Cloud video services spark adoption of conferencing tools
For years, the unified communications industry envisioned video conferencing everywhere. Video, it seemed, would be the new voice, the new dial tone. But cumbersome and costly video infrastructure deployments largely constrained widespread proliferation and adoption of video services. In order to get video beyond the boardroom, organizations needed to invest heavily in back-end infrastructure.
Then, the cloud came. And the vision of video everywhere is becoming clearer, thanks to the evolution of cloud video services.
"We've seen a pretty marked increase in video conferencing," said Irwin Lazar, a unified communications analyst at Nemertes Research, a technology advisory firm based in Mokena, Ill. "We're seeing a strong shift toward cloud video."
Desktop video conferencing and room-based video services in small meeting spaces are two areas in particular where adoption has grown, Lazar said. Cloud video services and providers have largely fueled this uptake, as video tools integrate with room systems.
"It's becoming ubiquitous," Lazar said. "Almost every unified communications application now supports video. We continue to see utilization increase. Companies see the value in using video. Organizations now expect a video component."
In the video above, Lazar discusses these video conferencing trends and how organizations are managing the additional video packets running across their networks. He also addresses the growing interest in video streaming.