BIOS: Technology Means Business

Face to face meetings no longer dominate our working lives and have been replaced by virtual meetings in companies across the UK, according to independent research amongst 3000 IT managers conducted by Vanson Bourne, commissioned by storage, voice and networking distributor, Zycko.

69 per cent of respondents across all industries frequently use either voice or video conferencing in their work.

The financial services sector is the most frequent user (68 per cent), however, 65 per cent of IT managers in manufacturing and 56 per cent working in retail, distribution and transport industries also claim to frequently use the technology. Only 9 per cent of companies questioned have never attended a virtual meeting.

“UK business executives are fed up of wasting money and time travelling to meetings. Advances in technology, such as the advent of virtual whiteboards and improved call quality have encouraged companies across the UK to adopt virtual meetings.

They are benefiting from faster decision making, greater collaboration with global colleagues, increased employee productivity, money savings, as well as the knowledge they are reducing the environmental impact of carbon emissions through less air travel,” commented Phil Marshman, director of VoIP at Zycko.

The survey revealed that 57 per cent of IT managers are reviewing their voice and data requirements in 2006 and that 73 per cent would embrace IP convergence to reduce business operational costs.

“With so many IT managers moving towards convergence this year, the adoption of Voice over IP and video conferencing will further revolutionise virtual meetings. Companies are already using these technologies to talk to colleagues around the world through the internet, collaborate on presentations or review documents and even conduct sales or employee training. The money and time savings benefits are clear and we are confident that this market will continue to grow,” concluded Marshman.

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