting can be put to the AI. There are many ways to use this technology effectively, even if you have to take data protection requirements into account. Information security and data protection is certainly a topic currently back in the spotlight, as the security of data and where the data is stored is an important decision criterion for many companies. More tools are providing integration of security functions, such as end-to-end encryption, access controls and data protection guidelines in conferencing solutions. Neil Morrison Higher-quality audio is the most dominant trend I’ve seen. Improvements in room acoustics – coupled with better microphone and speaker integration – vastly improves collaboration for all meeting participants. There are more smart microphone arrays popping up which feature active noise cancellation, focus enhancements for active speakers and dynamic EQ that greatly improve the intelligibility for remote users. I appreciate the newer speaker solutions that go far beyond where we were just a few years ago. Past solutions provided very basic ceiling tile drop-in speakers which were good value, although introduced several intelligibility issues for in-room users. It’s worth spending a little bit more on microphone speakers when building a
here are businesses falling short when it comes to their AV set-ups, and how can they improve? Bill Hensley Businesses often fall short in streamlining their corporate audio-visual set-ups due to several factors. One common issue is a lack of integration between existing hardware and modern collaboration platforms. Many companies have invested in hardware that worked well for in-room meetings, but struggle to adapt to hybrid environments where remote collaboration is essential. Another challenge is the complexity of AV systems, leading to confusion and delays in meetings as participants grapple with technology. This can result from a lack of standardised processes or training for using AV equipment effectively. To streamline their approach, businesses can take several steps. First, they should assess their current infrastructure and identify areas for improvement, such as upgrading outdated hardware or investing in software solutions which integrate seamlessly with collaboration platforms. Second, companies should prioritise user experience by ensuring AV systems both are intuitive and easy to use. This could involve training employees on how to utilise the equipment efficiently, while also implementing several standardised procedures for setting up and running meetings effectively.
ould you name some of the main trends we are currently seeing in this market? Moritz Helmchen On the one hand, there are out-of-the-box solutions some manufacturers are increasingly bringing onto the market to simplify entering the world of digital conferencing. As already mentioned, these solutions are good for a certain group of customers, even if
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