Pay As You Go Videoconferencing – A New Trend?

Videoconferencing is one of the hottest new technologies to come out of the last twenty years of technological growth. If you are unfamiliar with the world of video conferencing, it is essentially a tool, and an interactive one at that, that uses computing technologies, audio, video, and communications devices to help people collaborate as if they were in the same room with each other, instead of in different locations within a city, different states, different countries, or even different time zones. They can, through this technology, talk to each other in real time while offering all sorts of information, including documentation, data, sounds, and pictures that they have collected. Videoconferencing is a great way to break down barriers. During the process of video conferencing, each participant within the conference has a specific set of equipment. A video camera or a web cam, some type of microphone, and speakers, as well as a desktop or a laptop computer makes up the basic hardware needed for a videoconference.

There are, though, many wonderful video conferencing systems available from various companies that allow for a bit more freedom through the videoconference. One of the newest technologies in the world of the videoconference system is pay as you go video conferencing. This is a great idea for a number of different reasons. The primary reason this works so well is because small businesses have no need to spend thousands of dollars on a new, top of the line, video conferencing system. The simple truth of the matter is that they won't use it enough to pay for the video conferencing system itself. Smaller businesses, though, shouldn't have to suffer based on the fact that they cannot afford a high-end video conferencing system. They should be allowed, just as big businesses are, to make use of the technology that is widely available though using videoconferences. It can save them a ton of money within their travel budgets. It can also help them to collaborate with colleagues who are miles, states, countries, or even time zones away. This was never thought possible on a small business income before the technology became widely available.

So, how do small businesses get the video conferencing systems they need to do business in this century? The answer to that question is simple – buy a Pay As You Go Videoconferencing system. Many different companies, using packet management systems, have begun to offer this technology for as little as thirty dollars an hour. Packet managed systems work through an Ethernet connection. It basically means that every single user in the network shares the bandwidth. If lots of users are making use of the bandwidth, your video conferencing system will be much slower. If only a few users are on, your video conferencing system is much quicker. On most days, you will probably get something like three frames per second from this type of connection.

When you get right down to it, thirty dollars for an hour long video conference beats the three thousand dollars you might have spent contacting the person for a face-to-face meeting any day of the week. Businesses, in order to participate in Pay As You Go Videoconferencing programs, will of course have to buy the startup equipment from the company, but this shouldn't be a real cost problem as some of the lower end models start in price at about six hundred dollars or so. In most cases, there is no real commitment to the original company, except for the fact that only a few companies will allow you to engage in this behavior, and it can certainly save you a lot of money in the long run.

One of the most popular companies engaging in these sales practices is the world's leader in the telecommunications industry – Sprint. They introduced their Pay As You Go Videoconferencing programs in 2002, and early indicators suggest that the program is a complete success, as more and more small businesses are signing up for the programs and the systems on a regular basis. As time increases, more telecommunications giants are expected to work toward the industry of Pay As You Go Videoconferencing programs as well, making it increasingly easier for small businesses to have the communications tools they need to remain competitive in the workplace.