We would all like to have the glass ball to see how the market will evolve over the next few years, to perfectly catch the positive trend and see our business grow… perhaps Artificial Intelligence will also provide us with these tools, in the not too distant future. In the meantime, with this first newsletter of 2024 we can rely on the many studies that are arriving in the editorial office on the technological trends of the future
AVIXA has made market research one of its most important strands of activity, and has recently disclosed some ‘trends’ in the world of video conferencing. The first emerging trend is not coincidentally related to AI: integration with systems that can customise environments, set up echo and noise cancellation tools, help with scheduling, etc. In addition, AI can provide valuable information on participant involvement and thus optimise meetings. On the other side of the scale, security measures for the integration of AI in video conferences are essential to protect sensitive information and data privacy.
This is followed by two points that are already well known: the improvement of sharing tools, in order to be able to really work together even remotely (whiteboards and project management tools are the masters here), and security and privacy, by means of encryption systems, multi-factor authentication and compliance with current regulations (GDPR above all), especially in the video sphere.
The point on compatibility between platforms and products is important, because we observe that ‘groups’ are even being created between compatible and ‘certified’ manufacturers for and by the various videoconferencing platforms. This means that there are many products that only work with their application or on certain browsers, forcing users to choose according to the functionality offered by each. But seamless cross-platform compatibility is increasing, the study notes, and the ability to participate in meetings from web browsers without downloading or installing an application allows for convenient and accessible communication. Ensuring a consistent user experience across platforms is important to create a cohesive and reliable communication environment.
Next comes the focus of any video conferencing environment: efficiency, bandwidth and network optimisation. Adaptive streaming dynamically adjusts video and audio quality according to the available bandwidth, ensuring consistent performance, while bandwidth optimisation technologies enhance media streams. Reduced network latency improves real-time communication, minimising delays.
There is no lack of mention of environments created with virtual reality, perhaps using dedicated visors and devices to recognise gestures, even if they seem to us to be technologies that are still far from current use.
As a final point, the one that seems to us the most important, namely the customisation of spaces, following the real needs of the customer. A phrase we often hear, but which does not only mean, we believe, listening and putting into practice the indications received, but reinterpreting with the expertise of the specialist what is requested and, above all, observing and filtering in order to offer a solution that will perhaps go beyond the initial requests, or in a different direction, but which will be the one that actually meets the customer’s needs.
Like no other post-covid technology, videoconferencing systems are driving innovation, redefining the way we communicate and collaborate, a reflection on the trends will be useful for all industry operators.
https://xchange.avixa.org
