Changing the Way People Communicate
Four keys to higher productivity
Many TANDBERG customers are already using video to transform the way they communicate. From accelerating decision-making to promoting work-life balance, visual communication can have a powerful impact on an organization's productivity. Are you using your videoconferencing solution to fully maximize productivity in your organization? Find out how other TANDBERG customers are changing the way they communicate, maximizing productivity in four key ways.
Accelerating decision making
An estimated $297 billion is wasted each year in the United States alone from inefficient communication.* The time we spend on traveling, waiting for materials to arrive, or trying unsuccessfully to explain complex issues over email could instead be used to bring new products to market or solve customer service issues. Video allows all parties to share ideas, show detailed images, and take action more quickly.
Learn how the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency uses desktop video to respond to situations more quickly.
Scaling knowledge
Sometimes you need to bring in an expert. Video allows you to leverage the expertise of a few across an entire organization, without asking them to travel to different locations. Training, consulting, and troubleshooting can happen in real time. And, with video streaming and archiving, an expert's knowledge can be accessed by anyone at anytime.
Learn how the New England Credit Union is using videoconferencing to bring financial experts face-to-face with customers at all of their branch locations, providing a wider variety of services and enriching the customer experience.
Unifying the organization
Having multiple offices doesn't have to mean having isolated teams. Too often, distance keeps departments in silos, disconnected from project goals and a communal company culture. Video creates a virtual meeting room for collaboration, keeping everyone on the same page.
Learn how Mittal has used video to adopt a "one company philosophy."
Promoting work/life balance
Having to travel all day for a two hour out-of-town meeting means sacrificing family and personal time. Using video to attend that meeting, or even working from home, instead of sitting in rush hour traffic, goes a long way to restoring the work/life balance, saving costs, and protecting the environment.
Learn why EADS Astrium employees say they are "less stressed" because they communicate better and travel less.
Change can be challenging, but it can also be invigorating. When the tools for change are this accessible, affordable, and easy to use, it's time to meet the challenge and see the difference it can make to your business. How can you be more productive?
*TANDBERG/Roper survey.
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How Video Saved the Day!
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TANDBERG Launches into HD with New Products
Provides true-to-life visual experience
TANDBERG takes videoconferencing to the next level with the introduction of High Definition group and personal video systems. The enhanced visual quality of HD allows for accelerated decision making and increased team collaboration and productivity.
TANDBERG's easy-to-use HD video systems automatically select the optimal video quality for the bandwidth available. They also offer CD-quality audio, encryption and dual stream support for displaying participants and presentations at the same time. Supporting one-on-one interactions and team meetings, TANDBERG's total HD solution includes:
- Centric 1700 MXP: For HD right at your desk, the Centric 1700 MXP is a complete personal system that operates as a visual control center. The 20" flat-screen monitor seamlessly switches between PC content and HD video calls. HD at the desk allows busy executives to manage their remote teams face-to-face. TANDBERG is the first to develop an HD system for executives to use at the desk.
- Edge Series: Bring teams together into a virtual meeting room to react, plan or create at a moment's notice. The slim bookshelf system includes a codec, microphone and TANDBERG's PrecisionHD camera to easily turn any workspace with a flat screen into an interactive situation room. Edge models include the 95 MXP, 85 MXP and 75 MXP.
- Profile Series: Deliver the true-to-life, HD experience to small, medium and large groups. Add digital devices for a superior multimedia experience. Fully integrated, Profile systems feature the TANDBERG PrecisionHD camera and include the 8000 MXP, 6000 MXP, 3000 MXP and Maestro MXP.
- PrecisionHD Camera: A key component to TANDBERG's HD group systems, the camera features High Definition (720p) in a 16:9 video format, 7x zoom and 70-degrees field-of-view to accommodate large groups. The sleekly designed camera also offers comprehensive image control, fast and smooth video handling and 180-degree pan for complete side-to-side movement.
- TANDBERG Total Solution: Upgrades to TANDBERG's full suite of infrastructure products - including the MPS multipoint control units, Border Controller and Gatekeeper products - provide a seamless and secure solution for deploying HD video. Software updates include full HD support and Optimal Voice Switching for maximizing system performance.
Making video as easy to manage as it is to use, TANDBERG has also updated the TANDBERG Management Suite (TMS). TMS can now be purchased on the TANDBERG Management Server, an easy-to-deploy, turnkey solution for managing small- to mid-sized installations. In addition, TMS now includes the ability to manage systems outside of your internal network, including scheduling, booking, diagnostics and reporting. This new feature further promotes the widespread deployment of video to remote and home offices.
TANDBERG HD systems, infrastructure upgrades and TANDBERG Management Server are shipping today.
