5 Ways Web-Based Video Conferencing Boosts Company Productivity

Time is of the essence, especially for businesses of today that are faced with mounting economic pressure and intense global competition. Minimizing company downtime and increasing company productivity consistently seem to be top of mind subjects for executives and business owners around the world. In order to grow and reach far above and beyond any set of goals, a business must make the most out of each passing minute throughout the day.

A major pitfall in business is caused by employees being absent from work and feeling unmotivated. Modern technology such as web-based video conferencing helps employees stay productive, no matter what the underlying issue may be. Here's how:

Too many business meetings - Well, not really too many business meetings, but business meetings which require employees and company executives to travel. Sitting in traffic, waiting at the airport and even spending the night in a hotel away from home causes unneeded stress on employees. It also takes away from valuable time employees could be in the office working. Conducting business meetings through a web-based video conferencing platform reduces the burden of travel on employees and allows them to participate in meetings without having to travel.Adverse weather conditions - Rain, snow, wind, and extreme temperatures lead to reduced productivity. This is especially true for employees who commute to work. A harsh rain or snow storm can force road closures or shut down other means of transportation, making it extremely dangerous and often impossible for employees to make it into the office. Video conferencing provides organizations with a backup plan. From the safety of their homes, employees can communicate with team members as if they were all together in the same office.Cold and Flu Season- One of the worst things an employee can do is come into work sick. Not only are they not at their full working capacity, but they are putting other employees at risk of getting sick as well. Many times employees will come into work sick because they can't afford to take time off. Allowing employees to telecommute on days when they are feeling under the weather will help assure a strong and productive workforce.Lack of communication and motivation - Having unmotivated employees is bad for business. Businesses can use web-based video conferencing to boost employee communication. This tool can also be used to broadcast a motivational speaker, or broadcast a motivational message from an executive, throughout many different office locations.Family issues - Having a sick family member can weigh heavily on the mind of employees. Rather than requiring employees to come into the office, where their mind will be on everything but work, through the use of web-based video conferencing, employees can be allowed to communicate from home. This will help keep their productivity level up and give them the freedom to help out their ill family member.

Online communication, such as email and chat allow employees to communicate remotely, but video conferencing makes these connections more powerful. Video conferencing is a direct way to communicate with employees as if they were sitting in the same room. It provides businesses with the power of increasing employee productivity, while maintaining the flexibility to get work done from anywhere, at anytime.

This article has been viewed 67 time(s).
Article Submitted On: January 28, 2011

View the original article here

VPLS - The Epitome Of Efficiency For Any Goal Oriented Company

VPLS can assist your business to make very affirmative and lasting impression in its area of specialty and the global market in general. Virtual private LAN service has stood the test of time by introducing better performance each day. Today, it is a cheerleader in the global arena of millions of companies. Unfortunately, some companies have been reluctant in embracing this new technology. Below are some of the advantages offered by a virtual private LAN service.

VPLS improves the agility of responses given by a company to its customers. Additionally, it brings with it a clear cut improvement in the overall profitability and efficiency of a company. The third advantage is reduction in the cost of doing and thriving in business. Last but not least is its boost to the overall betterment in productivity and less of latencies.

The rapid change of market situations and technological advancements requires companies to have a system that will enable them to keep up with the market speed in order to respond in the best way possible. In this regard, virtue private LAN service provides companies with a solution with the aid of MAC addresses and layer 2 switches. This is in contrast to layer 3 MPLS routing that is used by IP addresses.

As a result, the company has full control of the routing of its IP. This has the effect of reducing the time it takes the IT department to respond to customer demands and queries. The IT department can also make changes without having to wait for help from the service provider. Consequently, this is the biggest advantage available to any company for using virtual private LAN service.

More often than not, a company may need to change its service provider. If and when such a need arises, VPLS makes such changes easier and quicker than you would possibly imagine. It takes virtual private LAN service 1/10th of the time it would take MPLS networks to change providers. In addition, it is easier and faster to add new sites to the network with the aid of NGN that is enabled by VPLS.

NGN that is enabled with a virtual private LAN service has made companies work better due to its ability to be fast and to improve employee efficiency. It also lessens the time taken to respond to customer needs, demands and questions.

VPLS efficiency has its foundation on the fact that any faults that may arise can be isolated and, therefore, worked upon at the shortest time possible. This has the effect of decreasing the time it takes to troubleshoot a problem in the network. With the proper network setup and the right training, your institution should be easier to run.

The reduction in the number of time a crisis may occur reduces the number of engineers required to maintain the system. Companies will thus cut on the cost of employing engineers to monitor the system. As a result of the reduction in time taken to repair the system, staffs have adequate time to respond to customer service.

View the original article here

Three Question Guide: Does My Company Need Wireless LAN?

What is wireless LAN?

