Behind the Technology Behind the Advancement of Virtual offices – Videoconferencing

The addition of a video stream to the audio stream of a normal VoIP phone call presents no great technological or usage difficulties, but it can severely tax the available internet bandwidth. If a normal phone conversation uses around 75Kbps to 100Kbps of your broadband connection, then count on two or three times that amount for a decent videoconference, so it is worthwhile investing in the underpinning broadband connection if video is to be used on a regular basis epically with a setting like a virtual office.

More than a voice call is able to, videoconferencing can link remote workers to the main office in a way that makes the virtual office or a small branch office less isolating. And the cost savings can be substantial, as travelling for meetings can be eliminated and VoIP-to-VoIP video calls are free of charge.

Because VoIP is simply a computer software application, it can also be combined with other software applications in addition to videoconferencing. During the VoIP video meeting, an electronic whiteboard can be displayed on participants’ computers and files such as text documents or spreadsheets can easily be shared among meeting participants and even edited together online, which means the virtual meeting can actually be more productive and ‘hands on’ than bringing participants together around the organisation’s boardroom office table.

Implementing the Virtual office

Saving money, reducing environmental damage and keeping staff happy and productive – all are strong arguments for ebcouragin the virtual office model within an organisation. Of course, not every staff member wants to or can practically do their job from their home, but now that the technologies enabling the extension of network and telecommunications access from a main office to remote offices are both readily available and affordable, most organisations will find it well worth their while to investigate the creation of a virtual office network for all the benefits it can bring.