Industry news

Businesses 'should use HD video-conferencing'

An IT expert has suggested that high-definition (HD) video-conferencing should be used after a "significant upgrade" in the quality of the technology.

IT advisor Gartner also urged businesses to ensure they have an "adequate bandwidth" and recommended an upgrade if necessary, as the technology would increase use rates.

The firm believes such upgrading will be responsible for an estimated 20 to 30 per cent annual growth in the video-conferencing market over the next few years.

Its representatives predicted that the move would produce long-term benefits for both customers and the environment as it would decrease the amount of executive travel needed and improve employee availability.

Despite the HD video-conferencing market being in the early maturity stage, Rich Costello, research director at Gartner, said: "It has reached the point where it's a significant upgrade in terms of quality, and it's competitive enough in terms of cost, to appeal to organisations evaluating videoconferencing technology for room-based environments."

Mr Costello added that the technology has reached a price that is low enough to appeal to most businesses looking to update their video-conferencing systems.