Digicom Technology News

Digicom were approached by Enterprise Ireland's magazine "Technology Ireland" to contribute to an article to highlight trends within the Video Conferencing market in Ireland. The article is of benefit to companies seeking to deploy video conferencing and details what they should consider. Peter Fox, Digicom's Business Development Director gives insights into what is happening on this front and provides useful advice for those considering video conferencing.

Peter Fox, Business Development Director

The strong growth potential of this market which is emphasised in the article comes as no surprise given the savings that video conferencing can provide. As of late, a number of factors have seen the popularity of video conferencing skyrocket such as extreme weather conditions, rising transport costs, downtime involved with travelling and improvements in technology.

Below is an extract from the article:

"According to Digicom Sales Director Peter Fox, Irish companies are deploying larger managed private networks and factoring the requirement for high definition video when considering bandwidth requirements. Video is still primarily used in intranet [internal company network] architecture. If connectivity is made outside the private network, companies are deploying firewall traversal components in order to overcome security concerns.
He describes bandwidth and interoperability as the key issues affecting uptake. The cheaper the connectivity, the more we will buy and the more video we use, the more we will need. remote connectivity to video conferencing acts as a complement to the service. Service providers like Skype need to create a secure video portal to allow their traffic to interface through video conferencing gateways. This would allow delegates to connect remotely to room systems from home or anywhere else.
Any business that requires face to face meetings can leverage video conferencing facilities says Fox, who explains that a good quality system can be installed for around €10,000. Some clients are taking advantage of managed service options, paying for service and support on a quarterly basis. In the case there is no upfront capital expenditure for the client and the service provider takes responsibility for the equipment for the duration of its life cycle.
He describes video conferencing equipment as robust - manufacturers typically support service of the equipment for between three and five years and up to seven years depending on the equipment. Of course, the hardware can operate long after its service life has expired. High definition has improved the experience - the more cameras and large format LCD displays you can use in the one room, the more immersive the experience. This, combined with the factors outlined above , encourages Fox to suggest that while you can never beat eyeball to eyeball conversations, video conferencing can reduce them.
What is most important for a business considering video conferencing is the environment in which it wishes to conduct the calls. Rooms with as much artificial light as possible work best. Calls with more than six delegates at one site can become less interactive. Rooms with glass and plastered ceilings or with little soft furnishing can be acoustically challenging. Most of all, seamless connectivity to the destination really completes the experience".

If you would like more information on video conferencing please click here, or contact us on 01 4600022 or email info@digicom.ie