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TANDBERG Blows the Dust off of Video
Enjoy maximum return on your video investment
No matter how recently your organization purchased its visual communication systems - whether it was last week or last year - you will want to ensure that you achieve full integration and usage of video throughout your organization. Based on key findings and input from our customers, TANDBERG has introduced a Usage and Adoption online Tool Kit to help organizations and individuals integrate video into daily work situations.
The Kit will help new and existing customers alike by encouraging the use of video and all the benefits it offers. Available in 11 languages, the Usage and Adoption Kit provides a four step guide with tools such as video clips, a comprehensive video communications guide and templates to support each step.
The four steps that TANDBERG has identified most aid in successful video adoption are:
- Securing Executive Sponsorship — It is important that top management promote video and its usage as being of strategic importance to the organization. Having an executive use video in his or her daily routine will be an encouraging example to employees to use their video systems.
- Having Resources in Place — The marketing department, super users in each department, and technical support are excellent resources to have prepared and in place to aide in usage and adoption.
- Training — Employees are more likely to use video if they feel comfortable and understand how video works. TANDBERG training can be found at //support/training_home.jsp.
- Measuring and Monitoring the Use of Equipment — By doing this the organization will be able to evaluate future initiatives, promote usage, and report to senior executives.
Successful usage and adoption will let your organization reap a range of benefits including:
- Employee productivity
- Organizational profitability
- Measurable return on investment
"A program that expands the use of a productivity-enabling technology, like video, significantly increases the value of the technology investment. Both organizations and employees benefit by maximizing the use of their business tools."
— Dave Munn, president and CEO of ITSMA (Information Technology Services Marketing Association)
"We see visual communications as being an important part of the way our multisite organization communicates," says Jean Francois Neron of Reunica. "We want to make the most of our investment by ensuring that as many employees as possible are comfortable with using the technology."
Access to the tool kit is via a link from //usage_and_adoption/login.jsp. Those who register will be sent a generic password and log-in and will be granted free access to the Kit.
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Visual Communication: Mission Critical for Business Continuity
Affordable videoconferencing systems provide speed and flexibility
Concerns about impending crises seem to be increasing every day. Yesterday, it was terrorism and SARS. Today it is Avian Flu. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? In today's competitive and dynamic business environment, companies cannot afford downtime. Some specialists predict that there will be as little as 20 to 30 days between the emergence of human-to-human transmitted mutation of the H5N1 virus and a full-fledged pandemic. This means that, for companies that have not already done so, the time to put a solid set of business continuity measures in place is now.
Can You Afford to Wait?
Little wonder that videoconferencing systems have now become a critical part of an organization's business continuity plan. A well thought out visual communications deployment can keep critical business operations running by connecting employees with colleagues, customers, partners, vendors and other stakeholders.
Unfortunately, videoconferencing systems can't simply be mandated, installed and woven into business processes overnight. And while a well-designed videoconferencing system isn't complicated to install or difficult to use, one must establish the right network infrastructure, management solution, and video systems, as well as ensure internal staff and external parties understand how to use video.
It is sensible to allow at least 30 days' lead time to roll out a videoconferencing system to, say, 500 employees across five locations. Once the network is in place, installing it takes only minutes and using it is as easy as placing a phone call.
Beyond Crises
Fortunately there is plenty of upside to videoconferencing. Unlike many emergency measures, such as sprinkler systems and data collocation services, a videoconferencing system will deliver a real return on investment even if disaster never strikes. Other than enhancing an organization's internal and external communications, videoconferencing offers a host of other benefits (Wainhouse Research). Many of these can be measured in specific terms and are related to employee effectiveness:
- Reduction in travel expenses
- Reduction in employee time away from the office
- 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
But like everything in business, getting it right needs a plan. The first thing a company should realize is that the videoconferencing of today is a far cry from yesterday's complex and expensive solutions. Thankfully, the days of shaky low-res images and unstable connections in the boardroom are long gone. Today's technology combines high-quality, high-resolution imaging and CD quality audio to provide a real-life experience. The use of IP for video has brought connection costs way down so that nowadays you can launch a video call with virtually no connection cost, just like sending an email. And, hardware is now affordable enough to bring business quality video even into the home office.
Integrating Video into Business Operations
The entry barriers to videoconferencing are dropping almost everyday and the video conferencing system is now even more affordable. Aimed at promoting enterprise desktop deployment and changing the way people communicate, TANDBERG is now offering a special promotion of its Centric 150 MXP personal videoconferencing system. The Centric 150 MXP enables users to communicate with colleagues and business partners right from their desks. This is an ideal solution for remote or home office deployment, allowing organizations to stay in touch through crises that might make traditional business locations unavailable.
Learn more about TANDBERG's 150 MXP promotion or contact TANDBERG representative NOW for an initial need analysis.
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