Has videoconferencing come of age? Better monitors, cameras, compression technologies, audio codecs and broadband connections certainly make for a more naturalistic boardroom experience. But these deluxe ‘telepresence’ set ups are still the preserve of rich corporates.
Far more exciting for small businesses on a budget is the development of high quality desktop systems from the likes of SightSpeed, Oovoo and Skype. These are low-cost, simple to use, and whilst not perfect, certainly good enough for most business needs. Combine improved video with online collaboration tools from WebEx and others and you have a virtual, potentially global office at your fingertips.