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Telepresence Solutions A note from Dan Boylan - President, Xerox Audio Visual Solutions Telepresence is finally getting the respect it deserves in the industry today. Too many years of low bandwidth and large data transfers have left many consumers believing telepresence is the same dinosaur today that it was 15 years ago. This could not be further from the truth. Today's solutions offer organizations enormous benefits and savings that greatly outweigh investment costs. But, how do you know which system is right for your organization? Schools have different needs than healthcare organizations. Law firms have different needs than the military. At Xerox Audio Visual Solutions, we use telepresence technology regularly for many purposes. It simplifies communications and saves us thousands of dollars and travel time. Here are some of the ways telepresence improves our communication.
Understand what Telepresence is? Telepresence, also known as Video Conferencing, provides a means for efficient video communication, and decision-making when people cannot be physically present in the same location. It has many of the same advantages as a face-to-face meeting including being able to see each other's facial expressions and body language. It also allows people to share ideas and data, so that it is easy to hold presentations, review documents and make fast decisions. What components are required for telepresence? The minimum required components at each endpoint of telepresence are a microphone, a camera, a codec, a monitor and a speaker. The camera and microphone capture the image and sound, the codec converts the video and audio into a digital signal, encodes it and sends it out. The codec at the other end decodes the signal and distributes the video and audio to the display and speaker. Quality Telepresence systems can provide additional features which enhance the video meeting and system providers can help tailor-make the system for a particular meeting environment or purpose. What kind of network do I need for telepresence? You can have telepresence on almost any type of digital network. Telepresence has quickly migrated from ISDN to IP networks. There are specific network configurations that can enhance Telepresence, however most IP networks are capable of supporting video traffic today and a system providers can help recommend the proper solution. What kind of quality will I receive? As a general rule, the higher the bandwidth used to connect the systems, the better the audio and video quality. With the move towards HD Telepresence systems the quality of video meetings has increased greatly even at lower bandwidths. The days of "youtube" like video are gone! Who can I talk to using Telepresence? You can use your Telepresence system to collaborate with anyone who has a standards-based Telepresence system, including co-workers, employees, customers and suppliers. How will my investment in Telepresence equipment pay off? Many companies are experiencing the value of Telepresence and the quick rate of return they receive due to accelerated decision-making processes, efficient communications, improved information flow, and most importantly travel savings. When analyzing travel savings, it is important to determine all hard and soft travel costs beyond the typical hotel and airfare. Some expenses such as meals, parking, entertainment, and ground transportation are often overlooked hard costs. But, what about the soft costs like the time and productivity lost in round trip travel? All of these cost need to be considered. Is it safe to discuss confidential information in a telepresence call? Using encryption, the video calls will have a high level of security. The encryption process occurs automatically at the start of a video call without the caller having to make any adjustments to the system. A standards-based platform means that our systems are also compatible with external encryption devices. Why is it important to select a standards-based Telepresence system? Standards guarantee compatibility between different manufacturer's systems. When you select standards-based equipment you ensure that your systems are interoperable regardless of manufacturer, that they are equipped with the latest technology, and that your investment continues to pay off in the long run. Can I connect a PC to the Telepresence system? You can connect a PC to a Telepresence system in order to share and show files from your PC to the other participants in the video call. Some systems can share a variety of other sources. Can I connect several sites at the same time in a single call? Yes, connecting several sites at the same time is one of the greatest values of Telepresence. Telepresence manufacturers let you do it easily in two different ways. The first way is through the MultiSite or Multipoint feature, which is embedded in many of the Telepresence systems. The other alternative is with an external standalone "Bridge" or MCU (Multi-Control Unit), which enables an expanded number of participants to connect to the call. Can I see a presenter and presentation at the same time in a Telepresence call? The advantage of Telepresence compared to other forms of communications technology is that you can see the people you are talking to. Telepresence allows you to maintain eye contact with a presenter while viewing the presentation at the same time. What is the future of Telepresence? As more and more organizations adopt Telepresence technology and experience the benefits it brings, systems are being deployed at unprecedented rates. Combined with the advancements in technology, the integration of voice, video and data, and the developments in network infrastructure, Telepresence is becoming a mission critical tool for many enterprises and educational institutions. How can companies foster a culture of conferencing? Build a Telepresence solution that's immediate, reliable, available and easy to use. Be sure to encourage all employees to use the technology. Want more information? Download our Telepresence Guide.
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