I must admit our recent exhibition at this year’s Enterprise Connect show has me feeling very “bullish” about the economy and where our technology fits into our customers and prospects collaboration road-map’s. Talking to real customers about enterprise audio and web conferencing and how to truly reduce costs appeared much more relevant this year than in the last few years. I have noticed at lightining speed the proliferation of conferencing technology and the mediums (trade shows, web-cast’s, social media, video, etc.) in which newer innovation was communicated. But again just like last year’s hype, Unified Communications, the hype for 2012 seemed to be “The Cloud” which a good number of vendors including Sonexis seemed to layer into their own messaging. It seemed like the minute more end-users expressed interest in cloud-based offerings vendors heard the callings and unveiled their own spin on cloud services at the show, it literally gave me a head-ache. But too many choices make decision making difficult; public or private, hosted or hybrid, and while the Cloud hype seems saturated with evangelists I truly believe there are a multitude of technology vendors who can actually deliver and support a quick ROI and reasonable TCO when analyzed closely.
Another paradigm that became apparent to me was watching which channel partner can out-do the other and the winners seemed to be the SI’s who sunk the most thought process and money into their booth at Enterprise Connect. I’ve personally been engaged with many of these resellers exhibiting and I hear that manufacturers like Avaya, Cisco, Shoretel, and Microsoft have all expressed a need to want to expand their North American channel. Usually when companies want to change or expand their channel, it’s usually an indication of one or two things: either the existing channel is not keeping up or meeting the current demand or the channel is not meeting the expectations of the vendors. I’m left wondering if adding more vendors is the solution to that or if there’s something bigger going on here where the value proposition of the channel and the roles of the channel are fundamentally changing. Certainly the vendors in this changing technology world are finding themselves really pressured to get more customer access and to grow market share and one of the things that’s happening in the conferencing and collaborations industry is moving to software and in the software world, volume is everything whether in the public or private cloud.
In my humble opinion I think the channel is going to be forced to be more selective and laser focused when deciding which technology vendor to partner with. In the first place they’re going to see prices continue to drop both because software over the long run becomes that kind of a game: high volume, lower prices is the competition. The value that the reseller gets to add is usually the customization and the personalization – so they can go to a company, whether that software is being run in the cloud or on-premise and they can say, “now, let me tune this up for you,”. Once that customer is hooked now they get to come and do that same kind of service across the entire enterprise whether that’s plugging communications into a portal; whether it’s plugging it into the conferencing software applications; whether it’s enabling wireless functionality... all of this personalization is going to be a major place that the VAR is going to get their money, add value, and most importantly increase customer retention.
Lastly one of the things that I noted with vendors and the VAR’s at Enterprise Connect is this expectation gap, depending on the product and depending on the vendor. For example Sonexis has several VAR’s who are traditional resellers and work well with us putting together and bundling “best-of-breed" conferencing solutions utilizing us as a single component (yet vital) in a complex design. And what I often see is that when a reseller embraces a new vendor partners technology (i.e. Microsoft Lync), they may not recognize the amount of work that goes into it and consequently vendors like Microsoft may be disappointed with some of their channel partners who in the voice world don’t understand the amount of effort that goes in to bundling that solution.
A geographically dispersed workforce and clientele requires and more cost-effective and convenient method than organizing and coordinating travel for face to face meetings. Web conferencing has grown drastically over the last 5 years as a primary way to meet frequently in a more efficient and cost-effective way. Web conferences are used for a multitude of purposes including customer training and sales, staff meetings, job interviews, shareholder sessions and engineering meetings.
But even with the convenience of online meetings, forethought is required to make sure your conference is conducted smoothly and is the best use of everyone’s time. With a little preparation upfront, you can keep you participants engaged and get your message across efficiently. Sonexis suggests the following for the best web conference possible:
Set up your conference ahead of time – How would you like your participants to enter? Lecture mode or unmated? Do you want to give your participants the option to unmute themselves or only by the host? How would you like your participants to be announced; by name, tone, or nothing at all? Also, prepare your web conference with your documents, branding, and presentations ahead of time to make sure everything you require will be right at your fingertips and will transition smoothly.
