Digicom Technology News

ANZ Banking Group will spend hundreds of millions over five years on technology to attract the next generation of tech-savvy customers amid a spending war by the major banks.

“Customer expectations about what they can expect to do either online or on their mobiles have changed dramatically in recent years and it’s driven by the way they’re conditioned by what other providers do,” he said. “We know that we can’t stand stillbecause it’s a competitive environment.”

Mr Chronican said ANZ’s strategy would involve investing smartphone applications that allow instant money transfers. It would also include transforming bank branches to have more video conferencing suites and better automatic teller machines.

The bank will roll out more than 800 next-generation ATMs from 2013, all of which will be able to handle cash and cheque deposits in real time. Previous ATMs allowed deposits but needed employees to process the funds, which slowed settlement by several days.

ANZ will deploy Cisco video conferencing units to 43 regional branches in a bid to replace roaming financial specialists with a 'hub-and-spoke' approach. The technology is an extension of ANZ's existing Cisco telepresence networks in major city headquarters and provides on-demand access to ANZ's Melbourne specialists from other branches nationwide. ANZ began trialling the regional network in April this year. The system has since been used 150 times by remote staff, including those in the bank's Alice Springs branch, which does not usually have such access. The smaller units, which also provide access to desktop sharing for presentations and application access, are capable of high definition conferencing but will largely function in standard definition with encryption for an average bandwidth requirement of 384 kilobits per second. “We’ve been piloting the use of Cisco’s videoconferencing technology in remote branches and we will be the first bank in Australia to use this technology on a major scale, providing regional customers with better access to specialist advice,” Chronican said.

Australia’s banks are increasingly competing for the younger demographic through smartphone and tablet apps. Commonwealth Bank of Australia received plaudits for its Kaching tool, and ANZ’s goMoney app has already been well received.Banks are facing increasing competitive pressure to make their services mobile. Commonwealth Bank chief information officer Michael Harte recently said that the future of banking lies in recreating the 'old fashioned' banking experience of personalised service using the potential of mobile devices, whole-of-life customer data and real-time transactions.

A report conducted on behalf of Ricoh by Coleman Parkes, entitled Ricoh Document Governance Index 2012, has been compiled from 1,075 interviews amongst C-level executives, directors and other employees in Ireland and throughout Europe. It investigates how document processes – the processes that keep employees on board, cash flowing, and legal requirements satisfied – are being managed, comparing the findings to a benchmark set in 2009.


The report reveals the major global trends impacting businesses operations. These include big data, with 91 per cent of respondents citing the increasing amounts of data they now face as having the most impact on their ability to manage critical processes within their businesses, taking focus and resource away from revenue generating activities. Businesses also identified managing multiple vendors and emerging high growth economies as having a major impact on their organisations, which has in-turn created further amounts of data that they are required to manage.

Crucially, these trends have had a radical impact on business priorities. The research found that in just three years, businesses across Europe, including Ireland, have replaced a focus on cost, efficiency and the environment, with a focus on business risk. 65 per cent of respondents say they have now set targets for business risk in relation to their business-critical document processes, nearly four times as many as in 2009. The importance of transparency with overall business goals was also highlighted, with 64 per cent of respondents saying they set targets for processes to be aligned with overall business goals, compared to just 15 per cent in 2009 confirming the same.

These findings are in stark contrast with the results of the Ricoh Document Governance Index 2009. The focus for European businesses three years ago was basic cost and efficiency, with 67 per cent of businesses setting targets for cost and 59 per cent for efficiency, compared to 43 per cent and 51 per cent today. Environmental sustainability also appears to have been neglected by today’s businesses as they struggle to manage increasing amounts of data, multiple vendors and emerging markets, with only 33 per cent of businesses having a target for it, making it the lowest ranking target compared to three years ago (41 per cent).

