FACE TO FACEHow video collaboration is transforming

business productivity and efficiency

The CBI magazine

business voice

In assoCIaTIon wITh

tata communications

Business travel spending globally is on the rise. beyond

the escalating costs, this travel is degrading air quality and contributing to global warming. For businesses with a global footprint and frequent international meetings, the social implications of reducing travel are therefore no less significant than the economic.

A new wave of video collaboration tools is now available that will help reduce the need for corporate travel. However, they also enhance how we work and communicate in a global economy – from improving staff work-life balance and bringing dispersed teams closer together to speeding up decision-making and opening up new business opportunities.

Global changes, both in the physical and digital worlds, are accelerating the adoption of these video collaboration tools. changes in demand stem, for example, from organisations’ need for multicultural experiences, the war for talent and rising urban real-estate prices.

on the digital side, ubiquitous connectivity, the proliferation of connected, ‘smart’ portable devices and the emergence of new collaborative tools under the Web 2.0 banner are all enabling employees and organisations to consider virtual work environments more seriously.

in this publication, we discover how global corporations are already harnessing these technologies and supporting services to improve their ability to innovate and communicate with colleagues, clients, partners and suppliers around the world.

We examine just how far video technology has come since its early days. once plagued by unreliability, poor audio and visual quality, today’s high-definition Telepresence rooms create an immersive virtual meeting environment that can make geographically separated users feel as if they are together in the same room.

We also look at the options now provided by video technology, in the DiY approach and via fully managed end-to-end services, available through companies such as our own. With managed services such as public Telepresence rooms, b2b video calling and inter-connect with other third-party networks, it is possible to exploit the benefits and connect with more businesses around the world with minimum cost and pain.

We hope that this publication demonstrates the scope and potential of video collaboration services in a wide range of business sectors. How might it affect your organisation? We look forward to helping you find out.

Welcome to the futureContentsClaude Sassoulas, managing director, Europe and Americas, Tata Communications.

“A new wAve of video collAborAtion tools is now AvAilAble thAt will help reduce the need for corporAte trAvel, while enhAncing how we work”

www.videocollaboration.info 3

4 better collAborAtion, better businessesvideo technologies are transforming how organisations communicate and collaborate globally. We explore how that provides an important competitive advantage.

built to lAstTo uphold its reputation for innovation, global design and engineering firm Arup draws on expertise from around the world. How does video help?

options openAdvances in video collaboration technology and services mean organisations can start reaping the rewards with minimal investment. We look at the options.

the AnAlyst’s viewAccording to ian Jacobs, a principal analyst at independent research firm ovum, employees’ changing expectations will drive business demand for video technologies.

lights, cAmerA, Actioneverything you need to know to achieve the perfect virtual meeting experience.

communicAtion, coveredReinsurance giant Hannover Re is committed to innovation rather than imitation. How has it used video to take its internal and external communications to the next level?

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ChAnging hOw wE wOrk

product teams, in marketing initiatives and global product launches, and by HR for training and recruitment purposes.”

come togetherincreasingly, businesses are widening their scope and applying the same principles of internal video collaboration to their dealings with external stakeholders, advisers, third parties and, particularly, in supply chain relationships.

“People may be working on different sides of the world and never have the chance to meet, but with Telepresence, they can do so every day,” says Quinlan. “supply chain relationship become more productive as a result, because more people at all levels of the engagement have the opportunity to interact directly, face to face, and build a rapport. We find that people become more motivated and simply do a better job together.”

Manufacturing companies, financial services providers, universities and software development firms are all using Telepresence to close the gaps created by the global economy. Research institutes, in particular, are harnessing video to draw on their complementary expertise to cut R&D costs and shorten development pipelines.

“The trend, particularly in the pharmaceuticals and software development industries, is for large corporations to leverage the expertise of much smaller organisations to speed up time to market and innovation,” says claude sassoulas, managing director, europe and Americas, for Tata communications. “We’re also seeing more open innovation - where

historically centred on mitigating travel, the new wave of technologies goes much further. it enhances how organisations operate, enabling more effective, productive collaboration at lower risk.

