BrightCom Telepresence and Video Conferencing ROI Emphasized by Icelandic Volcano Ash Cloud

Huntington Beach, CA, April 21, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Recent reports of telepresence and video conferencing sales are forecasted to reach $2.7B by 2015. While this research continues to show the telecommunication technologies’ increasing popularity, eruptions of the volcano under Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier and its release of an ash cloud also demonstrates the value of the telepresence and videoconferencing as a back up plan for businesses with delayed communication and productivity.

Over the last six days over 17,000 flights were disrupted causing millions of people to be stranded by the volcanic ash cloud covering most of Northern Europe.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the ash cloud had created “the biggest challenge to our aviation transport network for many years,” and European officials said the disruption was worse than that caused by the Sept.11 attacks.

Among frustration and fatigue, further obstacles for many travelers included an instant increase in prices for hotel and train tickets.

Officials from BrightCom, the performance leader in integrated telepresence and video conferencing solutions, believe that the recent event adds to a long list of reasons why businesses should rely on telepresence and video conferencing systems not only as a way to communicate and collaborate on a daily basis with a global workforce, but also as an emergency option if an in-person meeting cannot be conducted.

“Natural and man-made disasters are inevitable and lines of communication will be obstructed,” said Bob McCandless, CEO of BrightCom. “Events such as 9/11, the earthquake in Haiti, and epidemics like SARS and H1N1 show how businesses and organizations can be affect by air travel restrictions. Telepresence and video conferencing solutions are a great way to plan ahead to instantly circumvent issues and obstacles in communication especially when face to face meetings are not an option.”

According to virtual office provider Regus, requests for videoconferencing suits have surged across the globe.

“We do see a spike in use of our service when there are strikes, like the London tube strike in June 2009,” said Guillermo Rotman, CEO of Regus Americas. “This is unprecedented because of the scale—in the UK and beyond. It is a more extensive lock down than 9/11.”

It has also been reported that E.U telecommunications ministers are leveraging videoconferencing to communicate regarding Europe’s future digital agenda as a consequence of the ash cloud and the airline restrictions.

Many of BrightCom’s customers have chosen to implement telepresence and videoconferencing solutions citing business travel as one of the challenges in their operations. Vaughan Benz, a custom-made furniture manufacturer plans to avoid issues in global communication and strengthen their corporate culture with the ability to communicate with both face to face video broadcasting and data collaboration via the Visual Collaboration System. Uyemura USA, a supplier of chemical finishing technology solutions, has also chosen telepresence to enforce their national operations and in the future, their global operations with the hopes of minimizing travel and increasing everyday productivity.

To learn more about telepresence return on investment in comparison to business travel, please click here to download the “Minimizing Operational Costs: An In-Depth Comparison between Business Travel and the Telecommunication Alternatives of Video Conferencing and Telepresence” white paper.

For more information on BrightCom’s Visual Collaboration System, Lumina Telepresence, ClearView HD Video Conferencing, or other telepresence and video conferencing services provided by BrightCom, please call 877-483-9737, visit BrightCom at Brightcom.com.

About BrightCom – BrightCom specializes in creating flexible and affordable video and telepresence conferencing solutions. With unique integrated data and video conferencing solutions, BrightCom offers a wide range of options to connect people and content from home offices, mobile devices, desktops or conference rooms. BrightCom’s Visual Collaboration System provides a powerful conferencing infrastructure for real-time interactive data sharing. BrightCom’s Lumina Telepresence allows for instant business communication empowering businesses with a fully immersive environment for natural collaboration and conversation. BrightCom’s ClearView Conferencing solutions allow for crystal clear HD or standard video and audio broadcasts giving business the face to face connection vital for effective communication. To learn more about BrightCom’s quality telepresence and video conferencing with in-depth collaboration features but without a costly investment on bandwidth upgrades, call 877-483-9737 or visit BrightCom.com.

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