Top tips for choosing a video conferencing solution

Whether large or small, your organisation can benefit greatly from video conferencing. It not only negates a significant amount of travel, saving costs and boosting productivity in the process, but it promotes a new collaborative approach to working.

Here are some of my top tips when choosing a video conferencing solution that’s right for you.

SMART Room System™ for Microsoft® Lync®

Decide on your primary objective for adopting the technology. Do you need desktop/application sharing, visual communications or a combination of both?
Calculate the return on investment in relation to IT costs, travel expenses and communications budgets.
Examine your external telecommunications and internal network infrastructure. Make sure that it is sufficient to deliver the required Quality of Service (QoS) to support video traffic.
Choose a solution that is open and standards-based, with forward and backwards compatibility in order to protect your organisation’s investment.
Examine the licensing model carefully. Can non-licensed users join quickly and easily?
If you’re somewhat reluctant to jump straight in, consider testing some of the lower cost desktop collaboration tools and see how they blend into your organisational culture. Some vendors offer free 30-day trials.
Examine cloud and on-premise models and balance required functionality with your budget.
Don’t forget about mobile staff.