Cloud-based audio video, and web conferencing, a fully-developed solution with a menu of features for users to choose from. Businesses get to enjoy conferencing services immediately with no upfront cost or time lag, and get the flexibility to customise-on-demand the optional services required according to current need and budget. Arkadin offers customized solutions, world-class 24x7 customer support, flexible access, easy-to-use tools, comprehensive features, invoicing and reporting flexibility, and global implementation expertise. For more information visit http://www.arkadin.com/in

1. Bridging the business communication challenge
The business environment today is converging more than ever before. With economies
globalising and organisations sharpening their focus on core competencies, companies are
increasingly operating across geographical borders, multiple time zones and disparate
corporate cultures.
The key to business success is effective communication and collaboration between
individuals and teams. Although face-to-face meetings are considered by many to be the
most effective means of communicating and building relationships, they are not always
feasible from a time and budget standpoint given the borderless nature of the business
world today.
Traditional tools such as email and phone are cost effective and accessible, but do not
provide a rich environment for sharing of information, especially in real time. They would be
hard pressed to meet the complexities and demands of modern business communications.
Next Generation Business Conferencing
The current ubiquity of the Internet and its associated protocols has made it the de facto
universal communication network, and today, more and more organisations are leveraging
IP-based voice, web and video conferencing solutions to complement and enhance their
own telephony and email systems.
Sophisticated voice conferencing systems can enhance the level of interaction between
participants. Executives can organise their own conferences by setting up virtual meeting
rooms and inviting relevant parties quickly through user friendly web or mobile interfaces.
Such solutions also feature local dial in numbers to make it convenient for all parties to
participate regardless of location. Security is also crucial and it is important for voice
conferencing solutions to cater for passwords and alerts to ensure only authorised
participants are present.
Web conferencing takes online meetings to the next level by allowing people to share,
discuss and edit documents, deliver presentations, and even leverage video files and
streams in real time. Participants sit at their own computers and connect to other
participants via the website or a downloaded web-based conferencing application. They can
also talk with each other through traditional audio while simultaneously sending chat
messages, making the overall communication far more interactive and enriching. Important
web conferencing features include recording and playback, annotation and desktop sharing,
and even remote desktop control.
For an even richer and immersive business communication experience, integrating video
conferencing (particularly in high definition) with the web provides a rich environment that
is highly conducive to sharing information. This empowers the workforce to engage in face-
to-face meetings with co-workers, clients, prospects and strategic partners around the
globe. The latest systems allow participants to engage through various end points including
dedicated video conferencing rooms, mobile devices or a personal computer with high-
speed Internet connection.

2. Significant Benefits
These solutions bridge many of the communication challenges facing businesses today,
particularly with regards to cost and effectiveness. They combine the immersive interactivity
and productivity of face-to-face communications with the efficiency and cost effectiveness
of simple voice communications.
While the primary benefit of increased productivity while reducing travel time and costs by
itself is significant, these business conferencing solutions do much more. Firstly, it expands
organisational opportunities by generating business leads through improved
communications with (and support for) customers. Companies can more effectively deliver
comprehensive business education and video training as well as facilitate networking
opportunities through such channels.
With the increased emphasis on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, the
reduced carbon emissions from lower commute levels empower a company’s brand
recognition while reduced travel improves employee work/life balance.
Case for Cloud-based Conferencing
While the case for next generation conferencing is clear, developing and implementing in-
house solutions can be challenging as total cost of ownership can be significant. In addition
to the upfront costs of purchasing and setting up a new communications solution, the price
for future upgrades and continual staffing and maintenance to ensure a smooth and fuss
free conferencing experience can be prohibitively expensive.
For organisations experiencing a crunch on resources, an important trend in conferencing
is the rise of on-demand applications and the growing interest in broader cloud
computing initiatives as a result of growing broadband penetration.
Cloud-based video, audio and web conferencing solution providers, with their specialist
service focus, usually have a fully-developed solution with a menu of features for users to
choose from. Companies get to enjoy conferencing services immediately with no upfront
cost or time lag, and get the flexibility to customise-on-demand the optional services
required according to current need and budget.
Even for resource-rich companies, cloud computing provides the flexibility to deploy video
conferencing as a private, public, or hybrid cloud, making the infrastructure completely
transparent to end users while delivering a scalable, reliable, and cost effective video
conferencing experience to geographically dispersed employees.
On their part, solution providers find it is in their best interests to ensure a highly modular
conferencing system which can integrate with standards-based IT infrastructure. It also
needs to ensure reliable service levels which is disaster-proof to ensure round-the-clock
“always on” access for their customers.

3. Summary
In today’s borderless economy, collaboration plays a critical role in an organisation’s
business processes. Modern video, audio, and web conferencing solutions can dramatically
impact a company’s business efficiency and growth opportunities. Cloud-based on-demand
conferencing solutions offer a highly viable and effective way for organisations to harness
the burgeoning potential of this important communications paradigm.
About Arkadin
As a global provider of audio and web conferencing services, Arkadin knows that
communication is a vital part of any successful business. Founded in 2001, the company has
over 800 employees and supports over 14,000 corporate clients, including 120 Fortune 500
companies, from our 47 offices in 27 countries throughout Europe, North America and Asia
Pacific.
In Asia Pacific, we are represented by 18 offices in 9 countries, including India, Hong Kong,
China, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Arkadin offers customized solutions, world-class 24x7 customer support, flexible access,
easy-to-use tools, comprehensive features, invoicing and reporting flexibility, and global
implementation expertise.
For more information, please visit www.arkadin.co.in