Ovum Releases Guides on Maximizing Video Conferencing Investments

Cloud services and a focus on user experience are key to the effective, widespread use of video conferencing within the enterprise, according to Ovum.

Although video conferencing is becoming pervasive within enterprises worldwide, but Ovum believes many CIOs find that the technology does not always reach its full potential.

Older infrastructure, complicated client software, limited integration with business applications, and ineffectual end-user training are among the issues that can prevent a company deriving maximum value from its investments in video conferencing technology.

The Ovum white paper “CIO Guide to Video Conferencing” provides insight into how CIOs can combat these issues.

Specifically, CIOs need to provide a seamless and easy user experience that is available on all devices and networks; deliver an engagement plan that solicits end-user input; establish an internal marketing program to promote the use of video conferencing; document best practices around the effective use of video conferencing and encourage top management to embrace video conferencing.

“In the end, employees, not the technology they use, need to be at the center of the experience,” said Brian Riggs, Principal Analyst in Ovum’s Enterprise Services practice and author of the white paper. “They need to have easy-to-use video communications tools that let them call any device, on any network, and from any location.”

In addition, enterprises are leveraging cloud services to get the most out of video conferencing with minimal capital expense.

With cloud-based video conferencing, CIOs can avoid many of the capital expenses traditionally associated with video conferencing, turning it instead into an operational expense.

This not only lowers the barrier of entry for enterprises looking to invest in video conferencing for the first time, but can also reduce the cost of introducing improvements to an existing video implementation.

“Tapping into the many benefits of video conferencing can be a daunting proposition for CIOs. But using cloud-based services enterprises can experiment with many of the different ways video communications can be delivered to employees,” said Riggs.

The white paper examines how CIOs worldwide can derive maximum value from their investments in video conferencing, as well as how cloud-based communications services can help enterprises cost-effectively adopt new video conferencing technologies.

Ovum is a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

Through its 180 analysts worldwide it offers expert analysis and strategic insight across the IT, telecoms, and media industries.

Founded in 1985, Ovum has one of the most experienced analyst teams in the industry and is a respected source of guidance for technology business leaders, CIOs, vendors, service providers, and regulators looking for comprehensive, accurate, and insightful market data, research, and consulting.