Streaming Media - 2008 Industry Sourcebook - (Page 33) enabled by Cisco’s in-house resources and technology. The goal will be to sell these advanced communications technologies on a hosted basis to the small- and mediumsized businesses that already spend money on WebEx conferencing services. The fruits of the Cisco/WebEx integration likely will not be realized in the marketplace until 2009 at the earliest. But the long-term impact on the enterprise online multimedia sector will be substantial, creating both new threats and fresh opportunities for vendors that now sell technology that enables the use of web-based video in business communications. As the worlds of web conferencing and online multimedia move closer to one another via the Cisco/WebEx combination, the market overlap between traditional video conferencing and web video continues to grow, as well. Leading vendors in the realm of traditional video conferencing, such as Polycom and Tandberg, increasingly are promoting technologies that simplify the process of converting traditional videoconferences into content that can be transmitted online. And in June 2007, Polycom introduced new products focused on better management of content created with video conferencing gear but packaged for distribution on internet-style networks. The efforts to bridge the worlds of video conferencing and webcasting make intuitive sense, given the market pressures now facing traditional video conferencing platforms. The emerging “telepresence” sector, in which high-definition cameras and monitors are employed to provide enhanced meeting environments, are beginning to supplant traditional video conferencing systems as the preferred high-end solution for enabling multimedia communications for top executives. While it may be tempting for some to think of traditional video conferencing as a multimedia dinosaur, it’s more realistic to view it as a market sector that will evolve to survive. Videoconferencing systems are uniquely positioned to emerge as the cornerstone of business multimedia content creation—regardless of whether the events ultimately are distributed via proprietary networks or standard web connections. By infusing the ability to convert video conferencing content into formats suitable for online distribution, video conferencing systems emerge as more versatile tools for creating and sharing multimedia-enriched business content. It’s a role that is perfectly suited to how companies already are creating online video today. Executives at 68% of the companies producing online multimedia content that were surveyed in the first quarter of 2007 view the “conference room” as the primary site for creating online business communications events. In essence, the conference room—where videoconferencing equipment remains king—is viewed as the business broadcast studio of choice by corporate executives. Less than one-third of online multimedia users surveyed say content is developed primarily in theaters, in studios, or at employees’ desktops. In general, the more active an organization is in using video conferencing, the more likely they are to spend on online multimedia capabilities, as well. Fundamentally, corporate customers do not view “video conferencing” and “online multimedia” as an either/or proposition. For organizations with an inclination to communicate on a video basis, significant interest exists in using both videoconferencing and online multimedia. Of the organizations that deploy 50 or more videoconference events, 57% already are spending more than $100,000 per year on online multimedia capabilities, according to the IMS survey. Another 18% from this group of high-frequency video conferencing users are investing between $50,000 and $99,000 annually in online multimedia technologies. A Holistic Approach The growing intersection of webconferencing and videoconferencing technologies illustrates the increasingly important role that online multimedia is playing in the development of integrated communications strategies for businesses, says Accordent’s Newman. “For the first time, organizations are starting to think about online communications in a way that is holistic,” Newman says. “Online multimedia is no longer a pursuit of curiosity. It’s a technology used to help address business objectives.” At some firms, online multimedia technology is being deployed on a frequent basis. Overall, two-thirds of IMS survey respondents report that their company has implemented online multimedia technology. One-quarter of overall respondents report Application Implementation by Companies That Have Deployed Online Multimedia Executive Presentation Employee Training 64% 58% 55% Table 2 65% Marketing Presentation Corporate Branding and Advertising Customer Training Customer Service IT Support Trade Show 48% 46% 54% 50% Product Launch 46% Earnings Call 35% Ecommerce 33% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% % of Companies Deploying Online Multimedia That Have Implemented Specified Application 60% 70% Source: IMS Enterprise Web Communications Survey, 1Q 2007 WWW.STREAMINGMEDIA.COM 33 industry update http://WWW.STREAMINGMEDIA.COM
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