Posted by Nancy Knowlton | President and CEO of Nureva Inc.
Then: complicated equals costly
Times were when audio conferencing systems were complex. All of the products on the market had multiple components that needed to be installed by a qualified technician, someone trained by the manufacturer on proper techniques. They had to be programmed to the unique aspects of the room, again by a qualified technician. Human input to get these systems up and running (and to keep them running) was considerable, and that showed in the price to be paid for those systems and the time it took to get them into service.
Now: better technology equals lower costs
Things are different today. System components can be integrated into a single element, making installation a breeze, something an IT department can do on its own. Technology itself can carry the configuration load — at system installation and continuously thereafter. This, too, is reflected in the price to be paid for audio conferencing systems today.
Ask the questions that could lead to big savings
Is your integrator bringing these new system options to you? Are they helping you learn about new solutions that do things differently and less expensively? Are they highlighting the changes in technology that offer some important advances over beamforming and other traditional technologies? Are they encouraging you to hear a demo or evaluate the systems?
Or are they sticking with the older technology because it’s tried and true, something that they have been installing for you for some number of years? Do you get the sense that they’re just a step behind technology developments? Are you bringing new products and technologies to them and asking them to get them for you?
These are all important questions today, questions that you need to ask and answer regularly. Why, you might ask. There’s a simple answer — technology advances disrupt the status quo. What was optimal last year may be superceded by new products that are better, easier and/or less expensive this year or this month.
Get tech designed to be easy — and economical
When we established our audio conferencing system design principles, we began with a simple set of requirements — the products should be easy to install, easy to get ready to use, easy to use and easy on the budget. This focus on easy placed the challenge squarely on our team to take away the hassles for our customers and make the technology in our products carry the load.
