By Amy Tierney, TMCnet Web Editor

In an effort to better explain the technical, operational and cultural aspects involved in the world of telepresence and videoconferencing, independent research firm and consultancy, Human Productivity Lab and Brockmann & Company, a customer insight firm, has published the first industry handbook on inter-company telepresence and videoconferencing.
 
"The Inter-Company Telepresence and Video Conferencing Handbook" is designed to inform executives, chief information officers, managers and telepresence and videoconferencing professionals regarding the challenges, opportunities and solutions inter-company telepresence and videoconferencing offers partners, vendors and customers.
 
The handbook, sponsored in part by integrated telepresence and videoconferencing provider BrightCom, serves as a guide to help businesses and customers reduce costs and improve productivity while using telepresence and videoconferencing services. BrightCom's Lumina Telepresence series is featured in the handbook analysis.
 

While the handbook explains key technological aspects of telepresence and videoconferencing technology, such as firewall traversal and the definition of telepresence exchange, the guide takes things a step further, Howard Lichtman, the handbook's co-author and president and founder of the Human Productivity Lab, told TMCnet.
 
"We wrote a handbook that addresses technological aspects [of telepresence and videoconferencing]," Lichtman said. "But we wanted to show companies that it's not just a technical issue, but also an operational and cultural issue."
 
The handbook is available as a free download, or in hardcover format at LuLu.com
 
In addition to defining new services to the market place, the handbook also addresses what firms need to understand to gain acceptance of telepresence and videoconferencing technology across different cultures and how they can make it operate.
 
"The real goal was to kick this off to show people how to get [the technology] into their organizations," Lichtman said.
 
Inter-company telepresence and video conferencing offers users "desirable benefits," he said.
 
"There is tremendous ROI to be gained by developing inter-company capability," Lichtman said. "It reduces the cost of doing business with partners. It improves the personal productivity of executives and adds overall organizational productivity. It also gives are them the capability to do training and customer support via video."

What's more, it creates an economic disaster recovery capability for companies should physical travel become more expensive or inefficient.
 
In addition to BrightCom, other sponsors include BCS Global, Cisco Systems, IPeak Networks, MASERGY, TC&C Carin, and TATA Communications.
 
In related news, the Human Productivity Lab will host a conference on April 21 and 22 called "The Inter-company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Conference and Working Group" in Reston, Va. where companies can bring partners to learn how to set up their own inter-company collaboration programs. 

To find out more about BrightCom, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2010. Scheduled for Jan. 20 to 22 in Miami, ITEXPO is the world's premier IP communications event. BrightCom CEO Bob McCandless will speak during "Technology Innovations in Video Conferencing" at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 22. Don't wait. Register now.

 
Amy Tierney is a Web editor for TMCnet, covering business communications Her areas of focus include conferencing, SIP, Fax over IP, unified communications and telepresence. Amy also writes about education and healthcare technology, overseeing production of e-Newsletters on those topics as well as communications solutions and UC. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.

[via TMCnet]