Small Business Video Conferencing Solutions: A Scalable Approach

Video conferencing has become an essential tool for small businesses, offering scalability in both user capacity and cost. When implementing a video conferencing system, it is important to gather key information to ensure the setup fits your business’s specific needs. Key factors to consider include the number of sites, calling patterns between them, and the number of participants at each endpoint. Once you have this information, it’s time to factor in your budget.

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Determining the Number of Sites

The first step is to determine how many sites will be part of your video conferencing network. For instance, if you have three offices, two mobile employees, and an executive who works remotely from Florida for part of the year, you’ll have six sites. This number is essential for choosing the right system because it impacts the bridging capacity needed for each location.

Bridging Solutions

Bridging, which refers to connecting multiple sites in a video call, can be achieved in several ways. These include:

• Using a video conferencing unit with an embedded MCU (Multi-Conferencing Unit)
• Investing in an external hardware bridge, though this can be expensive
• Leveraging a hosted bridge, commonly referred to as a cloud solution

Each option has its pros and cons, depending on the size and frequency of your meetings.

Calling Patterns and Data Sharing

Next, consider the calling patterns between your sites. It’s important to know how many sites will join a video conference, which sites will initiate calls, and how often data-sharing will occur, whether as a presenter or a participant.

For example, let’s say your main office hosts weekly sales meetings with all six sites involved. The mobile employees may have video calls with external clients and experts, while the executive working remotely may only require one-on-one calls. In this case, the main office would need an embedded bridge with the capacity for six participants. Mobile employees would need a portable solution that supports multi-way calls and data sharing, while the executive would require a simpler, point-to-point communication tool.

Budget Considerations

Now that you’ve identified your video conferencing needs, it’s time to think about your budget. You can optimize costs in several ways, such as choosing products from manufacturers with lower price points or selecting scalable systems, allowing you to add more features or participants as needed. Whether you need a basic setup or a more robust solution, there are options that fit a variety of budgets without sacrificing functionality.

By carefully assessing your sites, calling patterns, and budget, you can design an effective video conferencing solution tailored to your small business.

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