Is free video conferencing really free?

 When one looks at the video conferencing market it is quite easy to get lost in the dozens of solutions available, most of them having different requirements and offering different services at different costs.

Most of the time one tends to go with a solution that one is already familiar with or a solution that one has often heard talking about. In the video conferencing market these are MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk and Skype.

These are popular because they are inexpensive, most being free, and are used frequently by small and medium businesses as the video conferencing system of their choice. Skype alone has more than 663 million users and 37% of them are estimated to be businesses.

But what many businesses don’t seem to know is that, while these solutions are fine if one wishes to talk to a friend, they are not the solutions businesses need and deserve.

While they apparently provide a service at no cost whatsoever, there are hidden costs that businesses usually discover at their own expense. These costs often hurt companies in other ways than in their wallet and they should be aware of them.

The low quality of such video conferencing calls using such solutions often translates in unreliable connectivity, which often leads to frustration and interrupted conversations. When not getting interrupted, such calls usually suffer from delays and frequent interruptions.

The video quality delivered by these solutions is also quite weak. If one wishes to use video conferencing in his or hers daily business operations instead of audio conferencing then video is supposed to play a very important role. If video hasn’t quality then why use video conferencing at all?

Businesses using such video conferencing products should look for better solutions in the market. They often fail to really provide what they’re suppose to and result in lost clients and partners, lost time and affect the credibility of the company using them.

The purpose of video conferencing is to enhance communications between distant parties. If the video conference solution fails to fill this role then it shouldn’t be used.

There are many other solutions available in the market today and some of them quite inexpensive while also providing the quality businesses need and deserve.  Among them is RHUB’s 6-in-1 TurboMeeting appliance, which delivers high quality video, web and audio conferencing services as well as desktop remote support solutions.

Companies should know that nothing is free and that everything has its costs.

What is the cost of free video conferencing?

When one looks at the video conferencing market it is quite easy to get lost in the dozens of solutions available, most of them having different requirements and offering different services at different costs.

Most of the time one tends to go with a solution that one is already familiar with or a solution that one has often heard talking about. In the video conferencing market these are MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk and Skype.

These are popular because they are inexpensive, most being free, and are used frequently by small and medium businesses as the video conferencing system of their choice. Skype alone has more than 663 million users and 37% of them are estimated to be businesses.

But what many businesses don’t seem to know is that, while these solutions are fine if one wishes to talk to a friend, they are not the solutions businesses need and deserve.

While they apparently provide a service at no cost whatsoever, there are hidden costs that businesses usually discover at their own expense. These costs often hurt companies in other ways than in their wallet and they should be aware of them.

The low quality of such video conferencing calls using such solutions often translates in unreliable connectivity, which often leads to frustration and interrupted conversations. When not getting interrupted, such calls usually suffer from delays and frequent interruptions.

The video quality delivered by these solutions is also quite weak. If one wishes to use video conferencing in his or hers daily business operations instead of audio conferencing then video is supposed to play a very important role. If video hasn’t quality then why use video conferencing at all?

Businesses using such video conferencing products should look for better solutions in the market. They often fail to really provide what they’re suppose to and result in lost clients and partners, lost time and affect the credibility of the company using them.

The purpose of video conferencing is to enhance communications between distant parties. If the video conference solution fails to fill this role then it shouldn’t be used.

There are many other solutions available in the market today and some of them quite inexpensive while also providing the quality businesses need and deserve.  Among them is RHUB’s 6-in-1 TurboMeeting appliance, which delivers high quality video, web and audio conferencing services as well as desktop remote support solutions.

Companies should know that nothing is free and that everything has its costs.

RHUB remote access appliance helps employees work at home

With remote working slowly but steadily making its way into the hearts of the practices of businesses and companies all over the United States, much has been discussed how will remote work and cloud computing in general affect energy consumption and how will it change our relationship with the environment.

There are many arguments that defend the adoption of remote work and among them those that state that remote work will have a big impact on the reduction of the carbon footprint, mainly because of the prominent reduction of commuting and business travelling.

In 2008, the American Electronics Association has estimated that 1.35 billion gallons of gas would be annually saved if every employee, with the option of doing so, would work remotely 1.6 days per week. This would translate into less 26 billion pounds of carbon dioxide being released every year into the atmosphere.

Still there are those who claim, Greenpeace among them, that though it is true that remote work will reduce carbon footprint associated with travelling, it will exponentially grow the energy consumption of data centers, with computers becoming one of the main sources of global ICT emissions by 2020.

However, a report by the Carbon Disclosure Project has shown that companies that adopt cloud computing will reduce their energy consumption. The report says that these companies can save annually $12.3 billion in energy, which is equivalent to an annual carbon dioxide reduction of 200 million oil barrels.

But remote work contributes in other ways to a greener and cleaner environment which are not so immediately perceived by the people, like how electronic documents are substituting paper which is one of the main causes of deforestation, which in itself has a big impact in global warming. Or how virtual offices do not require physical space and furniture and extra equipment. 

In the end remote working will have a deep impact by driving companies and businesses into greener and cleaner practices, and the soon this adoption takes place the better. Among the best remote working solutions available today in the market are RHUB’s 6-in-1 web conferencing and remote support appliances, which are not only between the safest but also among the greenest.

More people are remote working at home

Today, more than ever, companies are looking for solutions to reduce their expenses while at the same time they are struggling to maintain and increase their productivity. New technologies have given companies alternate solutions to common practices and they are slowly but steadily implementing them in their daily business operations.

Remote work is one of such solutions. It is great because it allows companies to keep their workers at home and still working, though at the same time it raises new challenges to the companies and businesses that are struggling to implement it. Most of all remote working challenges the common perception of workplace and forces us to look beyond it.

According to a new Accountemps survey remote working is increasingly being used in companies all over the United States. Over telephone interviews with 1,400 CFOs across the country, the research has found out that 33% of the interviewed CFOs have stated that remote work arrangements within their companies increased over the last three years, with 11% stating that it has increased greatly and 22% saying that it increased somewhat. Only 4% stated that remote work has decreased in their companies.

“The prevalence of mobile technologies and wireless communication makes it easier for companies to support flexible work arrangements for their employees,” stated Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps.

“Although not all positions are suited to remote work arrangements, for those that are, this option can help give professionals more control over their schedules and aid in recruitment and retention efforts,” he added.

Remote work benefits include the increasing of employee satisfaction because it allows them to work from their home environment, avoiding the stress associated with commuting, and companies cut expenses on their office spaces, from office equipment  to the office itself. But while remote work brings obvious advantages to companies and employees alike, there also some problems that might arise if it’s not implemented correctly, like the loss of moral and productivity if the employees are not properly supervised.

Accountemps advises employers to keep their employees close with regular calls and meetings, and to make them feel connected to the work group by including them in team activities and by recognizing their efforts. It also advises employees to keep in close contact with their employers by providing status updates and engage in interaction with their managers and colleagues. 

“Businesses that are considering remote work arrangements should set clear policies and establish specific productivity goals,” concluded Max Messmer.

Equally important is for employers to provide their workers with the best remote working solutions available so that employees may continue to be productive in a home environment.

RHUB’s TurboMeeting appliance enables high quality and highly secure remote support and access while at the same provides companies with video conferencing and web meeting tools to keep their employees close even when working away.