Collaborative Conferencing:
The Future is Now

By Jill Murman Payne

Business LI

12/01/03

Video conferencing has come quite a long way from the seemingly futuristic "picturephone" unveiled at the 1964 World's Fair, in which blurry images appeared on a small screen set within a large TV-like chassis.

By the final decades of the 20th century, video conferencing technology had advanced to the point where large multinational corporations became willing to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars just to achieve a modest level of interactive audio-visual communications.

Today, costs have dropped while quality has risen so that video conferencing technology is now embraced by most large companies, with mid- and even small-sized firms quickly jumping on the bandwagon.

Here on Long Island, businesses have a variety of options to choose from once they decide to begin, or expand, their video conferencing experience.

"For the newcomer, video conferencing may best be thought of as a collection of technologies that unites meeting participants in overcoming the barriers of distance and time, to share information and perform collaborative tasks," explains Randal Lemke, executive director of ICIA, a leading industry association. "Initially, these technologies involved only video. Today, they are as likely to also include audio, graphics, data and the Internet, and involve multiple sites - and are more accurately described by the term 'collaborative conferencing.'" Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., ICIA - the International Communications Industries Association - is an organization dedicated to advancing standards of excellence in the entire audio visual industry - including video conferencing - through peer networking, training opportunities, online information exchanges and tradeshow activity, including the annual InfoComm exhibition. Now in its 65th year, ICIA counts among its membership 2,700 companies and individuals in 56 countries.

Technological advances are only half the reason why video conferencing is gaining in popularity. On the cultural side, business travel now seems to present more negatives than positives: besides ever-increasing costs, there's the time wasted coming and going; concerns about terrorism and infectious diseases; onerous security procedures; and, at this time of year, weather-related delays. Long Island firms can add our region's ever-present traffic headaches to the list as well.

"People don't like to travel the way they used to; business people don't want to get on a airplane if they don't have to," observes Carol Zelkin, a Syosset resident who's spent 20 years in the teleconferencing business. For the last four years, Zelkin has served as executive director for the Interactive Multimedia & Collaborative Communications Alliance (IMCCA).

Founded in 1983 specifically as a teleconferencing trade group, the IMCCA today has broadened its scope to cover the growth of an industry that now includes distance learning, telemedicine, remote arraignments and more.

"I've seen the evolution of this industry, and teleconferencing has changed dramatically," Zelkin says. "The cost of teleconferencing has come down significantly, and the ease of use has increased, which has played a factor in its growing popularity. People all over the world are using teleconferencing and other forms of collaborative communications to continue conducting sales meetings, company meetings, product demonstrations and so on - conferencing is a very resourceful tool."

The IMCCA consists of about 1,000 registered members, and its website, www.imcca.org, draws some 50,000 visitors per month looking to take advantage of the wealth of information there including market research, case studies, informal RFPs, a job bank and, for newcomers, a glossary.

Teleconferencing, video conferencing, collaborative conferencing...whatever you call it, this strategic communication tool is now big business for both providers and users. Most information technology professionals have at least some knowledge of the basic video conferencing systems, which include Internet Protocol networks, transmitted via the World Wide Web, and Integrated Services Digital Networks, which use digital telephone lines.

But what if your company doesn't employ IT staff that can help you make a decision on an investment in collaborative communications? Long Island has several firms involved in various aspects of the business, including design, sales, installations and maintenance. Only one, however, combines all these services in one enterprise. International Video-Conferencing Inc. (IVCi) traces its origins back to 1995 when two young computer professionals, having both read the same article in PC Magazine, decided to start a small business in Deer Park selling video conferencing systems. Soon, they expanded their expertise to room design, so that custom-built units could be incorporated into appropriate surroundings, be they executive offices, conference rooms or auditoriums. Technical staffers were hired to build, install and maintain systems, and a sales team was added as well. IVCi founders Adam Zeitsiff, chairman and chief executive officer, and Bob Swing, president, moved their headquarters to the Hauppauge Industrial Park three years ago; they also maintain a dozen branch offices around the country. Staying on top of the latest developments, IVCi has since added new services including IntelliNet, the world's first globally-available, private, IP-based video collaboration network. This fall, Inc. magazine included IVCi on its 500 "Fastest Growing Private Companies" list for the third year in a row and, at press time, the firm was on target to realize $24 million in revenues, reflecting an almost 50 percent increase over last year.

For all its technological prowess, at least some of IVCi's success may well be attributed to the personal touch it provides with the various products and services it delivers. Indeed, the company has chosen to plant its roots on Long Island, rather than "trade up" to a Big Apple location, because of the camaraderie it has found here, according to Harold German, marketing director.

"We prefer the business environment on Long Island," German explains. "There's a fraternity of new businesses here that support one another and take the time to truly understand and identify the benefits of new technologies." One way IVCi encourages newcomers to explore the vast potential of collaborative communications is through regularly scheduled seminars that provide attendees with a hands-on introduction to video conferencing (visit www.ivci.com for the latest dates and locations).

Experiencing how video conferencing can enhance business communications often draws in new prospects; understanding how making an investment in the technology can save a company money usually seals the deal.

"Several years ago, a simple package linking two offices in different states with a high-end IP service would have cost tens of thousands of dollars in set-up, integration and maintenance," Zeitsiff says. "Today, the same package can be purchased for as little as $4,000. Break-even costs for a video conferencing system are now down to two or three months when business travel costs - including transportation, food and lodging - are factored in."

As video conferencing usage increases, well-established information technology companies are adding these services to their inventory as well. Delta Computer Group in Farmingdale, for example, started as a computer maintenance firm 14 years ago, later expanding to sales and leasing. Today, Delta President John Kamen says that video conferencing is quickly assuming a major role in his operations.

"It started small, maybe only 10 percent of our business, but we're seeing an increasing amount of activity," Kamen reports. "Next year, video communications could represent up to half of our business."

Delta Computer Group has assembled its own list of "fastest growing firm" awards, including those from KPMG Long Island and Deloitte & Touche, and this year added a Cleveland branch to its satellite offices elsewhere up and down the East Coast. In the December 2002 issue of BusinessLI, Kamen penned an article that counseled corporate executives to pay careful attention to the collaborative communications phenomenon.

"Most big Fortune 500 firms know they're going to be involved with video conferencing, and they're starting to explore it," Kamen advised. "Everyone that tries it, loves it."

For newcomers, Delta offers a three-month pilot program that includes hardware and software to help businesses get their feet wet with teleconferencing. No upfront costs are involved, but rather a monthly fee that varies based on the user's broadcast times and bandwidth requirements. Delta has also introduced VMX Live, a new streaming software package by VectorMAX that provides real-time streaming video via the Web.

Smart business people know that good communications enhance the relationship-building that is so important in today's marketplace. The many benefits of video conferencing and other collaborative communications make it clear that this technology enables man and machine to work together in delivering just the right message.

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