Monthly Archives: May 2011
2011
ZCARE Telepresence Tech Tip – Setting a Custom C Series Codec Wallpaper
ZCare’s Bob Fitzgerald is KBZ’s go-to guru when it comes to putting together video Tech Tips designed to help you configure and use Cisco video conferencing and telepresence systems.
This week, Bob walks you through the steps needed to install custom wallpaper on the C Series codec. Although the C Series codec comes with two wallpapers right out of the box, some companies have expressed an interest in being able to add their own branded wallpapers to the system in order to enhance their presence at each video access point. Custom images and wallpaper can be installed through the C Series web interface, and Bob explains the file format requirements and supported resolutions available to administrators.
Click play on the video below to watch Bob Fitzgerald’s guide to installing custom wallpaper on the C Series codec.
Benjamin Hunting
KBZ Blogging Team
2011
Cisco TelePresence Advantage Calculator Debuts Online
Businesses interested in evaluating the impact that a telepresence or video conferencing system could have on their operations gained a new tool from Cisco this week with the launch of the Cisco TelePresence Advantage Calculator. Capable of providing a custom profile of a company’s cost reductions, as well as productivity benefits and reduction in travel-related greenhouse gases, this Cisco utility is freely available on the web for use by any organization.
Also known as the Business Advantage Calculator, the evaluation tool starts out by asking companies to register with some basic information about their industry segment. This includes the location of the business and how many employees are involved in operations, as well as how many of those employees work within the borders of the country that serves as the organization’s base. The TelePresence Advantage Calculator also gathers details about the leadership structure of a business, such as how many members the home country’s leadership team has, general information concerning the distribution of employees across different management levels and the amount of travel associated with each. Finally, the Calculator determines the type of videoconferencing infrastructure – if any – currently employed by a company.
Continue reading »
2011
Videoconferencing Professionals Linkedin Group Roundup – April, 2011
Joining a Linkedin group such as the Videoconferencing Professionals group gives those in the telepresence and video conferencing industry the chance to connect with like-minded individuals and participate in lively discussions and brainstorming sessions about technology, the social implications of video collaboration, and the future of videoconferencing. With 7,426 members, there is never a lack of something to talk about in this helpful and useful group.
Most Popular Discussions for April, 2011
By far the conversation which gathered the most interest this past April was a question from Bill Moede, a multi-media producer at CESA 7 (@bmoede), who asked how to bridge Skype connections to his Polycom network. More than 80 replies provided Bill with tips, software suggestions, and a debate about the merits of linking low-quality video conferencing software to a high end telepresence system. Blue Jeans Network was mentioned several times as one of the most user-friendly ways to achieve this type of interconnectivity.
Other lively discussions centered on a question from Rui Ribeiro of GÉANT’s (@racribeiro) about the best software suites or techniques to use when testing Ipv6 H323-enabled terminals, feedback for Darren Pitt of Saville Audio Visual (@Darren_Pitt) about ClearSea video conferencing tools, and an article posted by Keisuke Hashimoto of CNAR (@cnareportjapan), originally published by Computerworld, discussing Cisco’s plans for repositioning the umi personal telepresence system.
Top Influencer for April, 2011
The ability of his Skype question to stir up such a whirlwind of conversation makes Bill Moede the top influencer in the Video Conferencing Professionals group for April, 2011. Moede’s question was one of several conversations over the course of the month that involved Skype and its role in a business telepresence strategy, suggesting that he set the entire group to thinking about this consumer-level technology and whether it has true benefits that can be explored by corporations seeking an inexpensive video conferencing solution.
Benjamin Hunting
KBZ Blogging Team
2011
Telepresence Industry Professionals Linkedin Group Roundup – April 2011
The Linkedin social network offers video conferencing and telepresence industry professionals a unique opportunity to connect with others in the same field and share ideas, ask questions and plan out career moves. This is especially true for those who join a Linkedin group, like the Telepresence Industry Professionals group, which has a membership of 1,933.
Most Popular Discussions for April, 2011
During the month of April, some of the most active conversations within the Telepresence Industry Professionals group included feedback about the live performance by pop artist Jewel via Cisco’s telepresence at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas. The live set was given positive reviews for both the quality of the video and the vitality of Jewel as a musician and a performer. David H. Deans, Digital Marketing Manager at Cisco Systems, was the first to let group members in on the upcoming show, and members Ira Weinstein of IVCi (@WRVideoTeam) and Brad Williams of the NAB (@BradWilliamsNAB) were particularly effusive in their praise of the event.
