While there’s little debate that audio conferencing is still the preferred method for most conference calls, these days companies are exploring other options. One that appears to be catching on is Web conferencing, or video conferencing.

 

With video conferencing, companies can hold face-to-face meetings even though a client may be hundreds of miles away. As more organizations become global in scale, employees are using Web conferencing and video conferencing services to keep their businesses functioning and to save on high travel costs.

Previously, several barriers, including the cost of the equipment and the large bandwidth requirements, have prevented many organizations from deploying the service, Greg Plum, director of product development for The Conference Group (News - Alert), a provider of Web, audio and video conferencing services, told TMCnet in a podcast.

 

“Historically, video has been held back by the high expense,” Plum said. “It would be limited to conference rooms with a view station, or large piece of equipment that was awfully expensive.”

 

But thanks to advancements in the technology, the cost has dropped, as has the bandwidth requirements to run the service, he said. The cost of video conferencing equipment is “much less onerous” and the technology itself is more user-friendly. Users can tap into it with a laptop.

 

“As a result, it is becoming much more ubiquitous and much more widely accepted,” Plum said.

 

The appeal and fun nature of free videoconferencing services, such as Skype, are also driving adoption, Plum said. Such services are helping indoctrinate the benefits of the service across the globe he said.

 

While audio conferencing may be the top revenue-generating conferencing tool, Web or video conferencing receive the most excitement, Plum said.

 

“These are the tools that are the latest and greatest,” he said. “They get the people most excited.”

 

To listen to the full podcast, visit the Web Conferencing channel on TMCnet, or click here.