MOST tech savvy people are now aware of, if not using a form of video app on their tablet or smart phone. The use of an app like Skype allows us to call home or chat face-to-face with a friend from anywhere in the world where they can establish a connection to the internet. The reality of these consumer apps is that they are simple to use, they blend in to our constant on-the-go lifestyle and most importantly – they work!
The user wants to make that video call in much the same way as making a regular voice call. The process needs to be a simple choice to the user as making one type of call or the other – one with Video visible or one without. What the likes of the Skype app has achieved – it’s prepared us for the world of mobile video conferencing.
The consumer is becoming more comfortable with the concept of “mobile video conferencing” but will we see the same no-fuss embracement of this technology in the business environment we operate within.
To have an educated opinion on this, we’re best looking at the difference mobile working has made to business. As companies grow and branch out across regions, countries and continents - remote workforces and enhanced mobility are becoming common realities in the business landscape.
Companies focus their efforts to bring together colleagues and clients, from diverse geographic locations. Thanks to high speed internet coverage and the low-cost video conferencing revolution, video is leaking out of the boardroom and increasingly moving to our mobile devices and smart phones.
In a recent survey by "Qumu", a manufacturer of video and other digital archival solutions, of more than 1000 business executives surveyed, 33 percent use tablets at work every day. The survey also found that 20 per cent of the respondents have already deployed mobile video solutions. A large number of business executives now relate to the desire to use simple tools and apps at work because they are already comfortable using them at home. Why? Because with video becoming easier and more pervasive, thanks to the consumer video platforms, many of us have experience with video calling in our personal or home life.
In the rush to get up to speed, many business people are asking the question - Why would we take the time to familiarise ourselves with a new and complicated video tool when we already know and love the consumer tool we use at home or on holiday?
This is the reason why consumer grade video applications are bleeding into organisations. Employees are taking liberty from the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement and using their favourite apps on their own devices for work. Company executives are happily, and perhaps unknowingly, relinquishing security for “an easy life” and sidestepping company IT regulations to use products that improve their work productivity. Clearly, for enterprises, consumer technology is the culprit pushing them into the clutches of “Shadow IT” - a term often used to describe IT systems and solutions used inside organisations without explicit IT department approval.
It may have been the case that Microsoft identified this quandary facing today’s businesses and released its long-awaited Skype for Business earlier in the year - marrying the security of its video conferencing solution for business, “Lync”, with the familiarity of its consumer video platform Skype, which it purchased in 2011 for $8.5billion (£5.2bn).
Other well known leaders in enterprise video conferencing have thrown their hats into the arena of mobile video apps. However, for these apps to compete successfully with the growing footprint of consumer-grade mobile video apps, they need to strike the right balance between high video-audio quality, robust security features and absolute ease of use. Employees want solutions that are familiar, easy to use, and simple to access. In other words, similar to the applications that they’ve been using for quite some time now - FaceTime, Skype and Hangouts. Companies want solutions that are cost-effective and don’t put their employees’ or their own data at risk. Enterprise-grade solutions that incorporate the needs of employees, while mitigating security risks, will find a welcome home in the business world.
Mobile video communication is poised to make the jump from home toy to business tool, as young workers step through the doors of our businesses. The next generation was born with these devices in hand. They’ve grown up with mobile video technology and they are sure to bring it, and “the future”, with them into tomorrow’s workplace.
:: Trevor Bingham (editorial@ itfuel.com) is business relationship manager at ItFuel in Craigavon. Follow them on Twitter @itfuel.