Tata communications has seen the benefits first hand, its in-house Telepresence facilities clocking up six to eight hours of use per day. As well as reducing the number of business trips, it has made the travel that does take place more productive.

“As we’re able to hold regular virtual meetings in between trips, project momentum is maintained, and travel becomes more effective when we do fly, since everyone is better informed and prepared, and our

how can your people work together to innovate and make quick, informed decisions when they

operate in different timezones? How can you build relationships and provide key services using limited resources?

in today’s global economy, organisations often exist as ecosystems of offices and associates, and work in increasingly lengthy supply chains. Getting everyone talking to one another productively and cost-efficiently is no mean feat.

Yet, in a turbulent economy, being able to communicate and collaborate effectively is an important competitive advantage. it enables organisations to adapt quickly to changing conditions and identify and capture business opportunities. businesses can harness the skills and experience within their organisations and exploit relationships with valued partners, suppliers and stakeholders worldwide.

reAching out“As companies seek globally to develop new markets or find new ways to compete, any technology that allows them to eliminate or mitigate the effects of physical and cultural distances and improve the effectiveness of their collaboration is very valuable,” says Peter Quinlan, vice president of integrated business video services at Tata communications.

videoconferencing has been an option for a number of years. However, while the business case for video

once viewed largely as a way to reduce the financial and environmental burden of travel, video collaboration tools are now delivering a host of compelling business benefits.

Better collaboration, better business

“mAnufActuring compAnies, finAnciAl services providers,

universities And softwAre development firms Are All using

telepresence to close the gAps creAted by the globAl economy”

itineraries are less rushed and more focused,” says Quinlan.

Telepresence is proving increasingly popular as a way to collaborate more closely internally, often initially between distributed senior management teams. by making it possible for multiple areas of the business and members of management to get together whenever they need to, without the traditional constraints of travel, Telepresence is simplifying and accelerating the decision-making process.

but, adds Quinlan, while many organisations start off using video to facilitate executive level communication, its use quickly filters down to middle management and all areas of the business. “organisations are using video collaboration technology to leverage their resources around the world and apply their expertise in a much more global fashion,” he says. “We’re seeing greater collaboration between global

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companies are working together towards a mutually beneficial goal. video collaboration will become an increasingly important enabler of these types of business models.”

building A cAseby positively impacting a business’ core attributes, such as the efficiency of its supply chain, time to market, agility and capacity to make quick, informed decisions, Telepresence provides genuine competitive advantage. That, says sassoulas, is especially important in a down economy, when the scarcity of opportunities makes competition even more aggressive.

“businesses need to look at how video collaboration technology can fundamentally change and enhance how they do business, above and beyond simply improving communication,” says sassoulas.

“video collaboration can be applied within any area of an organisation, whether that be sharing statistical data in oil and gas exploration, interviewing someone for a job or discussing a client’s investment portfolio. To generate the maximum return, you have to identify where and how enhanced collaboration could make a real difference to your business model.”

video collaboration technologies are

already changing how organisations offer their services and reach out to customers. some universities, for example, are developing new ways to deliver their

courses, using Telepresence to stream

tutorials and seminars to overseas students around the

world. in another case, an entrepreneurial conference organiser is selling seats in a public Telepresence room, enabling businesspeople to take part in virtual thought leadership roundtables with invited ceos and experts.

Meanwhile, in the us, a family of hospitals is deploying a new Telepresence solution to provide healthcare to people in hard-to-reach areas. The technology even works with diagnostic equipment, such as stethoscopes, to capture patient information, while allowing patients to discuss their conditions interactively with their physicians.

no pAin, more gAinAs well as looking at where video might add value, organisations should also consider what kind of investment is appropriate for their needs. How often and in what situations they might use it, and the quality of virtual meeting

experience they require are important factors in determining which technologies will provide the best return.

The range of technologies available today and the flexibility of the videoconferencing proposition make this an easier decision than it was in the past. Whereas videoconferencing once meant a static piece of hardware that had to be wheeled into the office, today’s suite of Telepresence tools is broad and flexible enough to meet any organisation’s objectives.

