Minimizing the Impact of H1N1 on Businesses

TMCnet.com

Maintaining Business Continuity with Visual Communications

According to the World Health Organization, the swine flu (influenza H1N1) has reached pandemic proportions worldwide, infecting more than 414,000 people, causing nearly 5000 deaths. In light of the heightened concerns, executives worldwide are being forced to dust off their business continuity plan and revisit their policies.

When the virus first hit Mexico in 2009, many businesses were forced to completely shut down as people were encouraged to stay at home. While some may say we're better prepared for a large-scale outbreak today then we were then, the threat of operations being crippled is still a real possibility and concern.

To prepare, businesses of all sizes are investigating ways to keep their operations running successfully in any situation. Telework has emerged as one of the best solutions to help safeguard against the detrimental impact of H1N1, as it allows business continuity without physical risks of contamination to illness. While telework is a great alternative, organizations must be sensitive to the fact that working remotely can result in employees feeling isolated and processes becoming muddled due to the inefficiencies of conference calls and email communication.

According to Dr. Robert C. Chandler, an expert on organizational behavior and communication during human health crises, "Preparedness and communication are the foundation to any effective plan. Given the widespread risk of H1N1, businesses with the ability to maintain communication via virtual face-to-face connectivity will undoubtedly come out ahead."

Here are three of the benefits of incorporating visual communications into your business continuity plans:

Mitigate Risk

Influenza, including the H1N1 swine flu, is primarily spread from person to person through coughs and sneezes. Tele-work helps reduce the risk of catching and spreading H1N1 in multiple ways:

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W H I T E   P A P E R

Telepresence: Reengineering Business Collaboration

In recent years the need for rapid inter-organizational communication has grown dramatically. In light of this change, this paper will discuss what the drivers are for telepresence; why traditional collaboration technology is losing its way; and how telepresence is revolutionizing the way people conduct business today.

Click here for the white paper >>

M U L T I M E D I A

Airlines risk losing business travelers to new rules

Technology is making it easier for business travelers to skip the airport. In light of recent events and tighter airport security, more companies will be encouraged use video conferencing to cut time at airports.

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NEW! ExStream Mobile VirtualDoc

The VirtualDoc is the first high definition, wireless, cart-based, video conferencing system to specifically address the needs of the healthcare industry, providing portable wireless video conferencing capability for collaborative and diagnostic telemedicine
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Cisco TelePresence System 1100

The Cisco TelePresence System 1100 allows you to easily move between virtual meetings, face-to-face meetings, audio conferences, and other types of business video applications.
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NEW! Polycom RSS 4000

Centralized server for recording, streaming, and archiving multimedia conferences.

The Polycom RSS 4000 Recording and Streaming Server is a network-based appliance that records, archives, and streams telepresence and video conferences to desktops, conference rooms, and more.
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NEW! Polycom RMX 4000

The Polycom RMX 4000 Conference Platform allows organizations to unite teams over distance in any media. From users in immersive telepresence suites to remote audio callers, the RMX 4000 delivers high quality group communication...
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