A lot of people would think that when perhaps the world’s most recognizable brand launches a hardware based video conferencing product that will be affordable for just about every business on the planet that it would make the competition nervous.
Well for those that haven’t heard, just this past week Google announced the launch of its “Google Chrome for Business” HD telepresence solution. This supposedly plug and play solution is promising to deliver HD video to up to 15 simultaneous sights and it sells for all of $999.99. (For just the hardware Unit – No Installation)
As a technology integrator and a passionate provider of collaboration technology to business, schools, government and more, let’s just say for us, this news is terrific. Perhaps some of the best news we have heard in sometime.
If you find yourself asking why, don’t feel alone, when we first read the news there were immediate butterflies in our stomachs as we felt the potential implications of the Google jumping into our market, but then we thought about it a little more and realized that Google’s involvement into Video Telepresence isn’t a negative thing, it is a huge positive as it is the ultimate validation of what we are doing.
How many people out there are getting the big thumbs up from Google? By entering this market Google is saying video is the real deal and we couldn’t agree with them more.
Disruption Driving Better Business (Video)
We all know that business video leads to better business outcomes. With on average of 8x better comprehension than a typical voice call, the need for collaborative video solutions has arrived.
For sometime we have been talking at Advanced AV about the shift from businesses outfitting a couple of technology spaces with lots of equipment to more of a huddle room approach where companies are incorporating BYOD and small simple configurations that allow for wide deployments for collaboration across the organization.
Of course as integrators we love doing the occasional fully decked out board room with all the gadgets, but we know in the end if we can provide 500 rooms where teams can meet, collaborate and produce results that we are helping our partners move the needle and ultimately that is what we believe partnership is all about.
While yes, Google is offering a great solution at a great price, we have seen offerings from several of our partner manufacturers like Cisco, Polycom, Vaddio, Vidyo and Biamp that can provide an equivalent if not more immersive collaboration experience than Google at a similar price point.
I think what Google is really acknowledging here is that the time is now to start collaborating more effectively. With the tools they are offering the business and consumer world will be further entrenched in video. Much like when Skype entered the market. At first we were all a little bit worried about the implications, but in the end we realized that more and more people are using video.
So as far as we are concerned Google…
Go on with your disruption. We are here and ready to help our clients and customers take advantage of what is next in Video. With you on our side touting the value of collaboration, hopefully soon video won’t be a nice to have, but a must for daily business communication.
This is a guest post from John Greene. John is the VP of Sales for Advanced AV. Follow him on twitter at @jgreenesix