From installing high-end Telepresence endpoints or fully immersive rooms into their offices to connecting individual users via their desktop devices to booking a public Telepresence room in a local hotel, businesses can choose from a range of options and scale up or down over time. (Read more on page 8).

The quality of the meeting experience is also a quantum leap ahead of what companies may have experienced in the past. interoperability issues, unreliable connectivity, poor video and sound quality and a lack of synchronisation meant many investments in videoconferencing went unused.

“Telepresence now offers such a high level or reliability and standard of service that the technology can achieve

the same result as a face-to-face meeting,” says Quinlan. “The foundation is there to accelerate and enhance how we do business.”

Technology providers have taken away many of the traditional pain points, enabling users to achieve maximum reach with Telepresence for minimal investment. For example, by using their network and hosted infrastructure, organisations don’t need to invest, upgrade and manage their own infrastructure, dramatically cutting costs and improving return on investment.

organisations can also take advantage of a host of professional services to manage their video collaboration activities, ensuring they always get a reliable, high-quality Telepresence experience, backed up with full support.

The challenge now for Telepresence providers is to demonstrate just how far the technology has come in providing a fully immersive virtual meeting experience and the flexibility at which multiple endpoints can link up.

For organisations that venture into the Telepresence space, the question is not if video collaboration could make a positive impact to their business, but how to apply it to maximum effect.

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ChAnging hOw wE wOrk

50% of frequent flyers in the us need up to two days to catch up on work, recover physically and get their personal lives back in order after a business trip. (Kensington Technology Group)

FACTS & STATS

40%of business travellers say travel stress has a negative impact on their family life. two-thirds would rather spend time in a dentist’s chair than take their next business trip. (Microsoft)

90%of frequent users say video collaboration technologies save them at least two hours of work time a week. one-third estimate it saves nearly a full day. (cisco systems)

wAtch this spAceas organisations see the benefits of

video collaboration for themselves, its popularity is set to snowball. Peter predicts its use will become increasingly pervasive within the organisation, filtering down from senior management to all levels of staff, who will connect with one another via a growing choice of endpoints.

in addition to desktop devices and Pcs, employees

can already link into a videoconference using mobile devices such as iPads and tablets, combining highly effective, face-to-face collaboration with today’s need for employee mobility.

Peter also expects telepresence technology to expand outwards, gaining ground as a tool to collaborate with external users and expanding into more specialised applications in sectors such as financial

services and retail. one major retailer, for example, is already looking into installing in-store videoconference booths, which will enable customers to receive one-to-one help with their kitchen designs from a centralised resource.

there’s similar scope for workers who are traditionally mobile – such as mortgage brokers and investment analysts – to make contact with customers remotely from a single location.

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If any organisation should understand the importance of worldwide collaboration it is global design and

engineering company Arup. The independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists has a reputation for delivering highly innovative and sustainable designs. Past achievements include the sydney opera House, the Water cube for the beijing olympics and, more recently, the california Academy of sciences museum.

These incredibly complex projects are the product of a global, organisation-wide effort, involving the expertise of as many as 25 unique disciplines, distributed across the globe. it requires close collaboration between the company’s 80 offices worldwide as well as with clients and third parties.

However, while this level of cooperation is essential in order to bring Arup’s pioneering projects to life, it presents some challenges. The firm is renowned for delivering sustainable designs and a commitment to the environment and sustainability is integral to the business as a whole. Yet the frequent travel involved in productive face-to-face collaboration and the associated environmental costs are in direct conflict with the company’s ethos.

Attempting to get experts in different timezones and geographies together in one place can also be very inconvenient for those involved. The time spent travelling could be used more productively, and employees are often left tired, which reduces their efficiency and responsiveness, and in turn slows down projects and decision-making.

room for improvementFor Arup, the solution came in the form of Tata communications’ Telepresence public rooms, located at leading hotels close to Arup’s offices. These rooms provide the company with immediate access to high quality video and audio

on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no capital investment and no facility or

equipment of its own to manage.

because the rooms are available around the clock, Arup can easily organise meetings with its offices in different time zones and, where the timing is difficult, participants can stay overnight in the hotel’s rooms. Food and snacks are also available during meetings to help them flow without unnecessary interruption.

