Mission accomplished: the case for conferencing & collaboration: successful organisations have learned that conferencing and collaboration must be built right into their business model and culture where it can provide real returns

Telecom Asia, Dec, 2002

Cutting through the traffic: POSCO

Korean steel giant, POSCO first pioneered video conferencing in the late 1980s, as its rapid national and international growth made face-to-face communications between executives increasingly costly. Not only was POSCO expanding, but the Korean economy was growing so fast that Korea's transport infrastructure couldn't keep up--travel was difficult and time-consuming. Today POSCO has a network of Polycom ViewStations in ten sites in Korea, plus units in Tokyo and Beijing. It has integrated video conferencing deep into its executive culture, with managers making around 40 video conference calls each month, each lasting an average of 2.5 hours.

Overcoming distance: New Zealand Ministry of Education

Video conferencing can enable organizations to form virtual groups for collaboration and learning that otherwise couldn't exist. And not just for business and research. New Zealand's Ministry of Education has used Polycom's ViewStation MP to link underprivileged or remotely located Maori students with qualified Maori-speaking teachers. Before the initiative New Zealand's sparse population and vast distances meant it was difficult to match teachers and pupils in a viable ratio.

Building IP video applications for its customers: China Unicom

The use of advanced network technologies means that service providers can develop huge value-add service networks--such as video conferencing networks--at low cost. The services reduce the start-up costs to organisations of establishing in-house VC networks, and makes VC more accessible to a wider array of users. China Unicom has selected Polycom as one of its major system providers for the world's largest Internet Protocol (IP) video communications network. It covers over 300 cities in China including Hong Kong. The IP network technology used allows video calls to be cost-effectively carried over the fibre optic lines it uses for its Internet services.

The problems of size: Liaoning Electric Power

Liaoning Electric Power Company Ltd (LEPCL) is the state-owned power provider for China's Liaoning Province. Like many large, dispersed organizations, Liaoning was finding it difficult to find a communications regime that worked economically. Hour-long daily meetings for management teams were augmented by half-day full management meetings every month which involved extensive and costly travel. In 2001 it decided to use video conferencing: if it could find a system within budget. It found Polycom's solutions met their need. Liaoning Power has installed an easy-to-use, state-of-the-art video communications system which saves on travel time and cost, while providing the "face-to-face" meetings necessary to build teamwork across the company.

Other unique cases of conferencing and collaboration:

* Singapore's Prisons are the first to use video conferencing to keep prisoners in better touch with their families, and reduce visitor-related security issues through their "Tele-Visits"

* Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) utilises today's broadcast-quality video conferencing to interview sports professionals more easily and more cost-efficiently

* TMP Worldwide eResourcing in Australia relies on video conferencing solutions to facilitate interstate client and candidate interviews in the recruitment process

* Cora Barclay Centre for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired epitomises the value of visual communications by using VC to teach deaf children in remote locations in Australia