How to see eye to eye with colleagues

There's more to cloud computing than meets the eye. Photo / Thinkstock

There's more to cloud computing than storing data in a warehouse on the other side of the planet, or offloading large-scale data processing tasks.

Among other things, software, infrastructure and even platforms can be sold as services. This means businesses can now buy computing as they need it, in much the same way they buy electricity or water.

Now Telecom's Gen-i unit has added video-as-a-service to its ReadyCloud portfolio, giving customers on-tap video conferencing.

Gen-i propositions manager Nigel Wilson says it changes the economics of high-definition workplace video. Most high-definition video conferencing services require a considerable investment before anyone can start talking.

Wilson says because it is cloud-based, Gen-i's ReadyCloud Video means customers only have to pay for what they need on a per month, per subscription basis.

The "high-definition part" is important. Wilson says it means much more realistic communications. That makes it more engaging and helps when it comes to collaboration. He says high-definition also opens up other uses - for example health professionals can perform remote diagnosis.

Wilson says customers don't need to invest in new hardware to use the service.

"ReadyCloud Video lets customers use video communication on a range of devices, over fixed or mobile networks. People can use communications rooms equipped with high- definition cameras and screens but the service also works with personal computers and mobile devices like tablets and smartphones."

Normally, video conferencing works for companies at the big end of town, but isn't practical for smaller firms. Wilson says ReadyCloud Video is practical for companies with as few as 20 employees and can work with relatively thin data connections.

The timing is important. By the end of 2014, the Government-subsidised UFB network will reach most of the nation's business districts.

That means companies will have affordable fibre connections.

Though everyday broadband and mobile data networks can cope with basic video conferencing, fibre is best - and necessary for high-definition images.

Unlike most copper-based broadband connections, fibre is symmetric - traffic can go up the line as fast as it comes down. This makes a huge difference to the video experience.

Though there are low-cost, or even free, options for smaller companies, like Skype or Apple's Facetime, Wilson says ReadyCloud Video has the advantage of working with a much wider range of devices.

It is also based on standards - which, he says, means users can take calls from people on other networks following the same standards.

A browser app is coming, which does away with the need to install special software to use the service.

ReadyCloud Video dovetails with other cloud applications including ReadyCloud collaboration which gives users an advanced phone system and the ability to use unified communications or UC - effectively a way of pulling together a variety of channels under a single banner.

With UC teams of people can talk, see each other and collaborate on electronic whiteboards or shared text documents, spreadsheets or presentations. UC is simpler because everything is controlled by a single user interface, and cheaper because all the communications go down a single pipe. It also means greater flexibility. Wilson says some other UC services are based outside New Zealand, which can mean issues with performance and quality.

Gen-i launched ReadyCloud Video at the end of last year. It already has a dozen clients with more aiming to move from traditional video conferencing services.

Wilson says in just three months of use, Gen-i's own internal use of the technology has saved the company around $580,000 in travel costs and the time people would have spent travelling.

That's 175 days in total.