“one recent example was the Arup global executive conference, which we held simultaneously in boston, London and Manila,” says neil clover, the company’s chief technology officer for the Americas. “because of the time differences, meetings such as these tend to be inconvenient, but with the Tata hotel situation, we were able to have a common break. People had breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on which timezone they were in.”

with a reputation for innovative yet sustainable designs, arup faced a challenge – how to balance the need to collaborate globally with a commitment to environmental responsibility?

Built to last

“time spent trAvelling could be used more productively And employees Are often left tired, which reduces their efficiency And responsiveness, And in turn slows down projects And decision-mAking”

Another major draw for Arup was the quality of the audio and video. “When we hold a virtual meeting, we don’t want people to be worrying about the technology. in fact, we don’t want them thinking about it at all,” says clover. “but people forget there’s even equipment there; they believe the people opposite them are sitting in the same room.”

Arup has found that using Tata’s public Telepresence suites has contributed greatly to its working environment, allowing design teams worldwide to collaborate whenever they need to without increasing the company’s carbon footprint. As clover says, “The public Telepresence rooms allow us to implement a plan to reduce our carbon footprint, while improving our ability to collaborate globally with our engineers and clients alike.”

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CASE STUDY

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Traditionally, the business case for investing in videoconferencing was justified by its mitigating effect on

costly business travel. Yet it was still an outlay that many found hard to swallow.Problems of interoperability and the ongoing costs associated with maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure meant firms were reluctant to take the plunge. sadly, those that did often found the experience failed to live up to expectations.

Today, video collaboration is an altogether different proposition. The technology is reliable, easy to use and provides a fully immersive virtual meeting experience that is as good as the real thing. What’s more, by taking advantage of public Telepresence rooms, businesses can dip their toes in the water and reap the rewards of better

collaboration without investing in their own infrastructure.

room with A viewFor many businesses, the cheapest and simplest way to experience Telepresence is via a public room, typically found in high-end hotels, business centres and retail locations around the world. equipped with life-like, high-definition, guaranteed audio and video quality, these rooms can be booked online and hired on a pay-per-use, hourly basis. no other outlay or long-term commitment is required.

“The beauty of systems such as those from cisco is their simplicity and reliability,” says Tata communications’ claude sassoulas. “You don’t even have to press anything, if you don’t wish to. The conference launches automatically

and 24/7 support is on hand should you need it,” he says. users can also make use of a dedicated conference producer, who can monitor the conference, bring in additional endpoints, mute participants or change how the various sites are shown on screen.

Participants in multiple locations around the globe can link up in real time using the Telepresence room, saving time and money on multiple meetings and reducing the carbon footprint. video and audio content can be streamed to participants, while document cameras make it possible to transmit drawings and other documents through video. video systems can also be connected to DvDs, vcRs and whiteboards, providing a fully multimedia meeting experience.

collaborating in this way has multiple uses in a wide range of business sectors, enabling expertise and opinions to be shared more easily and so speeding up decision-making and time to market.

For example, regional marketing departments can meet to view the latest draft of a global product launch; R&D teams can study the results of research together and discuss the implications in real time; and managers in multiple locations can interview a candidate and view samples of their work.

home And AwAyAs well as making use of managed, public Telepresence rooms, organisations can also choose to invest in their own private facilities, which they can use to link to other private rooms or endpoints internally or externally. What’s more, private rooms can link up to public rooms around the world, enabling

“by tAking AdvAntAge of public telepresence rooms, businesses cAn dip their toes in the wAter And reAp the rewArds of better collAborAtion without investing in their own infrAstructure”

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FLEXiBLE TEChnOLOgY

Options openThe range of opportunities provided by video collaboration is broad, whether you want to hold a virtual conference with boardrooms across the globe or enable co-workers on the same campus to connect from their desktops.