The first question you need to answer when determining whether or not wireless LAN is a must-have for your company is, "What is wireless LAN?" Wireless LAN, also known as WLAN, stands for a wireless local area network that links two or more enabled devices over-the-air and allows for Internet connectivity. In doing so, the wireless LAN allows for users to move around within a local coverage area, like an office, and stay online wherever they go. Traditionally, enterprise employees have been accessing the Internet from desktop computers that are tethered to wall jacks and connect through a cabled LAN powered by Ethernet. For many years, cabled LAN seemed like the most cost-effective alternative to enable business Internet connection when compared to the high hardware costs associated with installing in-building wireless network infrastructure. But ever since the hard costs for components began to decrease in the 1990s alongside an increase in the need for enterprise mobility, many businesses are seeing wireless LANs as attractive, efficient endeavors.

How would it benefit a business environment?

A recent research report from industry analyst firm DisplaySearch confirms that Apple's iPad shipped 15 million units in its first year and predicts iPad 2 sales to hit 40 million units by 2012. According to DisplaySearch, the worldwide tablet market will have shipped 260 million devices by 2016 - and that's 260 million devices that can help workers be more productive if only they had access to a WiFi connection. The novelty of mobility first struck business users with cellphones, but they were originally designed for voice communications only. Then, laptops initially seemed like the answer to working on-the-go - but an Ethernet cable plugged into a wall was still required to get online. Now there's the tablet and it appears, based on documented and projected sales, that companies have finally found their winner. With the right wireless LAN infrastructure for all-the-time, anywhere connectivity, these devices can help enterprises streamline costs, operations and even approval policies through a myriad of applications developed specifically for the mobile workforce and constant access to Web software used for specific tasks like reporting, etc.

What industries are best suited for wireless LAN?

While every day it looks more and more like investing in a wireless LAN installation is a smart idea for idea for any enterprise, there are a few industries that stand out particularly because of their unique characteristics and should be thinking about this immediately. In the healthcare industry, wireless connectivity for tablets and WiFi devices is becoming a key component of critical care - both for patients and staff. The need for reliable coverage delivered through wireless LAN has been proliferated capabilities for real-time mobile patient monitoring, electronic medical records (EMRs) and transfer of information, digital imaging. Since the hospitality industry hosts so many business travelers who expect hotel rooms to be mobile offices, WiFi connectivity is not only expected - it's expected to be free and always-on. Finally, as architects are working much closer with IT consultants during the early planning stages of a new building, new construction is a good industry to start thinking about laying the foundation for wireless LAN. Since retrofitting a building with distributed antennas can be extremely costly, installing wireless infrastructure before any walls and ceilings are up or occupants are moved in can save project developers significant costs in the future as well as increase the leasing fee they ask for due to advanced wireless connectivity.

View the original article here

Role Of Web Video Conference Company In Day To Day Business Communication

In essence, a web video conference company can help you to organize real time meetings with your employees, associates and investors at remote places. Now you may be asking yourself, when free conferencing service is available to manage a business meeting with the help of a head phone and web-cam, then what is the need to hire out a professional web video conferencing solution provider! You are absolutely right as web conferencing is definitely not an option for small business meetings. But it becomes necessary when you need to organize an important business meeting involving large number of people from all over the world. That's how the business management policy and customer interaction method is changing drastically with direct contribution from web conference companies. However, you need to identify your business communication requirements first and choose the web conferencing service provider accordingly.

Most of the web conferencing companies specialize in almost all kind of conferencing solutions, you can assume them to provide support in audio, video and several other interactive types without buying advanced and costly equipments. The desktop video conference allows the higher management body of an international business to collaborate and communicate together for better business prospects. Apart from business meetings, web video conferencing solutions also make it easier for business professionals and academics to attain training session online as and when required. With web video conference company, highly interactive video conference can be prepared anytime with a perfect combination of audio, graphical and visual effects.

Web video conference does not demand much of your time and money. You can devote time and money at your own convenience and would feel surprised to get back worthy results in the form of clearly visible pictures of your conference participants and high quality sound effects. With technological evolvement the fluctuation in picture and sound quality has improved a lot and you can now expect to get flawless web video conferencing service without any continuous technical support. You can also have access to some powerful and interactive video conferencing features like webinar, event conference calls, online presentation, file sharing with world, excel or power point format and much more.

Few days back, web video conference was just meant to serve the needs of large business houses but with the falling price of conferencing service, it is coming within the reach of every business type irrespective of its nature and size. In fact, technically upgraded web video conference companies are backing corporate world with the adoption of advanced technology and equipments so that they can execute business meetings in a smooth manner. By analyzing your business communication needs, you can consult a video conferencing provider to get a most perfect conferencing package within budget. This virtual communication mode would definitely make you convey your business message to customers, employees and partners in real time. Moreover, the rising competition among web video conference companies assures to change the structure of conferencing system fully.

Don't lose hope as you can increase your communication efficiency and reduce cost thereby taking help of a web video conference company. And conferencing calls are going to become pleasurable for you with advanced features on offer from such companies including large conference calls, event call management, sound and picture control etc. Few of the companies also let you manage different phases of your business meeting with the help of an event coordinator. They also provide with user manuals to guide you through the process of registration to adding participants to the conference call.

View the original article here