New developments in teleconferencing technology could allow us to travel virtually across the globe, walking out of one collaborative space in the US and into another in China.
Using high definition 1080p video and a special audio setup, Cisco created a system that allows you to interact with a person, full scale, as if you were standing there talking to them face to face. With the ability to observe body language and full facial expression, the advantages of this kind of interaction are un-deniable.
I feel like true teleconferencing has not been seriously considered by a lot of companies based on the ridiculous price of the equipment and its notorious reputation for “technical difficulties.” Companies like Apple have done a great job to bring the whole package together on a personal level with their operating systems, integrated web cams and screen sharing technology built into ichat. I personally utilize these technologies every day to collaborate with a flash developer in Germany and a back end programmer in Poland.
Cisco would be wise to make their “TelePresence” systems affordable and quickly available for companies and organizations of all sizes. If they were able to do so, I don’t see how businesses could afford not to invest in the technology. To survive in today’s world, it is crucial to be able to get your best talent in front of the right people as quickly as possible, because if you don’t, someone else will. Along with speed, it is also critical to be efficient, and with no travel expenses, this is one of the greenest ways to get all of the right people in the room no matter where they are.
Continuous advances in communication and technology make you wonder what it might be like to interact with people in ten or twenty years. How instant will everything be? How will business be run? Will we even leave our homes? What will the balance be between real experience and virtual interaction?
Cisco Telepresence Live Event
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Posted by:
Ben Callaghan
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benc@fathom.net
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All good questions Ben. I think there’s a mindshift too that needs to happen. We instantly think of in-person or phone as the most possible meeting options and video conferencing as fraught with technical issues and bad reception. Like you said, if the technology were open to companies of all sizes and became more universal (and surely it will be) than I think we would find that our worlds would get a little smaller, in a good way. And, I like your point on the “green” of not jumping on a plane. That’s something that Apple and others should consider as a selling point.