Why is everyone talking about video conferencing?
Many companies are seeing a Return on Investment in a video project within 12 months. While there are obvious benefits to videoconferencing such as reduction in travel costs, improved productivity and a decrease in carbon emissions there are many additional advantages. Companies are using video to decrease time-to-market, improve customer relationships, provide high quality training to remote employees, enhance their employee’s work-life balance, and make faster and better decisions.
How much does it cost?
There is a wide spectrum of price points available, and the ultimate cost depends on the specific needs of each customer. That is why Tierney Brothers works diligently to understand your business and suggest the proper equipment and services to accomplish your goals.
A desktop video client using a standard USB camera or built-in laptop camera is in the $150 per user neighborhood. A High Definition room system that can easily accommodate 8-12 participants can run between $10,000 and $25,000. A fully loaded immersive telepresence system can cost up to $400,000 per location! Clearly there are options for every budget and organizational need, and Tierney is here to help guide you through the many choices available.
We don’t have money in the budget for technology, what can we do?
Capital expenditure budgets get reduced or cut out all the time. That is one reason that leasing video conferencing equipment can be a great option. Among other advantages, the cost of leasing the equipment is often considered part of an organization’s operating budget rather than capital expenditures. To learn more about leasing, please see our rental information.
How do I calculate the return on investment for my organization?
There are many factors that can be included in justifying video conferencing within an organization. See the ROI calculators from Polycom and Tandberg below. Simply pull up one of the calculators, enter in your company’s general information, and see how quickly you can see a real return on your investment in video collaboration.
Polycom ROI Calculator
Tandberg ROI Calculator
What exactly do I need?
Every videoconferencing system is composed of several basic components. The codec (the brains behind the system) processes, sends, and receives all of the audio, video, and data streams in a call. Every video system also includes some type of camera, microphone, speakers, display, and some means of controlling the call. From the simple to the complex, your Tierney representative will be able to propose the correct pieces to meet the goals of your project.
Can videoconferencing integrate with my existing presentation rooms?
Frequently, customers ask Tierney Brothers to add videoconferencing to an existing training room, conference room, boardroom or auditorium. Let our highly trained team of professionals work with you to get the most out of your current environments without affecting the rest of the room.
Will video work over my existing IT network?
In the past, expensive and dedicated networks to support videoconferencing needed to be deployed at a customer site. A vast majority of today’s videoconferencing systems, however, utilize IP networks already in place. This can dramatically reduce a client’s total cost of ownership. We work with our customers very closely to ensure that their network will reliably support the video application.
How easy or difficult is it to use?
Dialing a video call today is as easy as dialing a cell phone. With address books and recent call menus you can easily connect to your peers and partners with the touch of a button. Tierney Brothers also provides fantastic training programs to ensure that your users are comfortable using the system from day one.
Can I connect multiple locations on one call?
Absolutely. There are several ways to include multiple participants in a call, even if some of the participants are audio-only locations. Multipoint software and/or multipoint bridging equipment can be utilized to get the message out.
What about sending one way video?
Tierney Brothers offers streaming solutions to its customers that enable tremendous flexibility to communicate with large numbers of people. Today’s streaming products allow customers to capture live video feeds and either save them for viewing at a later date or re-broadcast the information live to users all around the globe. For information about our teleconferencing equipment, click here.
What’s all the buzz about High Definition?
High Definition (HD) has brought a new level of clarity and quality to today’s video conferences. Gone are the days of the “underwater” look and feel of a video call. With dramatically enhanced video resolution, crystal clear audio fidelity, and high quality data sharing, a video experience can truly be just like being there. Seeing is believing, and Tierney Brothers has a wide variety of video technologies available for demonstration at our Minneapolis headquarters.
Can we do video conferencing over the internet?
More and more, the public internet is becoming the network of choice for many videoconferencing users. While there is still no “quality of service” guaranteed when using the internet, the fact that it is readily accessible is a huge benefit. Road warriors, home office users, hotel guests, remote offices, partners and customers can all leverage their broadband connections to make video a part of their everyday life.
What has changed about video conferencing in the past few years? Why is it better?
Quite simply, everything! The cameras and codecs are High Definition. The microphones are digital. The displays commonly used are high resolution (no more 32” Sony televisions…). The networks are high capacity. Data sharing is simple and maintains native resolution.
What all of this means to the average end user is that video conferencing is now a life-like, simple, and effective tool for conducting business across the globe or across town.
Can the equipment be portable?
Yes! We can easily add video to an existing room, or place your videoconferencing system on a cart to use in various rooms. Desktop systems are now available to enable high quality collaboration from your users’ laptops. Small group systems can be deployed at trade shows or customer sites for short term use. The options are limitless, and the team at Tierney Brothers can assist you in designing the right system for your specific need.