Incorporate two speakers – By adding an additional speaker to your presentation, it establishes subject matter authority and also aids in keeping your participants focused by breaking up the monotony of a single speaker
Provide engaging visuals – To get the best return on your web conferencing investment, be sure to utilize all of the tools and features that are available to you. Graphs, charts and other visuals are a great way to make complex information easier to process but you can also use the interactive whiteboard, in-room polling and desktop/application sharing to make your point and break up the possible monotony of a PowerPoint presentation.
Avoid duplicating your speech and visuals – just as you should avoid reading directly off of a sheet of paper, make sure you also do not read directly off your PowerPoint slides. Instead, limit the text on your slides to a few key bullet points, which you can expand on while presenting.
Set aside time for Q&A sessions – Provide a 10-15 minute question and answer session at the end of your presentation provided it is 30 minutes or less. If it is over the 30 minute mark, you should allow for smaller sessions throughout your meeting either between agenda items or between speakers. This will permit your participants to address questions prior to moving on to more complex material, as opposed to saving all their questions until the very end of your conference when you’ve moved on to unrelated material
If you would like to see a live web conference in action, please request a demonstration of ConferenceManager today!
A growing trend in collaboration services has had many asking the question as to where conferencing and web collaboration is best deployed: in the Public Cloud or within your companies Private Cloud?
The reason this question has come up is in regards to the issues concerning security, service adoption and the leveraging of an already existing infrastructure to reduce the total cost of ownership.
In the past, many companies optioned for public cloud deployments of collaboration services because it was widely believed that the cost and overhead needed to accommodate these services in-house far outweighed the need for tighter security and control. Today that is no longer the case. Because collaboration is becoming such an integral part of the way organizations do business, it is no longer acceptable to have lapses in service availability or security failures.
Currently, the Public Cloud is the incumbent when it comes to collaboration services. This is due in part because most companies are still wrestling with the idea that most applications are best suiting using the Software as a Services (Saas) model as a solution to the overhead usually associated with administering these types of applications in-house. However, this trend is changing rapidly as it pertains to audio and web conferencing. In a recent study published by Enterprise Management Associates of 850 CIO’s the concluded the following in regards cloud adaptation:
Why are organizations embracing Private Cloud deployments of collaboration services?
The conferencing and collaboration markets continue to grow; especially with the inclusion of new technologies, enhanced security, and attractive price points. However, the trend for the largest increase is for the Private Cloud market. This is due in part because of privacy concerns and security, cost control, and the drastically reduced total cost of ownership that can be attained only by owning your collaboration solution.
Bringing your audio conferencing in-house can save time and money. Let Sonexis show you how.
Myth 1- We can’t afford it
Reality-The fact is your company can realize significant cost saving by bringing audio conferencing in-house as opposed to pay the spiraling costs associated with the service provider. ConferenceManager by Sonexis pays for itself within 6 to 9 months and by the second year; those savings will be going straight to your bottom line. And with IP deployment options, the cost saving related to infrastructure, facility and administration are even more compelling. By bringing your conferencing in-house, you can realize cost savings, not cost outlay.
Myth 2- We do not have the IT staff to manage the solution
Reality-ConferenceManager is easy to manager and does not require dedicated IT resources. On the contrary, most of our customers spend fewer than 8 hours a month maintaining ConferenceManager. After Sonexis installs the bridge, customers can essentially close the door and walk away. Support issues can be handled remotely so the solution requires almost no IT attention on-site at all. Additionally, Sonexis offers a variety of managed and hosted services options if even 8 hours a month is too much.
Myth 3- My employees will find it too hard to use
Reality-ConferenceManager by Sonexis utilizes familiar interfaces like Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes for the scheduling of conferences. Alternately, conferences can also be reserved and managed through an easy-to-use web interface, which requires no more technical expertise that is required to reserve a flight on-line. For those customers who prefer reservation-less conferencing (meet me conferencing), it’s even simpler. The fact is ConferenceManager by Sonexis provides users with an easy to learn, easy to use interface that is unsurpassed in the industry.
Myth 4-Service provider web conferencing offers more robust features than I can get in-house
Reality-The web conferencing features within ConferenceManager contain all of the functionality your users have grown to expect from the best web conferencing solution (and more) all with the added security and control of an on-premise solution. This includes audio and web conference management, polling, whiteboard, chat, desktop and applications sharing, audio and web recording and playback, annotation tools and much more.
