Dec 21, 2015
Virtual Meetings
Increasing Collaboration While Reducing Costs and
Ensuring Business Continuity
Ram NarayanaswamyCTO
8x8, Inc.
Virtual Meeting – What is it?
• Realtime interaction /collaboration over the Internet
• Typically includes audio, video, chat, content sharing and electronic whiteboards
• Participants are connected through software applications
Advantages
• Distance learning and collaboration is a snap
• No need to travel – saves time & expense
• Enables greater scheduling flexibility
• Ability to RECORD and REPLAY meetings
• Efficient, effective and productive
Typical Use
• Academic Institutions– Remote student access to remote expert
• Sales Team – Pre-sale presentations and real time quotes
• Product Team– Product demonstrations
• Distributed team members– Real time collaboration
How does it work?• Software that runs in a browser with/without browser plug-ins• Services are typically hosted - delivered via web browser• Participants interact via chat pane, audio and/or video sessions
and shared whiteboard etc. – Electronically indicate non-verbal gestures (raising hands etc.)
• Content sharing pane that displays documents– Slides, text files, multi-media content being shared
• Any participant can take control of the meeting– Controlled through meeting administrators
• Entire meeting can be recorded and replayed– Automatic minutes of meetings
Why is it Significant?• Creates environment as if participants are in the same location - Provides social connections without having to travel, saving time & money
• Provide expanded/increased access to remote resources (like experts, lecturers etc.) in an academic setting
• Instant scheduling capability - Use of Flash enables anyone to schedule or access meeting from anywhere - No long downloads/drivers, no incompatibility, and (in fact!) no phone
required
• Highly efficient, increases productivity• Ability to play recorded content in portable devices (like mobile
phones etc.)
Real-Life Scenarios• Customer support agents can walk-through step-by-step
instructions with customers• Using Remote Desktop Control, a service technician can take
over a “remote” computer and identify/fix problems• Using webinars, a sales executive can communicate “consistent”
message to all sales personnel on the field at the same time• Remote/online students can participate in live classroom
sessions and interact with professors as if they are in the classroom
• Employees working from home do not need to miss meetings / presentations
Benefits• Distance is no longer a factor • Reduce costs (related to business travel & accommodations) up
to 80% • With budget cuts due to recession and slowness in economic
recovery, real time audio/video conferencing-based technology solutions are handy
• Enable more participants to attend meetings without the fear of cost and time
• Reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact of travel• Cuts down on non-productive travel time• No long term commitment - pay-as-you-go models exist
Service Provider Perspective• Infrastructure required to keep services up and running 24x7
– Redundant data center and network infrastructure• Browser-based vs. solutions that require download
– Platform dependent or independent• Security, scalability and ease of use
– User interface design, password based access and unlimited participants
• Support various vertical market segments that require special features– Education, corporate etc.
• Internationalization requirements – Language, time zone etc.
Challenges• Participants in different time zones
• Technical problems like Internet connectivity, network traffic, audio and video quality due to connection speeds
• Improper setup of tools and not having the “right environment” to run tools
• Some of the “in-person” meeting benefits cannot be completely addressed - can’t replace face-to-face
• IT management to keep up with the software versions that require downloads and platform dependency
Where is it going?• Webinars
– All meetings are web based
• Telepresence and virtual office locations– Why commute?
• Wider audience– Ease of adding more participants (one-click invite and join)
• Synergy with Podcasting and video blogging– Playback on portable devices
• Recent improvements in sound and video quality– Bringing experience closer to face-to-face meetings
• Integration with contact management systems– Outlook, Google contacts etc.