“With so much change in the Irish business landscape it’s not surprising that there has been a huge shift in priorities for organisations here over the past three years. In fact, we are seeing the same trends across Europe. Business leaders are now most challenged by the big data threat, managing multiple vendors and also managing emerging market opportunities,” said Chas Moloney, director, Ricoh UK and Ireland. “In this era of uncertainty, reacting to industry trends by diverting resources can increase risk in other areas of the organisation. To prevent this, businesses need to strategically align all critical document processes to ensure all areas of the organisation receive the attention they deserve, are optimised and are prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

Video communications is becoming pervasive and organisations are adapting their internal communications strategy to accommodate an increasingly dispersed and mobile workforce.

Video conferencing remains a key internal communications technology, but IPTV, streaming video and digital signage are increasingly complementing it. In the past video conferencing perhaps was the stand alone AV solution of choice for communications whether external or internal. It still plays a central role and will continue to do so.

The big news is based around mobile devices, and organisations are rushing to embrace the concept of BYOD Bring Your Own device. The BYOD phenomenon is both real and multi-faceted. Employees are, in their spare time, also consumers who are developing an increasing attachment to the connected world that mobile devices bring which is driving this trend. 

Video is the new audio, with the availability of a consumer-driven infrastructure driving pervasive use but it brings with it corporate challenges. One of the primary concerns is the availability of bandwidth on the network and whether the use of tools such as corporate video will swamp the network. However, this issue can be overcome through multicast technology which enables efficient distribution over the network.

 If you would to discuss your organisations internal communications strategy, please contact Digicom today.

Ricoh Company, Ltd. is advising companies that improving document processes such as sales and marketing, customer communications, customer onboarding, service and support, developing new products, and billing and collection, which are traditionally seen as a strategy primarily for cost reduction, could yield some surprising revenue benefits - in fact, a potential increase of approximately 10 percent to the top line based on a recent IDC white paper sponsored by Ricoh.

The reasoning? Improved document processes can enhance the overall experience of a customer's interaction with an organization. Efficient processes, which allow for greater focus on the customer's needs, can have a positive impact on customer satisfaction, which is critical for retention and revenue growth. On the other hand, customers may flee to competitors if confronted by inefficient and ineffective customer-facing document processes.

These assertions are backed by research reported in a new IDC white paper sponsored by Ricoh, "Organizational Blind Spot: The Role of Document-Driven Business Processes in Driving Top-Line Growth (September 2012)." The white paper is the second major product of Ricoh's new Process Imperative initiative for improved information management. The white paper is based on IDC's recent global study of 1,516 document-driven business process owners and information workers.

Deficient document processes may cause customers to defect, the research revealed. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they would be less likely to do business with companies having inefficient or ineffective document processes. Sixty percent said they would take their business elsewhere, and 57 percent said they would tell others not do to business with these companies.

The good news is that better document processes have the potential to improve revenue. More than 8 in 10 respondents indicated that optimizing customer-facing document driven business processes would increase revenue - on average by 10.1 percent. This could be achieved by improving customer communications, streamlining the sales and customer on-boarding process, and improving customer support.

"This is great news for executives who are struggling to prioritize business process improvements," said Sergio Kato, Deputy General Manager, Ricoh's Global Marketing Group/Services Business Center. "No longer do they have to wonder if tackling document processes will yield a big enough return to justify the investment. Especially in this economic climate, any process that can both reduce costs and improve revenue is a win-win and should rise to the top of the priority list."

For more information on Digicom's document and information processing solutions, please visit Digicom's website.

Chief is now shipping its kits designed for integrating iPads into AV environments. The kits include the FSBI2B portable iPad interface, which works with the latest two generations of the iPad. The snap fit is designed for easy removal for the user on the go.



The KRA400B weight plate accessory, also available separately, accommodates the minimum weight requirements of K1-series dynamic mounts. The weight allows the gas spring arms to function ideally with the FSBI2B.

• Chief has bundled the portable iPad interfaces with Kontour Series mounts for fast and simple ordering.