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using a b2b global exchange network,

meanwhile, provides everything a business needs to connect and collaborate with other businesses via their private video networks. “We can

now offer organisations the

broadest and deepest reach through our inter-

exchange and carrier partnerships, as well as interoperability

to traditional videoconferencing equipment. it’s about making sure they can reach the maximum number of people or endpoints,” says sassoulas.

“organisations can also make use of providers’ cloud-based services and hosted infrastructure,” he adds. “This maximises their uptime and reach, reduces management responsibility and minimises their investment in infrastructure and support costs.”

The range of options and potential applications for video collaboration are now as wide as the business benefits, yet organisations can take advantage with minimal risk and investment.

organisations to connect with individuals, clients and partners that don’t have Telepresence facilities of their own. “in this way, businesses can extend the reach of their Telepresence infrastructure and collaboration without additional investment,” says Tata communications’ Peter Quinlan.

sassoulas adds that this can be especially useful for an organisation with offices in different timezones. “There may be periods when the time difference makes it impractical to meet using the private Telepresence room,” he says. “However, during those times your private endpoint can be used as a regional hub to reach out to other organisations in the same region, leveraging either their own private rooms or local public rooms.”

organisations can also enable individuals to link into a conference using desktop units or Pcs, extending the opportunities of video collaboration further. Provided there is a static public iP address and the endpoint has been registered with the communications provider, the Telepresence suite can dial out to that user and bring them the videoconferencing experience. users can also browse their contact books and have face-to-face meetings with peers or associates without leaving their desks.

the full pAckAgeAs well as deploying Telepresence solutions, providers now offer a range of professional services to ensure organisations get a customised business video solution, which provides a reliable and high quality experience. This includes managing customers’ infrastructure, the scheduling and reservation of video calls, launching and monitoring calls, and 24/7 support.

The analyst’s viewIan Jacobs is a principal analyst at ovum, which provides independent research and analysis into telecommunications and technology.

Q. Videoconferencing has traditionally been viewed primarily as a way to mitigate travel. has there been a shift away from this thinking and what new applications are you seeing as a result?The fact that video collaboration technologies can cut the amount of travel required by organisations and potentially reduce their environmental impact is still a major driver. However, there are many organisations that are now realising other benefits, principally around the centralisation of resources.

sectors such as education, retail and medicine are already using video technologies to extend their services to people who might otherwise be unable to access it and to use their resources more efficiently.

studies have found that when learning materials are delivered face-to-face it is more effective and so enterprises are starting to think about how they can also use video in this way.

i think we’ll see more use of video by businesses to share best practice and in interactive training, both in group and peer-to-peer scenarios.

Q. what trends are you seeing in demand for immersive and other videoconferencing technologies? interest in immersive room-based systems has, to date, been fairly slow, largely because they have traditionally demanded a hefty investment and been limited in their use. However, demand is picking up dramatically in

tandem with an increase in use of video by mobile and desktop users.

As immersive video systems make it easier to incorporate people on tablets, iPads and desktop devices into their video meetings, we’ll see a rise in demand for both uses of video – immersive and mobile and desktop video. As one form of the technology

FLEXiBLE TEChnOLOgY inSighT

Actions speAk louderCommunication is about more than an exchange of words. Being able to read non-

verbal signals is essential in developing lasting and trusting relationships. This valuable element of face-to-face communication is not lost in video collaboration. Sassoulas recalls a series of meetings held over the course of the day. “The groups in each location took their coffee breaks at the same, but continued to chat informally, despite being in different time zones,” he says.

Telepresence rooms can even be used expressly to bring people closer together. Tata Communications, for example, lends out its private rooms to staff during festivities such as Diwali, allowing families on different sides of the globe to make contact.

improves, demand for the other will also increase.

