June 14th, 2007
How can meeting virtualization save the planet?
I was speaking with Greg Scott, a former colleague from Digital Equipment Corporation, recently about his company InfraSupport. Although his business focuses more on network infrastructure, such as firewalls, virus protection and spam filtering, InfraSupport has started down an interesting path towards helping organizations virtualize meetings at a very low cost. They’re trying to save the planet through the use of virtual meetings.
Although this is clearly quite a stretch from my normal topic area, this could be considered another form of virtual access. I know. I know this is really a stretch but, it’s my story today and I’m going to stick with it.
InfraSupport has been using the Internet to bring people together using video conferencing, VoIP and other tools. As a public service, they’ve been helping families of service men and women virtually visit their loved ones overseas. As an aside, the company is seeking help to set up permanent stations in several places to make these visits more easily possible. If you’re interested in helping, please contact Greg at InfraSupport.
There are many companies providing these types of tools and services. If organizations would start thinking about logical rather than physical offices when and where possible, staff members would be able to work together without actually being together. This approach would lower fuel consumption, reduce traffic volume, reduce the production of greenhouse gases while still offering nearly all of the benefits of being together. It’s really hard, however, to enjoy a conversation while pouring coffee in the break room if there is no common break room. This, by the way, is how members of the Kusnetzky Group work together even though we’re seldom in the same room together.
What benefits would your organization receive if it would combine video conferencing, voice of IP with other forms of virtualization, such as access virtualization or application virtualiztion to centralize application execution? Do you think the benefits would outweigh management concerns that if they don’t see work being accomplished that nothing is happening?
Daniel Kusnetzky is a member of the senior management team of The 451 Group. He is responsible for research and publications on a broad array of technology topics. He examines emerging technology trends, vendor strategies, research and development issues, and end-user integration requirements. You can follow Dan on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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