Link Asea

Various forms of ICT based collaboration are more the norm these days, but especially with the wide range of low cost web-based services available, there is also skepticism in some quarters on cost/benefit of high quality video conferencing services. Among the arguments: VC infrastructure is costly; Video quality is often not good enough to substitute for a face to face meeting; If you really want to see a video of the person, why not use skype.? etc.

This report published by the Aberdeen Group http://www.aberdeen.com/about_us/ provides some valuable insights. It provides a brief overview of VC technology including telepresence, and presents the results of a survey of some 170 enterprises (including public sector) conducted last year. The research tries to correlate the performance of these enterprises within their own spheres with the use of VC or other ICT based collaboration tools. The most striking statistic: 82% of enterprises that were ranked "best in class" were effective users of virtual meetings and meeting collaboration tools. This contrasts with 63% of enterprises that were ranked as "Industry average" using these tools. The best companies also ensured that nearly all staff had access to these tools on their desk tops.