The case for teleconferencing is compelling, or so some would say. Arguments in favor include reduction or even elimination of travel time and associated expenses. Increases in productivity follow naturally and contribute to faster decision-making, decreased time-to-market and ultimately, increased competitiveness. Arguments against tend to focus on the loss of personal face-to-face contact which can be very important in the development and maintenance of strong business relationships. Not to be forgotten is the cost and complexity of the conferencing systems.
Voice conferencing has been mainstream for many years. Video conferencing has been struggling for acceptance for at least the last several decades but now appears poised to make an impact on the way businesss is done. The price of oil must also be considered, which has tipped the cost equation in favor of teleconferencing, particularly over the last year or so. As the authors point out so well, however, for videoconferencing to gain any real traction end users must be convinced that the systems are up to the challenge. That translates into improved performance, reliability, security and scalability.
Voice and Video Conferencing Fundamentals offers an excellent overview of conferencing technologies, protocols and standards. The book is well-written and organized into eight chapters that flow logically. The first several provide overviews of conferencing services, system architectures, components and design considerations. The authors then get considerably more technical, but not so much as to confuse a dedicated professional who needs to gain a sense of video compression techniques, media control and transport protocols (RTP and RTCP) and signaling protocols (SIP, RSVP and H.323). Chapter 7 discusses the important, if somewhat arcane, issue of Lip Synchronization in Video Conferencing. The final chapter is a reasonably detailed treatment of security. The front matter includes an exhaustive Table of Contents and the back a very complete Index, both of which are absolutely essential if a book is to be used on the job as a reference during planning or system implementation.
The book is enough of an overview to appeal to those managers and analysts who need to get a sense of the technologies and protocols in short order. Yet it is deep enough to be of value to more technical professionals charged with the responsibilities of designing, developing, selecting, deploying and supporting advanced IP-based audio and video conferencing systems. In large part it is an agnostic treatment of the subject, focusing on generic concepts and standards-based technologies. The authors naturally, however, give special attention to a Cisco environment, but not so much as to detract from the overall value of the book for the general population.
Audio conferencing: high quality voice calls make it easy to identify who is speaking and what they’re saying – enabling more productive meetings. Our solutions continue to evolve and simple audios can easily change, mid-call, into more collaborative sessions as the need arises.
Web conferencing: add a visual element to your meeting with a choice of leading web conferencing services. These options allow you to send and receive documents, share your desktop screen and create a more engaging and impactful experience.
Video conferencing: change the way you interact with colleagues, suppliers and customers without physically meeting face-to-face. Video conferences can help bridge this gap, develop and maintain personal relationships – whether it’s through an individual video call or an immersive telepresence experience. Meetings are more personal and engaging as it’s easier for participants to gauge reactions when they can see facial expressions and body language.
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