Featured Article from Conferencing

The Conferencing Zone Week in Review: FreeSWITCHService, Zoom, and More

By Mandi Nowitz
Web Editor

The Conferencing Zone saw so much excitement from FreeSWITCHService introducing videoconferencing for consumer durables to the first telemedicine clinic opening in Anchorage. These are two huge advancements in conferencing that cannot be overlooked but just in case you may have missed a moment, this is the perfect time for The Conferencing Zone week in review.

FreeSWITCHService has come out with a videoconferencing solution for the consumer durables industry. What exactly are consumer durables, you may ask. Consumer durables include things like furniture, refrigerators, and washing machines, which tend to last a long time so are purchased at three year or longer intervals. Sales of consumer durables in India are expected to increase 10 to 15 percent in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, according to a March 2017 report by Atradius Collections.

Real-time communications is expected to increasingly become part and parcel of existing business processes and applications, not supplements to them. Results from a recent survey conducted by Vidyo (News - Alert) and WebRTC.ventures paint a similar picture. Forty percent said they embed video into collaboration and online meeting applications. Thirty-five percent add it to contact center workflows, and 30 percent in distance learning solutions. Embedding video into field service, gaming, technical support, and webcast and webinar applications is also of interest.

As of Monday December 11, 2017, Alaska will see its first telemedicine clinic and kiosk service open in downtown Anchorage. The walk-in clinic allows patients quick access to medical professionals for diagnoses, and if further medical expertise is needed conferencing technology can help save the day. “Our new paradigm of telemedicine integrates state-of-the-art medical services with high-tech communications and remote access to medical providers,” says Dr. Wade Erickson, M.D. who started Capstone (News - Alert) Family Medicine in the Mat-Su in 2003. 

Finally, Zoom Video Communications has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan with the 2017 Global Company of the Year Award. This is based on an analysis of the international videoconferencing industry and Zoom is leading cloud video services, evolving the industry with its innovation. Zoom specializes in audio, video, and web meeting experiences. Only in the market for six years, the company has seen dramatic growth to a valuation of $1 billion, January 2017 with its extensive and impressive portfolio.

And there you have it; The Conferencing Zone week in review with all the news fit to print. But, come back early and often next week so you do not miss a moment!