Vendors push integrated conferencing

Vendors are putting video, audio and web conferencing into one package in the hope of gaining widespread corporate support.

Conferencing equipment company Polycom is shipping Polycom Office, a collaboration system bringing together conferencing and data sharing.

Simplicity of use is the key, according to the company. "It has to be as easy as using a TV remote control to make it attractive," said Glynn Jones, vice president for central Europe. "That is what we are aiming for with Polycom Office."

In its early days, video conferencing in particular was hugely expensive, poor quality and lacked standards for communication. These drawbacks were subsequently addressed, but not before many had been put off.

Andrew Miller, chief executive at rival Tandberg, told analysts Wainhouse Research: "The industry is poised to move beyond the traditional confines of video conferencing and move aggressively into a more integrated and collaborative solutions mix driven by vertical industries."

Distance learning in schools and colleges has already worked as a way round teacher skills shortages, and provides some industries with an alternative to travelling to training courses. So-called tele-medicine is growing for similar reasons.

But the conferencing companies need to stay focused, according to Jones. "Companies nowadays are looking for business benefits, better productivity and genuine cost savings," he said.

Web conferencing is mainly offered as a service by telecoms providers, and typically involves temporary log-in by phone for the audio element while viewing a website. Slides are usually displayed as the presenter speaks, with interaction either by phone, keyboard or mouse.

But with products like Polycom Office, companies can control their own web conferences and call ad hoc meetings involving a large number of participants.