In the world of technology, there’s a tool for everything. Just look at the App Store – whether you want to track how many calories you eat in a day, control your home security system, or check the weather, there is bound to be some type of application that can accomplish your goal.
Though the unified communication and collaboration (UCC) and audiovisual (AV) industries have come a long way in providing a variety of technologically driven tools, the fact is there has been a large void in solutions that help technology managers proactively manage their technology, while also giving IT departments and Executives the confidence that these systems are healthy and providing a return on the large investment. Using metrics and analytics is not a new strategy for Technology Managers however, with more forward-thinking manufacturers and integrators, access to more than just “after the fact” data provides a new way to have increased visibility and actionable insights into your systems.
One of Vistacom’s partners, VisibilityOne, takes a different approach to video conferencing (VC) and UCC monitoring by:
- Simplifying IT and UCC monitoring complexity into a single easy-to-use tool
- Enabling a faster time-to-resolution
- Providing easy setup without the need for a costly video infrastructure
Their platform provides metrics and analytics on Poly, Cisco and Zoom platforms by talking directly to the huddle space or conference room, all with 100% encrypted SSL communication. Their non-reliance on SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) creates a whole new, and much deeper, diagnostic approach and a centralized, single view of VC/UCC systems. In a world of increasingly sophisticated technology running via networks, it is more important than ever to manage systems in a more centralized, proactive manner, as opposed to a traditional, reactionary position. Their solution accomplishes just this – without the need for an expensive infrastructure. At Vistacom, we recognize the importance of proactive solutions when it comes to our client’s technology investments; we are proud to offer VisibilityOne’s platform for a variety of reasons:
Proactive Monitoring and Troubleshooting
With VisibilityOne’s proactive approach to monitoring, IT teams are armed with knowledge and visibility into video conferencing systems and can anticipate and resolve issues before there is a true impact to the user, in turn reducing troubleshooting time by up to 90%. For example, in most deployments today, video equipment issues are unknown to the IT team until they receive a call letting them know equipment is down or malfunctioning. From there, they have to spend valuable time inspecting the device to try to detect an anomaly, which can take upwards of 19 hours in some scenarios, if a support professional is not immediately available. VisibilityOne’s platform uses analytics to pinpoint problems and instant alert notifications as they occur, whether it be an unplugged microphone or dead battery, allowing IT teams to pinpoint the root cause of the issue and resolve before any users notice the issue. This better allows organizations to allocate IT resources, saving time and money in the long run.
VisibilityOne monitors nearly 100 parameters that other companies do not, providing increased visibility into all aspects of an UC system. With instantaneous alerts, important meetings are already issue-free and set up to run smoothly and with ease – helping IT and AV teams to establish trust with their users by being able to respond to events as soon as they arise. Overall, gone are the days of reporting on what has happened in the past as VisibilityOne introduces a way to stay truly proactive.
Stop the Insanity of Tech Support “Runners”
Due to the increased visibility into operations, the analytics provided by VisibilityOne saves companies money in another way. Traditionally, because most UC systems lack the level of oversight needed to appropriately respond to events, tech support professionals would stand outside of conference rooms in case something malfunctions during an important meeting. These individuals literally run from room to room, building to building, to be sure all systems are up to operational standards. With the insight provided by VisibilityOne, these “runners” can resolve most technology issues remotely or contract a Managed Services Provider, like Vistacom, to remotely monitor and fix any health or performance issues with your UC systems. At an average of $80,000 – 100,000 per year for an IT salary, these professionals can leave the “runner” responsibilities behind and better allocate their time and energy, ultimately saving the company money.
The Bottom Line – It’s All About the Data
While saving time and money is a great reason to choose VisibilityOne’s platform, the bottom line is that the data and metrics it provides are far more valuable and could even contribute to further cost-savings. Data collected from UCC and AV ecosystems can do three very important things for a company: verify performance, help realize design and user experience improvements, and discover new and changing requirements.
The data gathered also tells you about behavioral patterns of employees, rather than just insight into the AV equipment itself. For example, if you have a conference room that can seat 20 people but only 5 people are using it, you could consider splitting the larger room into smaller huddle rooms to better capitalize on space and business needs. You can see if employees are reserving the space ahead of time, or are simply dropping in for ad-hoc phone calls. Ultimately, the insight these metrics provide allows you to better understand your technology investments and how they are being used. Without this insight, we go back to the days of running from building to building, hoping everything is operational. At Vistacom, we know your technology and your people should be top of mind. Let us proactively monitor and manage your technology investment or enable your technology teams with the right tool for the job.
Interested in learning more? Contact Vistacom today.