Ensuring a Quality User Experience
A TANDBERG customer shares his knowledge
This issue, Discover spent some time talking with TANDBERG customer Dave Johnson, Director of Infrastructure Technology at Grant Thornton, LLP. One year into its TANDBERG implementation, Grant Thornton has achieved a $3 million savings and a 29% increase in revenue. How did they do it?
How was improving the work/life balance for your employees an important part of your decision to implement video?
About a year and a half ago, our CEO came to our CIO and asked him to find ways to increase the "Grant Thornton Experience," meaning to improve the work/life balance for our employees. It’s the Grant Thornton Experience that makes this company unique and it’s a strong part of our culture. If there was something we could do to improve that, it was eliminate unnecessary travel and increase productivity.
In 2004, Grant Thornton’s IT department was ranked number 26 in Computerworld Magazine’s Best Places to Work and in 2005 we moved up to 18.
What type of Return on Investment have you seen from your use of video?
As a professional services firm, the only thing we have to offer and sell is our time. If we don’t effectively use our time, we aren’t effectively using our resources – our people.
We are now using video for client meetings, internal meetings, new partner interviews, partner reviews, and new client engagements, especially where we have multiple office locations.
There have been cases where we can’t get to a client because of weather, or travel problems. We’ve had examples where flights were cancelled, but we can now pull together a call and still win the business.
In other cases, the client needs a very specific talent within the firm, but only needs it for about an hour. There is the intrinsic benefit that our people can do more than one thing that day. In 2005 we had a 29% increase in revenue for the firm, and video had an impact on that increase.
What about the savings you have achieved?
We did cost projections early on that estimated the cost of one person traveling per office, each work day per year. With flights, hotels and meals, that comes to $600, times 50 office locations, times 280, which is $8.4 million per year. We estimated a total savings of $24 million over a five year period of depreciation, over our initial investment. We are now close to our first year in and we have a $3 million run rate. But, we are still learning and we are now expanding our use to go off-network, so we expect our savings and productivity gains to go up even higher.
How did you make sure you were prepared to implement video?
Prior to 1998, our offices were run independently, both from a business and technology perspective. Back then the network was only configured to support data. As part of a 1998 standardization initiative, the entire network was redesigned to support data, voice and eventually video. Our goal was a truly converged network based on the then increasing focus on IP. Today, we are enjoying the benefits. We’ve had an enterprise data network since 1998, we migrated to VoIP in 2000 with substantial savings each month by elimination of our intra-company calling charges, then, in 2003 we morphed to video. It would have been a mistake to build a data only network and expect to run quality video over it. The network needs to be highly available and highly reliable as well.
What type of criteria did you have when you chose a provider?
We are very focused on ensuring Quality of Service. When you are client-facing, you have to be. If the quality isn’t where it needs to be, the experience isn’t where it needs to be.
We knew we’d be doing data-sharing, with powerpoint slides, in a multi-location environment. We needed a network that could accommodate the traffic and a bridged solution that could provide both point to point and enterprise wide capabilities.
Choosing reliable, easy to use, standards-based equipment was essential to the experience of successful deployment.
How did you ensure that video would be effectively adopted across the Grant Thornton staff?
Our people are highly leveraged and don’t have a lot of time to learn new technologies, therefore we felt that speed of adoption would be critical to our success. We took a “plop and play” approach when developing our strategy. We leveraged our help desk and assigned one staff person as the primary contact. Brittany supports from 2-5 conferences a day, covering any mix of 50 locations and 4,500 people. Individuals register on our web site in advance for a video call, which then hits Brittany’s queue. She schedules the event on the bridge and coordinates with local IT staff to ensure each event is setup and ready on time. That way, when people arrive for their conference they just “Plop down” and begin.
How have the Grant Thornton staff responded to video?
Our COO commented to me early in our video testing that she finds presentations via video much more effective, due to her ability to experience the expression on the faces of her audience. When 60% of human communication is non-verbal, the video experience is much more meaningful.
What will be your next phase of video implementation?
We are now using video in all 50 locations in the United States and we have had calls with our offices in Canada and the U.K. I expect that our international adoption will grow.
Also, we are just starting to go off-network in the past month and communicate over video with clients and third parties. As we begin working with more non-Grant Thornton standardized systems, we will have a greater challenge providing the high degree of quality most have come to expect.
back to top 
Why Video?
