The industry reflects, looks ahead

By Staff, ZDNet Asia
Friday, March 14, 2008 06:39 PM

Lars Ronning, president for Asia Pacific, excluding China and Japan, Tandberg

Lars Ronning,
Tandberg
The growing emphasis on corporate governance and possible shrinkage of IT budgets have led IT departments to become more prudent when considering an investment. However, it is important for IT departments to adopt a long-term view on this issue and implement projects that can potentially give rise to substantial cost-savings or improvements in business productivity.

Q. What do you remember as the biggest industry news for 2007?
Ronning: The biggest industry news for 2007 was the increase in the level of awareness and adoption of high-definition videoconferencing, especially the concept of telepresence.

With the emergence of important markets such as Asia-Pacific, many multinational corporations have set up regional headquarters overseas. In order to enhance communication between increasingly dispersed workforces, organizations are beginning to explore implementing high-quality videoconferencing solutions such as telepresence systems.

Name three hot technologies to watch in 2008.
The first is telepresence. As the level of awareness on telepresence solutions continues to increase, more organizations will start to explore the possibility of implementing this technology into their business operations to improve business productivity and effectiveness.

In fact, this trend has already begun as we continue to see more requests for demonstrations of telepresence solutions. In this aspect, Tandberg has set up demo rooms in Sydney and Hong Kong to cater to this demand. We are also in the midst of establishing this facility in Singapore.

The second is technology convergence in the IP space. With the advancement of ICT technologies, there are now numerous channels to communicate with mobile employees such as landlines, mobile phones, e-mail and videoconferencing. For employees who are frequently on the move, the organization then faces the challenge of identifying the correct channel to reach the user.

The third is green technology. With responsible environmental behavior fast becoming a strategic tool for business, many enterprises are beginning to make a conscious effort in going green especially through the use of technology such as videoconferencing. By adopting videoconferencing, companies can minimize unnecessary travel and reduce their carbon footprint while improving productivity and reducing costs.

Work-life balance is...
... Achieving a satisfactory quality of life while maintaining or even enhancing business productivity and efficiency. Adoption of videoconferencing will allow organizations to minimize unnecessary work travel for their employees.

By reducing the amount of time spent on the road, employees will have more time to engage in their favorite pastimes/activities and spend time with family, improving their quality of life. On top of that, minimizing unnecessary travel also means organizations will be able to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute toward environmental conservation.

The biggest challenge facing IT departments is...
... Managing and justifying the level of returns on current and future IT investments. The growing emphasis on corporate governance and possible shrinkage of IT budgets have led IT departments to become more prudent when considering an investment. However, it is important for IT departments to adopt a long-term view on this issue and implement projects that can potentially give rise to substantial cost-savings or improvements in business productivity.


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