Technology plays a significant part in our lives, whether it’s driving our entertainment choices, keeping us connected while on the go, or making it easier to navigate unfamiliar roads. Research and development continues to focus on technology as innovators invest in solutions that solve problems and make our lives easier. While the next logical step appears to be in wearable technology, other areas continue to evolve as well, including the movement toward software.

In preparation for this week’s ITEXPO in Las Vegas, TMCnet wanted to get the inside scoop from industry leaders planning to be on-hand at the semi-annual event. This time, our key focus was on Shelly Heiden, CEO of VBrick (News - Alert) Systems.

Traditional hardware vendors are certainly feeling the impact as the movement toward software grows. For VBrick, this movement is most obvious in the demand for streaming video within the enterprise. As software is more easily adapted than hardware, according to Heiden, it can easily evolve to meet the rapidly changing needs of the organization. 


Image via Shutterstock

“We live in a very fast-paced environment; that is particularly true when it comes to streaming video,” said Heiden. “For example, who would have thought that only a few years ago people would be consuming video on a daily basis over tablets or smartphones? Software has made that possible. And although we still offer hardware solutions for our customers, we have certainly turned a great amount of attention toward the development of software that will help enhance communications across entire organizations.”

The demand for real-time communications and vendor agnostic solutions continue to grow as users become accustomed to open platforms and instant access to video conferencing. This is helping to drive the adoption of WebRTC. While VBrick supports the standardization of online communications, as enabled with WebRTC, Heiden believes it’s still too soon to anticipate the impact it will have on the market overall. Still, the potential for video in business communications is extremely high.

Said Heiden, “Obviously as a provider of video solutions we use video quite often for our own purposes. It’s proven to be a particularly useful communications tool, particularly since we’re a growing organization with offices around the world. It helps our various teams collaborate on projects in a much more effective and efficient manner. It also allows managers to better communicate with people who work remotely or in various offices.”

While relying on such communications, companies want to ensure they have the top of the line when it comes to security. The latest monitoring of communications by NSA with its PRISM program has garnered much in the way of criticism, putting some companies on high alert to ensure they can protect their information and their users. For companies like VBrick that serve entities and the government, security has to be of the highest standard, especially as more and more organizations adopt BYOD.

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon continues to sweep the nation, from large corporations to the small business to even the government agency. This trend has had a significant impact on VBrick as the demand for visual communications is a key part of this movement. In the very near future, the company plans to release solutions that directly respond to the enterprises’ need for mobile video management.

For Heiden, this extends beyond the enterprise as mobility and access to key applications are key when using a laptop, smartphone and tablet at various times depending upon need. In the mobile market overall, Apple (News - Alert) and Samsung appear to be in intense battle. Heiden believes there is room for different players as choice and competition have driven the growth of the smartphone industry this far. There appears to be no reason why this cannot or should not continue.

Along with mobility, the cloud continues to dominate many a conversation in the telecommunications space. More often than not, companies are examining their options for adopting the cloud and how they can benefit from migration. For VBrick, the cloud is an important investment.

“Cloud is extremely important to our business model, said Heiden. “It’s made it exceedingly easy for users to create and broadcast live and pre-recorded video or presentations to just about anyone. The ability to store and access video communications through the cloud is critical to many of our customers, especially those who have a number of employees or partners who are geographically dispersed. We offer a cloud-based service, VBOSS, which allows users to watch from anywhere, via any device, through a great content delivery network. Videos can be broadcast to thousands of viewers simultaneously, very easily.” 

Technology innovations continue to impact our lives, either adding value to the things we do or changing them altogether. For many, they have created an opportunity to achieve the optimal work/life balance. For others, it has enabled who new industries with new jobs, new products and new opportunities. The impact is felt far and wide and continued investments are being made dependent upon user behaviors, demand and global trends.

When asked what recent tech innovation will have the greatest impact on our lives, Heiden replied, “I think there’s a combination of things. First, I think today’s mobile devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, are already having a significant impact on just about every aspect of our lives, from personal to business. Video will also continue to have a huge impact on our lives, just as it has since the invention of the television. 

We’re already seeing amazing things that no one could have dreamed of even 10 years ago, things like being able to do seamless video calls with friends, family members and colleagues, even if they’re thousands of miles away. In fact, I would argue that both video and mobile devices are tied directly together, and the advances in one will greatly impact the advances in the other.”

The impact video will have in the coming years will be an interesting story to follow. For Heiden, it is one area of interest at this week’s ITEXPO (News - Alert). With, “Enterprise Video: The Future is Here,” Heiden suggests the future is already here.