Myth 5- I do not have time to retrain my end users on a new platform
Reality-ConferenceManager by Sonexis is one the most intuitive solutions in the industry. Our customers have consistently raved about its ease of use. Sonexis provides user and administrator training at time of installation as well as provides ongoing remote training at no additional cost for customers who have continued support on the bridge. Your training needs are met at the time of installation, as well as ongoing with little time or effort for your IT staff.
If you would like to see how easy to use ConferenceManager is, schedule a 15-minute demonstration with us!
You will need a disaster recovery plan for your conference calls. Only Sonexis offers Disaster Recovery Conference Call backup to our customers.
Many companies are jeopardizing their future because they have little to no communications disaster recovery planning measures in place. It is too expensive for many small firms to invest in offsite facilities to ensure business continuity and larger organizations are faced with a diverse infrastructure that cannot be handled efficiently by one solution.
To add appeal to the already compelling Sonexis story, we offer a unique disaster recovery solution for ConferenceManager owners. With a predetermined frequency, we will mirror our customers’ ConferenceManager data on a bridge in our co-location facility. In the event you experience a network outage or major disaster, you can seamlessly redirect your traffic to our facility and maintain your full conferencing capability without disruption. Imagine the peace you’ll enjoy knowing that critical communications infrastructure will always be available.
With your conferencing capabilities intact, your organization can begin the process of executing your Disaster Recovery Plan which should include the following action items:
1. Have an up-to-date list of key personnel
2. Work off of a detailed script during a disaster
3. Test and re-test the detailed disaster recovery plan regularly
4. Each member of the team should be familiar with their defined role
5. Have a list of 24-hour supply delivery resources at the recovery site
6. Include an application list in the DR plan
7. Maintain a current network diagram of the entire network and recovery site in the DR plan
8. The DR plan should contain an easy-to-follow map and directions of how to reach the recovery site
9. Provide a current list of vendor contacts and insurance documentation such as policy numbers
To learn more about Disaster Recovery Planning for Conferencing, visit our product information page.
The best trade show giveaway is discovered by Sonexis, an industry leader in conference bridge equipment.
At an event this year (HiMSS 2012) we decided to try something new. HiMSS is an extremely large trade show with hundreds of exhibitors across 3 different halls. We needed something to differentiate ourselves to folks walking through the exhibit hall. One of your goals when attending a trade show is to gather new contacts and leads, of course.
Looking at the extensive trade show exhibit hours we decided that 5-hour Energy drinks might be a good way to bring folks into our booth and engage with us. Certainly folks would be getting tired from all of their walking.
The good news is, since we at Sonexis provide an industry leading audio conference bridge with integrated web conferencing to enterprises of all shapes and sizes, we felt this might appeal not only to attendees but also exhibitors.
Sure enough, the supply of 5-hour energy drinks that we had for the first day of the 3 day event went by very quickly! Overall for the show we were able to collect 2-3 times more leads than we would normally.
We had countless visitors to our booth that stopped to ask for one of the 5-hour energy drinks and then engage us on what they do and our offering. This proved to be a very useful tool to bring folks in and strike up a conversation. We went on to explain the strengths of the ConferenceManager and how it can save companies money with a rapid ROI and deliver a very low TCO for their collaboration needs.
Sonexis attends collaboration industry events to show our conference bridge equipment
We're going to try the same approach again at our other trade events we are exhibiting at the first half of this year.
Please stop by and visit our booth at any of the following events:
Enterprise Connect - Orlanda, FL - March 26-29, 2012
IAUG - Boston, MA - May 20-24, 2012
Integrated Audio and Web Conferencing
ConferenceManager is an outstanding audio conferencing bridge with integrated Web conferencing that sits on your network under your management. ConferenceManager’s smart, embedded security features keep your information safe from outside intrusion. You maintain control of critical business information and the security procedures that protect it.
To learn more about how ConferenceManager can drive innovation within your dynamic workforce, view our short video titled "Discover the Sonexis Advantage"
Industry leading on premise audio and web conferencing platform - the Sonexis ConferenceManager
HiMSS 2012 was held this year in Las Vegas. Sonexis exhibited along with hundreds of other vendors. The show had more than 30,000 attendees. At the Sonexis booth we were kept busy for the full 3 days of the exhibits. We explained our offering to a large number of visitors to our booth.