Andrew Davis of Wainhouse Research offers his expertise
The video industry is changing rapidly. We spoke to industry expert Andrew Davis of Wainhouse Research about the key drivers affecting the industry and new ways customers are achieving Return on Investment.
What are the major business trends that are encouraging customers to deploy video?
Enterprises today are increasingly aware that they need to compete on a worldwide basis, to strengthen corporate partnerships, and to improve productivity for all employees while maintaining tight cost controls. Videoconferencing and other rich media applications speed the communications process and enable enterprises to make better decisions in less time.
One trend that is increasingly in the limelight is outsourcing, particularly to specialized services in China and India; videoconferencing improves communications between teaming partners and helps make such business arrangements less costly and more productive.
Another trend is the use of teleworkers, enabling companies to save on real estate costs while employees save on commuting time and expenses while enjoying a “lifestyle” experience. Visual communications between office staff and home-based or remote-based employees helps develop a feeling of “connectedness.”
What are the major technology trends changing the videoconferencing industry?
- IP Networks: IP promises lower costs, easier management, remote monitoring and control, higher bandwidth calls enabling higher quality audio and video, and integration into the corporate information technology mainstream.
- Video Compression: New video compression schemes such as H.264 provide a 30-50% improvement in quality and enable TV quality video on inexpensive networks.
- Firewall Traversal: A new recommendation approved by the ITU dubbed H.460 promises to make IP connectivity between different companies and different network providers easy and standardized. H.460 overcomes NAT and firewall issues that prevent many voice and video calls from connecting over IP networks.
- Data Collaboration: H.239 has standardized the way data sharing takes place, making it simple for users to see the presenter and the presentation at the same time.
- Video Integration: Desktop video is moving from being a stand-alone application to being a feature added on to PBX-based voice calls, instant messaging systems, and even front-line software applications like CRM and ERP. By bringing video into the enterprise workflow, integrated solutions promise to make video for the information worker more natural and easier-to-use.
- Wideband Audio: Wideband audio accompanying videoconferencing provides rich sounds that go far beyond what is possible on the standard telephone network. Videoconferencing systems now support AAC, the same algorithm used in MP3 music players, greatly increasing speaker intelligibility and reducing “meeting fatigue.”
- Streaming: Streaming and archiving functionality provide the ability to create, record and distribute video content easily, allowing users access to the content they need at a time most convenient for them.
- 3G: Next generation wireless networks hold promise for video applications that require mobility, allowing users of 3G phones to connect in point-to-point or multipoint video calls.
- High Definition Video: Videoconferencing systems supporting high definition (HD) and enhanced image resolutions are already on the horizon, promising even clearer and more detailed video.
How do customers get a return on their conferencing and collaboration investments?
The payback from videoconferencing comes in a variety of ways, some easily measured, some not-so-easily quantified. These include:
- Reduction in travel expenses
- Reduction in employee time away from the office
- Faster product development cycles and shorter time-to-market
- Better hiring decisions from wider and deeper recruiting
- Improved work/life balance and hence higher employee retention
- Higher employee satisfaction from faster decision making
- Ability to use experts or employees in remote locations more easily
- Opportunity to expand services to a wider customer base
- Improved ability to foster partnerships
- Increased security
- Increased corporate contributions to environmental protection due to lower hydrocarbon emissions, reduced fuel consumption, and less traffic congestion.
The secret to attaining the paybacks listed above lies in driving adoption of videoconferencing and collaboration technologies, making sure employees know how to use the tools available, and encouraging workers to use them as much as possible.
back to top
TANDBERG Expressway™ Firewall Traversal
How do I deploy it?
by Jordan Owens, Product Engineer
TANDBERG’s Expressway firewall traversal solution is designed to allow H.323 video calls through a firewall while maintaining a high security policy. The technology works by opening up all connections from a traversal client inside the firewall to a traversal server (the Border Controller) outside of the firewall. By opening up outbound connections from inside the firewall to the Border Controller on the outside, H.323 communication is able to flow in both directions, thereby allowing a fully featured audio and video call. When deploying a firewall traversal solution, different factors need to be considered in order to provide both a functional and flexible solution.
Deploying the Expressway Solution
For the most flexible solution, it is highly recommended that a Gatekeeper is installed both inside and outside of the firewall, thereby allowing endpoints from any manufacturer a path to register into the network and take advantage of the benefits the Expressway solution offers. While all endpoints that support TANDBERG Expressway or H.460.18/.19 (the new standards-based firewall traversal technology) will be able to register directly with the TANDBERG Border Controller, other endpoints will not. Instead, they will need to register to a standards-based H.323 Gatekeeper installed elsewhere on the network.
