It’s the way we all now meet and collaborate, but just how do enterprises ensure they are planning correctly for the next iteration of videoconferencing?

From multiple camera sets-ups to reconfigured meeting rooms; light-touch control systems to all-important device certification – there are plenty of bases to cover in order to maximize return on investment.

Here, Jose Rincon, Head of Product Management and Customer Success at leading video conferencing solution provider AVer Europe, reveals the top 10 trends that enterprises and their Managed Service Provider partners should have front of mind as this most ubiquitous of technologies continues to shape how the world works…

Collaboration

It began as a way of continuing to stage meetings during the pandemic, but now we do pretty much everything over video. Collaboration – teamworking, planning, managing projects – it’s all now possible without the need to travel and meet in person. The key to a better participant experience is to have a separate whiteboard camera. This enables everyone to brainstorm together and for everyone to see the organiser populating the whiteboard with ideas and comments. The AVer whiteboard camera is extra clever because it makes the image of the presenter transparent when using Microsoft Teams, so that everything written on the whiteboard is laid over their body and everyone reads it by kind of seeing through them. It’s a really cool feature which enhances participants’ engagement. ‘Visualizer’ cameras are also becoming more in demand. They enable you to show physical objects or documents that are not in digital form. For example, an architect showing a model of a building or a fashion designer showing an item of clothing. It’s more effective collaboration made easy.

Multiple Cameras

The back-end technology makes multiple meeting cameras an easy thing to deploy but, to date, controlling them has been complicated for users who are not technologists. Adding a matrix box to a set-up gives meeting organisers the ability to easily select particular cameras and switch between them whenever they want. The matrix is a small box which connects cameras to a laptop via USB or HDMI cable. It provides the ability to choose different meeting screen layouts, combining different cameras at different times. Imagine a virtual classroom with a teacher who wants several pupils to be on several separate cameras, plus another pupil to be showing something via a visualizer camera, plus everyone in the session to see the whole room on a wide angle. In the past, that was very complex and an expert from the IT department needed to be in the room. With a matrix box it is very simple.

Integration

Of course, cameras need to integrate with microphones, and they both must integrate with a laptop. But what about integrating the lighting in the room? Or the blinds at the windows? Or the Do Not Disturb sign on the wall outside? Users are now asking for the start of a meeting to automatically trigger other actions that will enhance the experience. When they start a meeting, they want the lighting to change or the curtains to close. It is even possible for sensors to assess the air quality inside a meeting room and activate the air conditioning in response to the number of people physically present. Then there is speaker volume, camera latency, background settings, on-screen logos or imagery – it can all be integrated so that it is all synchronized whenever the meeting starts.

Control

As videoconferencing functionality gets smarter, controlling it all must get simpler. Many organizations are investing in a control system which provides an easy-to-use and intuitive interface. It can be a touch-screen or a small console that gives the ability to turn on, choose cameras, select preferences, and activate specific hardware and software functionality with just a few clicks. The same controller can be integrated with an organization’s meeting room booking system – a complete one-device solution which can help make staging and running meetings smoother and more efficient.

Meeting Equity

When there are lots of people in a meeting, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with who is speaking. It is best practice to invest in ‘speaker tracking’ technology which automatically focuses on participants who are talking. Image composition is also very important. The AVer solution cleverly crops the faces of all participants and arranges them in a grid or other chosen layout so that everyone is of the same proportion on screen. It makes things very easy on the eye and, when a participant is talking, they are automatically given prominence.

Inclusion

Being able to easily join a meeting and quickly participate is super-important. There should be no need to touch anything; preferences and set-ups should configured and the camera should automatically frame everyone perfectly, regardless of whether just one or multiple cameras are in play. When a participant wants to speak they should be able to raise their hand and the camera’s gesture control AI should automatically react by zooming in when they begin to talk. When they want to stop the focus, they make another gesture and framing returns. It’s all about making the meeting experience as frictionless as possible.

Management

Enabling organizations’ IT managers to have full control over their videoconferencing system – without the need for any additional external outsourcing – delivers maximum possible efficiency and return on investment. That means having full control of cameras and microphones as well as all of the associated software and cloud platform back-end. They are able to easily perform any required updates, configure settings, and manage any issues or emergencies themselves.

Analytics

AVer cameras provide user organizations with a host of important and useful information to help them work effectively and efficiently. For example, how many participants are in a virtual meeting or a physical meeting room, how long the camera has been streaming, the average duration of a meeting, and to what extent the multiple technologies are being deployed. This supports better meeting room planning and management and can also help hugely in the physical configuration of meeting spaces or the refurbishment of buildings.

Spaces

The places in which we work have changed dramatically, and videoconferencing technology has responded brilliantly. The space influences the type of optimum set-up – from small booths for one or two people, to rooms for up to six people, and then large spaces, such as boardrooms, cafeterias and open-plan reception areas. For example, certain cameras are good for small spaces because they can handle darker, enclosed environments. Most organizations choose to have a mix of AV-equipped spaces, and that is definitely the correct approach. AVer offers ‘audio fence’ functionality – a virtual sound-proofing of an area which filters out any background or surrounding noise. AVer is particularly strong in very large, multi-camera environments such as auditoria, lecture theatres and classrooms.

Certification

Finally, it’s crucial that organizations’ videoconferencing hardware is certified by all of the major meeting and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet. All of AVer’s products and solutions are certified, and we think it makes all the difference because they match all of the platform providers’ standards and specifications. A high-quality meeting experience is assured.

To learn more about how AVer Europe can help your and your customers’ businesses get the most from videoconferencing, click here.



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