Industry Leading Audio Conferencing Bridge
ConferenceManager is an outstanding audio conferencing bridge with integrated Web conferencing that sits on your network under your management. ConferenceManager’s smart, embedded security features keep your information safe from outside intrusion. You maintain control of critical business information and the security procedures that protect it.
Emergency Conferencing and Blast Dial
ConferenceManager also includes Emergency Conferencing which uses Blast Dial to quickly connect first responders in an audio conference. In the event of an emergency, it is critically important to get a group of emergency responders together on a conference call as quickly as possible with minimal effort. When an emergency occurs the first responder dials an emergency number, this creates a conference and triggers a blast dial‐out to other members of the response team. When each team member is called they are prompted to join the emergency conference in progress.
If you would like to learn more about ConferenceManager for Healthcare, download our suite of Healthcare datasheets or contact us today!
Audio Conferencing Bridge Market (North America) 2012
In 2009-2011, research showed a decline in the overall use of service provider conferencing in favor of owning the conferencing platform. This is a trend that is expected to continue for the next 5-7 years.
Collaboration Forecast for North America for 2011
This table contains the entire collaborations market for North America including on-premise audio and web conferencing and conferencing service provider revenue. It is expected that the on premise bridge market growth will exceed the projected conferencing service provider market by a substantial increase over the next 5-7 years.
Why are organizations embracing audio conferencing on-premise?
The conferencing and collaboration markets continue to grow; especially with the inclusion of new technologies, enhanced security, and attractive price points. However, the trend for the largest increase is for the CPE (on-premise) market. This is due in part because of privacy concerns and security, cost control, and the drastically reduced total cost of ownership that can be attained only by owning your collaboration solution.
The Sonexis Conclusion
Enterprises are increasing their usage and monthly spend on audio and web conferencing to support a growing virtual workforce. More and more enterprises will be looking at bringing this capability in house. This positively impacts our ROI analysis and makes it an even more compelling statement. If you would like to see the savings for yourself, request a free ROI Analysis today!
When is the best conferencing solution the most productive and cost effective?
It was recently brought to our attention that most video conferencing solutions have an average ROI of 24 months. This return on investment is solely measure in employee quality of life and travel costs; a not hard dollar value saved by eliminating current budgtary spends. Two years to realize a return on investment for any conferencing solution doesn't appear to be much of return considering our audio and web platform achieves an average of 8 months to see a complete return on the initial investment.
When looking at what solution provides the most product and cost effective collaboration solution for your organizations, you cannot ignore ROI.
What is the absolute requirement for my workforce to be productive? What costs will be eliminated by utilizing technology to achieve optimal performance? What technology is available today that can be implemented with minimal costs; both in infrastructure support and manpower?
Your employees require real-time access to collaboration in order to be productive and to communicate effectively. You need to implement a solution that is cost-effective, feature-rich, and can seamlessly integrate into your current network infrastructure. There is only one solution today that meets not only the technical needs of your organization but also the needs of your IT budget; that is ConferenceManager by Sonexis.
To learn more about ConferenceManager, please visit our product page, request technical white papers, or request a live demonstration today.
Sonexis ConferenceManager provides Healthcare organizations with the most secure, flexible, and cost-effective solution for audio conferencing with web collaboration.
Sonexis will be attending The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in Las Vegas, NV on February 20th-24th. This is a very exciting event for Sonexis because it will allow us to showcase what many of our healthcare customers already know; ConferenceManager provides the most secure and cost-effective solution for audio conferencing and web collaboration for Healthcare providers.
ConferenceManager is an outstanding audio conferencing bridge with integrated Web conferencing that sits on your network under your management. ConferenceManager’s smart, embedded security features keep your information safe from outside intrusion. You maintain control of critical business information and the security procedures that protect it.
ConferenceManager also includes Emergency Conferencing which uses Blast Dial to quickly connect first responders in an audio conference. In the event of an emergency, it is critically important to get a group of emergency responders together on a conference call as quickly as possible with minimal effort. When an emergency occurs the first responder dials an emergency number, this creates a conference and triggers a blast dial‐out to other members of the response team. When each team member is called they are prompted to join the emergency conference in progress.
If you would like to learn more about ConferenceManager for Healthcare, download our suite of Healthcare datasheets or contact us today!