Demand is also likely to grow as it becomes even easier to integrate not only other non-immersive systems but also collaborative tools. We’re going to see people use video as just one part of the whole collaborative process. When that happens, organisations will be able to justify an investment in video in terms of increased productivity as well as travel savings.

interestingly, some of the most innovative deployments of video have been using satellite video systems in areas where the terrain or political situation makes video infrastructure difficult to build on the ground.

oil and energy companies and nGos such as the un are using satellite video systems to achieve collaboration, both point-to-point within countries and back to their home offices. We’re likely to see more such deployments in the future.

Q. what other changes do you anticipate in the technology and its application?We’ll see greater availability of hosted services, which will make it easier for organisations to access video collaboration tools without a big capital expenditure. As video services become easier to consume, more people will consume them.

i also expect the demand for immersive and non-immersive videoconferencing systems to be driven by the user. The ‘bring your own technology’ trend will be particularly important. As more of the devices that people own and bring into work become video-enabled and those people become familiar with using video in their daily lives, they will expect to be able to do so at work. That will eventually drive demand for video in organisations – whether or not they can justify the cost - because without it they will find it hard to recruit talented young people.

This kind of change takes time, but when it happens it will result in an increase in demand for both traditional desktop video systems and the immersive Telepresence rooms, because you’ll be able to dial into them from a range of devices.

Many of the benefits of video collaboration are currently difficult to quantify, but at some point in the future someone will find an accurate way to calculate or articulate the true Roi. video collaboration will then become an even more compelling prospect.

When using a Telepresence room, your provider should ensure everything is set up to achieve the best quality audio and video – from the positioning of the microphones, cameras and lighting, to the room’s layout. Rooms are pre- and post-tested to ensure the experience is reliable and provides the optimum environment for collaboration.

However, video can now be used in a wide range of scenarios, including on desktop video units and Pcs. To achieve the best possible experience, therefore, it pays to follow a few simple rules:

*make it convenient – Place desktop videoconferencing units close to your Pc so you don’t have to move things around to participate. Your system can even be used as a Pc screen. use a headset for privacy where necessary.

*look behind you – You and your colleagues should be the focal point with minimal distractions, so keep your background neutral and avoid clutter.

*be careful of glare – Position reflective surfaces such as whiteboards or tables away from the light. if you require additional lighting, opt for lamps that mimic natural daylight.

*minimise background disturbance – Moving curtains, people walking behind you or activity behind a window or glass partition can reduce image quality and distract meeting participants.

reAdy for your close-up?When people first use Telepresence, there’s a tendency to be overly formal with other participants and for the novelty of the experience itself to be a distraction. However, as users become familiar with the concept, they ease into collaborating exactly as they would in a physical, face-to-face meeting.

While you may be facing a video screen, it’s important to remember that the high quality of the audio and video make it just like the real thing. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

*your audience awaits – Remember, you are presenting to those in the room as well as at every endpoint. speak to and engage with all parties.

*the eyes have it – eye contact is essential to engage and build trust. However, in a video environment, it comes from looking toward the camera, rather than the display. if you need to position your own camera (unnecessary in a managed Telepresence room) position it as close as possible to the top centre of your display.

*the camera never lies – The high quality audio and video can pick up and even amplify the smallest gesture or quip. As in a normal meeting, be conscious of your actions, even if the camera isn’t pointed in your direction.

*use the technology – Take advantage of the ability to share multimedia content such as websites, videos and presentations, to make your meeting more productive and engaging.

Lights, camera, actionEverything you need to know to achieve the perfect virtual meeting experience.

“demAnd is likely to grow As it becomes even eAsier to

integrAte not only other non-immersive systems, but Also collAborAtive tools”

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inSighT in prACTiCE

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CASE STUDY

have to do is turn up at the scheduled meeting time; the meeting starts and ends automatically.”

reAching outHannover Re’s reinsurance specialists also use their private rooms to connect with customers, who use public rooms in leading hotels and business centres locally. “While many of our customers have their own Telepresence rooms, there are still issues of interconnectivity between the different Telepresence systems,” says Gleiniger. “optimisation of the connectivity between solutions will be one of the main challenges for carriers in the next few years, because while the demand is there, the technology hasn’t quite caught up.”