Continue reading »
2011
New Cisco Study On Video Conferencing and Collaboration – Key Findings and Takeaways (Part 2)
Last week, we took a look at the findings of a video collaboration and telepresence study that was commissioned by Cisco in order to sample the opinions and experiences of 6,000 global professionals regarding video conferencing technology. This post continues our examination of the Ipsos Mori study (The Benefits and Barriers to Video Collaboration Adoption) with a more detailed parsing of how telepresence is impacting the lives of workers around the world, and, in turn, the companies that they work for.
There is no question that once past the initial investment required to install a corporate video conferencing infrastructure there are significant savings to be had through the use of this technology. Two of the top three perceived benefits that emerged from the Cisco study were saving money (69 percent of respondents) and reduced business travel (77 percent of respondents).
Continue reading »
2011
New Cisco Study On Video Conferencing and Collaboration – Key Findings and Takeaways (Part 1)
Cisco, the leading video conferencing and telepresence systems manufacturer, has released the results of a new study that takes a closer look at global video collaboration. Specifically, Cisco hired Ipsos Mori to poll 6,000 business professionals in 12 of the world’s most important markets in order to put their finger on the pulse of how video communications are perceived.
The results of the study – entitled “The Benefits and Barriers to Video Collaboration Adoption” – were illuminating. A key finding was that perception of the utility of video conferencing in a business environment is directly tied to the level of experience that workers have with that type of collaborative communications. Simply put, in countries such as China, where 56 percent of those involved in the study are familiar with video conferencing, its perceived benefits are high. In fact, 90 percent of frequent telepresence and collaborative video communications users around the world stated that this technology saves them at least two hours of work time per week, and one-third of those respondents indicated that their personal time savings were as high as one day of work per week.
Continue reading »
2011
Video Conferencing Spending On The Rise, According To Study
Video conferencing and telepresence spending is increasing at a rapid rate in the corporate sector, and all projections point to a continuation of this trend for the foreseeable future. A study by Infonetics has pegged the 2010 investment by businesses in this type of communications technology at $2.2 billion, which is an increase of almost 20 percent when compared to 2009.
Infonetics analyst Matthias Machowinski was very clear in his statements regarding what the study means for the telecommunications industry. “Communicating via video continues to be one of the top trends in telecom, as evidenced by strong growth in the enterprise video market,” he said in a statement that accompanied the results of the study. Machowinski also spoke of the ways that video conferencing has complemented its initial promise of reducing travel costs related to meetings, pointing to its utility in the troubleshooting realm as well as its ability to foster a common workplace culture in virtual corporations and geographically diverse organizations. These additional benefits of growing telepresence adoption helped the technology to avoid the drop-off in business spending suffered by other telecommunications sectors during the recent recession.
Continue reading »
2011
Telecom Professionals Linkedin Group Roundup – April 2011
Linkedin is a useful tool for telecommunications professionals looking to stay in touch with the latest technology and industry trends. Linkedin groups like the Telecom Professionals group – over 146,000 members strong – represent the pulse of the industry and offer exceptional resources for anyone involved in this sector of the economy. Each month, we provide a roundup of the most interesting activity in the Telecom Professionals group to help you keep abreast of the currents that are running through the communications business.
Once again, there was a strong trend towards telecommunications companies hiring in a wide range of different positions, indicating that the segment is continuing to recover well from the recession. In particular, project managers, team leaders and engineers were sought after during the month of April, both in North America and Europe. April’s job openings were stronger than March, which could suggest that as the weather continues to get warmer, more and more telecommunications companies will be loosening the budget purse strings in order to hire a greater number of qualified employees.
Continue reading »
Categories
- AV and Video Providers
- Business Video Conferencing
- Cisco Digital Media
- Cisco Digital Signs
- Cisco TelePresence
- Cisco TelePresence Tech Tip
- Cisco Video Conferencing
- Desktop Telepresence
- Distance Learning
- Federal Government
- Green Communications Technology
- Home Telepresence
- Mobile Video Products
- Mobile Video Solutions
- tele-justice
- telecommunications
- Telemedicine Video Conferencing
- Telepresence Chat
- Telepresence Cost
- TelePresence Solutions
- Telepresence Tech Tip
- Telepresence Trends
- Video Calls
- Video Conferencing
- Video Conferencing Equipment
- Video Conferencing Solutions
- Video Conferencing Systems
- Video Conferencing Tools
- VOIP Communications