High circuit court volumes can put a strain on dockets, especially when severe weather, common in British Columbia, is factored in. Such interruptions might not be much of a factor anymore as Fort St. James and Vanderhoof are considering high-definition videoconferencing technology to ease the burden.
According to this Opinion 250 blog, using the video conferencing technology would allow not only the suspects to “appear” before the court via the jail, but it would also allow parties that would otherwise have to travel treacherous highways to also “appear” in court via video conferencing.
Video conferencing is projected to free up police from having to travel to other municipalities to appear in court, allowing them to spend more time policing their home communities. Police are also responsible for transporting perpetrators from the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, which means the implementation of this technology would free them from that duty as well. The projected cost to implement: around $30,000.
Legislators in New York recently approved a video conferencing system for its jails. A $30,000 grant will get the ball rolling in Mayville, NY for a video conferencing system that county officials say will save the money and time.
The video conferencing project in British Columbia is in line with a trend anticipated for 2012 – businesses will likely see video conferencing as an excellent return on investment. According to Avistar (News - Alert) Communications Corp., a company specializing in unified visual communications, video conferencing will see continued growth due to a need for increased productivity and a reduction in operating costs.
Cloud computing and virtual desktop infrastructure will help drive collaboration within the workforce by the giving people the ability to communicate from anywhere. As business professionals are becoming increasingly mobile, the adoption of video conferencing technology could easily become a “must have”.
With technology companies offering lower-cost options in video conferencing, the popularity of video conferencing should grow proportionately. Cisco Systems (News - Alert) came out with TelePresence around five years ago, but that was an extremely costly system, keeping it out of reach for a number of smaller business. But with taking the service to the cloud, Cisco is able to offer a video conferencing system for $99 a month that delivers video conferencing as a service.
State employees in California, a state that is looking to cut costs and increase revenue at every corner, are considering video conferencing to cut down on travel costs to the state capitol. State workers traveling to San Diego were spending more than $150,000 in a year in travel costs. Employee productivity is also a concern and a factor in video conferencing, especially considering the amount of time employees spend traveling as opposed to doing their prospective jobs.
By introducing the use of next-generation technology at a price that makes sense for the bottom line, government agencies and small businesses can truly drive value and a strong ROI with video conferencing.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Chris DiMarco