Video conferencing is method by which people in different locations can conduct meetings whilst both seeing and hearing each other. The obvious benefits being that if the individuals are some distance from each other they don't have to travel thereby saving both time money.

Video conferencing is already used widely by businesses with multiple sites, particularly where those sites are located in different international locations. It is also popular technology with the educational sector where it can be used for distance learning.

The equipment required for video conferencing is now far more economically viable and is also much simpler to operate than at its inception although naturally quality of picture and audio will vary according to the level of investment. This quality is not only dependant on the equipment but also the method of transmitting the signal. The cheapest but lowest quality would be achieved using the internet with services such as that offered by Skype, where as to obtain TV quality broadcast quality you would need to use a faster network connection such as ISDN (fibre link between sites).

If you are considering this technology you will have a lot of questions that are specific to your business that you would like answering before making the investment. Questions like; What is the most cost effective way of achieving what I want to achieve? How difficult will it be to integrate this technology into my business? What other benefits can I make from this technology? Is this the right solution to my challenge or is there something better?

Many businesses waste large sums of time and money by making the wrong investments in technology simply because they don't have the time or resources to fully consider all the options.

SMEO therefore provide a service that aims to take much of the time intensive ground work out this process, thereby helping businesses to make the wisest investment, we:

• spend some time gaining a full understanding of your business needs
• complete a full audit of the existing technology at your premises
• provide you with a comprehensive report on the potential benefits available from technology, software, systems and procedures that will meet these needs
• research suppliers for value, response time, reliability, efficiency, effectiveness, economy, flexibility, capacity, standards, satisfaction, accuracy, locality, security etc.
• negotiate the most competitive price for your requirements
• negotiate any contract and service level agreement to ensure a 'win win' relationship