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Communications technologies and media are converging. The future is the sum of several independent innovations coming together. One network brings all types of information (voice/data/video) into home, office, and industry.

Audio, video, and web conferencing will be available in more locations. Conferencing through workstations will be the future with those in the conference being able to view the document and simultaneously make changes. Videoconferencing would also be used increasingly for training both staff and clientele.

Enterprises today look for leading edge technology, flexible conferences and deployment, common management suites, highly scalable solutions, secure VoIP conferencing, embedded multipoint options and more video conferencing solutions. Video conferencing therefore spells power of integration, bringing within your reach some inherent advantages.

Advantages
Many collaboration solutions can reduce the need for travel. Besides the obvious benefit, eliminating travel reduces hours of downtime and days away from the office. The second major benefit is faster, more effective communications and problem solving. Electronic meeting tools enable dispersed teams to collaborate easily, solving problems and speeding coordination. The result is less frustration amongst employees, and higher customer satisfaction. Web-based tools enable HR managers, product line managers, marketing directors to deliver consistent, time sensitive, product announcements and video-enabled training sessions on a 24x7 basis.

Evolving technology
The conferencing market is becoming a trend with convergence of Web, video and audio conferencing providing a single solution. One network brings information in all forms (voice/data/video) into home, office, and industry. Organizations are using web collaboration that works on your enterprise network, and helps view and annotate document online. Sharing of applications and demonstrating them live is another extremely important feature.

New technology like 'Real Presence Experience' is designed to further eliminate the barriers of a geographically dispersed workforce. These technologies give a real life feel to online conferencing connecting a virtually limitless number of sites and people. High definition communication and collaboration architecture is redefining the very nature of 'virtual experience'.

Boom Time
The conferencing market in India is set to boom. Besides, ITes and BPO that have benefited from this technology, we see government, large corporate houses, banking sector adapting to conferencing solutions in a big way. Manufacturing, healthcare, enterprise and education are a close second. We also expect e-learning vendors, system integrators, document management software companies, instant messaging vendors, and bridge vendors contributing to a large extent.

Areas of growth
We witness huge developments in telemedicine, distance learning, and e-Government, contributing to the spread of video as part of unified communication solutions. Organizations have used conferencing successfully for recruitment and training of employees across regions.

Web conferencing has benefited telecommuters in accessing information when on the move. With a number of universities adopting such technologies, it has been a boon for the education segment by making possible quality education to students located in remote regions.

Business, educational institution, government bodies, healthcare facilities who have deployed video conferencing as part of their IT infrastructure have realized the benefits video conferencing and collaboration brings to the organization. Regardless of size or location, today's technologies are within the grasp of any organization. Also, conferencing is no longer confined to executive boardrooms. Price reductions and connectivity improvements make it available to any conference room, desktop, or home office. The industry is also witnessing a shift from traditional ISDN platform to IP is accelerating and vendor partnerships continuing to drive the convergence landscape.

Nilabh Jha
nilabhj@cybermedia.co.in