Endpoints inside the firewall will need to register to a TANDBERG Gatekeeper which, when paired with the TANDBERG Border Controller, will be able to take advantage of the Expressway technology. Non-H.460.18/19 endpoints outside the firewall, however, will need to register to any standards-based H.323 Gatekeeper that is neighbored to the TANDBERG Border Controller. By installing a Gatekeeper both inside and outside of the firewall, all endpoints, regardless of manufacturer, software version or support for the H.460.18/.19 protocols, will be able to participate in the network and communicate seamlessly with all other endpoints both on and off the network.
Validating TANDBERG Expressway
ICSA Labs, an independent division of CyberTrust, Inc., completed a public evaluation report that validates the ability of TANDBERG’s Expressway solution to provide secure firewall traversal for videoconferencing. The report found that Expressway technology “maintained the security level of the environment into which it was deployed without introducing any vulnerabilities.” The report further concluded that the system’s core functionality operated properly as designed.
For more information on TANDBERG Expressway, please see //products/tandberg_expressway.jsp or
contact tandberg@tandberg.com.
back to top
In Person or Online Resources
TANDBERG training offers something for everyone
Whether you are able to attend a training course or you prefer to use TANDBERG’s online training tools, high quality training can provide your organization with the keys to success and have a measurable impact on your company's bottom line.
Instructor-led courses offer comprehensive training and certification
TANDBERG University offers a variety of training courses that have been specifically designed to empower our partners and customers with the technical knowledge and practical skills to successfully use and deploy TANDBERG visual communication solutions.
Check out TANDBERG University’s schedule
for upcoming courses.
Online modules offer self-paced training
This basic user guide is a quick overview of the new features in TANDBERG's MXP products.
This introduction to TMS demonstrates how you can reduce costs and save time by delivering real-time information and powerful diagnostics.
Did you miss the most recent events in TANDBERG’s Webinar Series? Archived versions are available.
Customers worldwide are using TANDBERG's Management Suite (TMS) as a way to ensure their video calls are reliable, secure and easily integrated into existing business tools such as e-mail, presence and scheduling applications. In this webinar we detail how you can manage your video network to provide your users the same reliability and security as using the telephone or sending email -- and it easily scales as your organization grows.
Discover how to empower your business to communicate over video with almost any organization using the latest ITU standards for firewall traversal based on TANDBERG's Expressway solution. Expressway also solves the challenge of disparate dial plans. So now you can easily communicate over video with anyone at any organization, just as easily as sending an e-mail. This webinar covers real life examples of how other organizations have applied this technology to gain a competitive advantage, as well as:
- Issues to consider when trying to get through a Firewall
- Overcoming the firewall
- Technologies to help solve your Firewall issues
- Universal Dial Plans
- Security, Authentication and Policy
- Survivability and failover
Traditional videoconferencing, no longer a technology island and no longer only in meeting rooms, is expanding to deliver a broad array of information to anyone, anytime, anywhere -- transforming the way we work. In this webinar, produced by Wainhouse Research, TANDBERG CEO Andy Miller discusses mega trends that are set to impact how companies will conduct business.
back to top
Keep Up With the Latest Software Upgrades
Register your system
TANDBERG is committed to ensuring you get the most from your video communication product. With a Service Agreement, available through the Core Service program, you will enjoy many benefits including regular software releases. These releases are available to you without further charge, ensuring investment protection and extending the lifetime of your product. On average, you will benefit from software releases two to four times each year. In addition, you will have access to all functionality included in previous versions. Products are supported with software up to six years after "end of life."
By filling in the registration form, you will receive periodic information on software releases. If you have a Service Agreement, you will be able to download and start using the new features immediately. If you do not have a Service Agreement but would like to upgrade your system when you receive release notification, your local partner will be able to provide you with the necessary information on how to obtain such an agreement.
Depending on the level of Service Agreement you opt for, other benefits include:
- Help Desk Support
- Online Support Services
- Replacement Parts and Repairs
- Service Contract Management
- Onsite Support
Make sure you get the full benefit of a Service Agreement. Register your system(s) today with TANDBERG online or by returning the registration card shipped with the products.
If you have any questions, please contact:
constantcare@tandberg.com for customers in EMEA and APAC
constantcare@tandberg.com for customers in the Americas
back to top