• K0W1I2B -- Kontour single display pitch/pivot flush mount with FSBI2B portable iPad interface

• K1C1I2B -- Kontour single display column mount with FSBI2B portable iPad interface and KRA400B weight plate accessory

• K1D2I2B -- Kontour dual display desk mount with FSBI2B portable iPad interface and KRA400B weight plate accessory

A new report from Forrester Research, "The Forrester Wave: Room-Based Videoconferencing, Q3 2012", uses 39 criteria to evaluate the industries solution vendors, assessing video collaboration solutions for every work environment from mobile and desktops to room systems and immersive telepresence along with the services that support them. The following are some of the key findings:


Firms Look to Videoconferencing to make Virtual Meetings better
In a work culture dominated by meetings that participants attend either in person or by phone, more firms recognize the opportunity to use videoconferencing to avoid travel or to at least make virtual meetings more engaging (see Figure 1). Mobile executives want video for better worklife balance, managers want it to see that their direct reports aren’t distracted, and multicultural organizations want it to foster the trust and improved communication that comes with being able to read the body language of remote team members.



Vendors Differentiate on Endpoint Portfolios, Deployment Models and UC Strategies
The videoconferencing market is going through significant change marked by efforts to make the historically cost-prohibitive technology more widely accessible. After a boom period sparked by interest in high-definition quality and epitomized by investments in multiscreen immersive telepresence studios, videoconferencing innovation today is happening on smaller screens like PCs, smartphones, and tablets that workers use in their everyday jobs. In response to this growing interest, vendors not only have to show strategies that account for desktop and mobile applications — they also have to make their traditional dedicated room-based systems easier to deploy at scale.


Leaders have a Complete Portfolio of Offerings
Traditional heavyweights Polycom, Cisco, and LifeSize cover the most bases. Cisco and Polycom in particular have the most options for immersive telepresence, room-based endpoints and desktop hardware units. All three have comprehensive management platforms, recording and streaming solutions, multiple deployment options, leading interoperability, and options to integrate with popular UC platforms. This evaluation of the room-based videoconferencing market is intended to be a starting point only. We encourage readers to view detailed product evaluations and adapt the criteria weightings to fit
their individual needs.


All of the providers in this Forrester Wave report are worthy of your consideration, and which one you select will have more to do with your interest in immersive telepresence compared with more inexpensive systems, your UC strategy, and your deployment model considerations.

If you would like more information on Videoconferencing products, please contact Digicom today.

The global videowall industry is experiencing renewed growth, with the market on track to reach 380,000 unit sales in 2012, equating to year-on-year growth of 60 per cent, according to a new industry report from Futuresource Consulting.

Parmjit Bhangal, market analyst, Futuresource Consulting said: “Since 2009, LED backlight solutions have been integrated into rear projection displays, negating the costs of bulb replacement and maintenance. However, LCD super narrow bezel displays – SNBs – have been the real game-changer, finally offering a viable alternative to rear projection devices and plasma screens, allowing vendors to drive new revenue streams from new markets, most notably retail and public display, as well as defending their positions in video-based verticals.

“These technological advancements have created a huge amount of industry buzz, dominating trade show floors and commanding the interest of industry press, and now we’re seeing all this potential start to convert into real sustainable revenues.

There are four key markets for video walls: control room; retail and public display; corporate and exhibition; and broadcast.

• Control room is a key market for rear projection displays, accounting for more than 85 per cent of global sales last year and also seeing growing demand for SNB. The choice of technology depends upon the sub-vertical, with mission-critical applications – like utilities and command and control – tending to favour rear projection, whereas the more video-based applications of surveillance and traffic management favour SNB.
• Retail and public display are both dominated by SNB and accounted for the majority of SNB sales last year. Digital signage is a key driver for growth in this category as network owners look to create high impact displays to inform, communicate and advertise to customers. Retail and Transport sub-verticals are both key adoption areas.
• Corporate and exhibition verticals both provide growth for rear projection, though SNB is clearly the dominant technology. Reception areas, lobbies, boardrooms, exhibition and equipment rental are all important drivers.
• The broadcast space still demands both rear projection and SNB products. Rear projection is heavily skewed towards the Asia Pacific region, though still has relevance in developed markets.

“Moving forward, we’re going to see strong double digit growth over the next three years, reaching sales of close to one million units in 2015".

If you would like more information on video walls, please contact Digicom today.


Article courtesy of AV Interactive.