However, Hannover Re has found connecting with customers via the global network of public Telepresence rooms to be a very successful solution. As well as making its internal and external communication easier, Telepresence has increased the amount and effectiveness of its internal and external collaboration.

“We have found that many conversations that would have taken place by teleconference or by travel are now held by Telepresence,” says Gleiniger. in fact, Hannover Re has seen use of its private rooms increase five-fold since their implementation. As the company enters the period of the year when most companies renew their reinsurance contracts, Gleiniger expects the rooms to come into their own and become an even more valuable communication resource.

Reinsurance giant hannover Re prides itself on being somewhat different, with a commitment to innovate, not imitate. In keeping with this ethos, the firm sought to take its communication methods to the next level.

Communication, covered

hannover Re is the third-largest reinsurer in the world, providing health and life insurance, as

well as other non-life insurance, to insurance companies.

The international reinsurance sector has developed into a highly specialised financial service, requiring considerable expertise, not only from insurance specialists, but also from a highly diverse range of fields – everyone from mathematicians and meteorologists to medical experts and engineers.

With this diverse input and the fact that terms and conditions must be negotiated in each individual case, Hannover Re relies on excellent internal communication to meet the needs of its customers. However, like many global corporations today, Hannover Re has a dispersed structure, with around 2,200 staff in more than 100 subsidiaries and affiliated companies, branch offices, service companies and representative offices worldwide.

“Reinsurance is a face-to-face business, which traditionally meant one party would need to travel. However, as the overheads for travel and accommodation are disproportionate to the meeting time, this is inefficient,” says René Gleiniger, the company’s head of telecommunications and collaboration. “We wanted to find a way to communicate better, while removing the inconveniences and costs of travel.”

Hannover Re installed a network of 18 immersive Telepresence rooms in January 2011 and recently added a 19th. “scheduling and booking is carried out by our room coordinators, who received training on how to use the system,” says Gleiniger. “We also ran an internal awareness initiative to inform our staff of how the Telepresence system works and its potential uses within the business. However, the ease of use of the Telepresence rooms meant no training was needed for staff in general. All they

“the internAtionAl reinsurAnce sector hAs developed into A highly speciAlised finAnciAl service, requiring considerAble expertise from A highly diverse rAnge of fields”

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How do you meet face-to-face all over the world without leaving town?With Public Telepresence Rooms from Tata Communications available in over 35 cities around the globe.

Have a TeLePReSeNCe meeTiNg oN uS.

To fix your free meeting and confirm available locations, please visit www.tatatelepresence.com and use offer code: BVTP

Alternatively, contact us atTel: 0800 2061063E-mail: findoutmore@tatacommunications.com

Tata communications, a part of the $83.3bn Tata companies, is a leading global telecom service provider. it owns the world’s largest network of public Telepresence rooms. These rooms are located in premium public access facilities such as luxury hotels and conference centres in india, europe, America, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle east, and can be accessed on a pay-per-use, hourly basis.

Tata communications also offers a comprehensive range of integrated business video services – from complete turnkey services for organisations implementing video endpoints to bespoke services integrating existing infrastructure.

The company can manage customers’ dedicated infrastructure through remote management or via a dedicated hosted model in its data centres. And, by offering Telepresence and video conferencing as a service, through its hosted cloud infrastructure and managed services, it ensures organisations achieve maximum return for the minimum total cost of ownership and management responsibility.

To find out how Tata Communications could improve your business collaboration, and to see the complete list of its public Telepresence rooms,visit www.tatatelepresence.com

Leaders in global collaboration

TATA COmmUniCATiOnS

ninety per cent of frequent users sAy thAt video

collAborAtion technology sAves them At leAst two

hours of work time A week. one-third estimAte thAt it

sAves neArly A full dAy.

tata communications Ltdwww.tatacommunications.com

findoutmore@tatacommunications.com

0800 206 1063

Guide published in association with Tata Communications Ltd

written and designed by Caspian Media

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Tata Communications Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without

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