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Videoconferencing is nothing new in the corporate realm, and mobile videoconferencing is a natural extension of an organization’s unified communications solution. Organizations of all stripes are beginning to use the technology to consult with remote experts on the fly, to run more efficient meetings with far-flung colleagues and to communicate tricky visual concepts in a more effective way.
Mobile videoconferencing is a relatively new addition to enterprise communications technology, and it’s another sign of the consumerization of workplace IT. Enabled by the proliferation of broadband wireless networks and enhanced optics in hand-held devices, mobile videoconferencing is one more app that people are starting to expect on their smartphones and iPads. Early adopters still face some challenges, but mobile videoconferencing is quickly picking up steam in the business world.
Free consumer applications like Apple’s FaceTime and Microsoft’s Skype have become wildly popular — so popular that Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion last year. However, these apps don’t have the horsepower that a business needs, and, considering the vagaries of public wireless networks, enterprise requirements demand the most reliable mobile videoconferencing system possible.
“Enterprise-grade products really have the edge in terms of A/V quality and network performance — they enable a more seamless, transparent experience. There isn’t the reliability in free systems,” says Christianne Orto, Associate Dean and Director of the Manhattan School of Music‘s Recording and Distance Learning program. The world-renowned