The Video Conference Buying Checklist

Purchasing a video conference system isn’t as simple as “one size fits all”. When choosing the best video conferencing system for your needs and goals, there are many factors to consider. Use the checklist of questions below to help you determine the best video conference solution for your firm:

• Do you need to see and speak to colleagues at their home office or at their desk?
• Will you need to communicate visually with partners, customers, suppliers, or outsiders that are not within your firewall?
• What is the quantity of sites that will need to be connected in a single meeting?
• What information will need to be exchanged during your conference (multimedia, spreadsheets, product details, or sensitive information)?
• Will you need to combine video conferencing with other tools (scheduling applications, Instant Messenger, 3G phones, IP phones, or other conferencing systems)?
• Do you require high definition video conferencing or telepresence?
• Do you need to stream video calls or record trainings and CEO briefings?
• What is the number of people participating in each type of video conference meeting?
• What is the maximum number of calls that can occur at once?
• What is the ideal bandwidth for your conference?
• Would you prefer a fully integrated video conference system or use an existing monitor?
• How will your return on investment be measured and reported?

The Video Conference Buying Checklist helps compare characteristics of video conferencing systems to your specific needs. Evaluating factors such as quality of audio and video, reliability of calls, user-friendliness, integration and interoperability, and long term investment will help determine the video conferencing system that is right for you. And to further help you determine the correct solution for your needs, below are a few answers to commonly asked questions:

Video Conference Facts vs. Myth

Myth: Video conferencing systems use too much bandwidth

Fact: Depending on the requirements of a meeting (e.g., executive meeting, weekly project updates, customer meeting, etc.), video calls can be and are placed at a variety of different bandwidths. Now even the high definition video conferencing solutions are able to take place at low bandwidths.

Myth: Video conference systems are expensive

Fact: Organizations can expect to achieve a complete Return on Investment (ROI) within a 6 to 24 month period and in certain instances, the solution can pay for itself by replacing one week long training or business trip. Additionally, as quality of video conferencing systems continually increase, the initial equipment and installation purchase cost are continually decreasing. It is also very important to take into account the other major costs of travel, including productivity and opportunity loss, the environmental travel cost of carbon emissions, the emotional and physical wear and tear on an employee from jet lag and being away from friends and family.

Myth: Video conferencing meetings can only be held within my organization – I can’t include suppliers and customers

Fact: Any standards-based video conference system allows individuals and teams to collaborate over video in just about any environment – a coffee shop with WiFi, a home office, a boardroom, etc.

Myth & Fact: Video conference systems from different manufacturers cannot connect together

Fact: Most standards-based video conference systems interoperate together and support both high definition and standard definition systems working together. In order to ensure you don’t run into a problem with interoperability with your video conferencing systems and to ensure a long-term value for your investment, you should purchase a video conferencing system that utilizes standards-based technologies (H.239 sharing, H.264 video, AES encryption, etc.).