In Pictures: Pop-up mikes, moving cameras in Audability video-conference room
Growing market for video-conferencing has led to more competition for established players
Andrew Turner is president and chief executive officer of Audability Inc., a Mississauga-based company that outfits businesses with video and audio conferencing and Web streaming tools. They’re like the A/V team of the workplace – collaborative communication curators who weave together equipment from tech giants such as Polycom and Cisco to link business leaders with their teams – face to digital face. “Imagine us as that tour guide who navigates through the different technologies and provides you what you need,” Mr. Turner says.J.P. MOCZULSKI/The Globe and Mail
This is a video-conference-enabled room at the Audability head office. The company was launched in 2004, when 9/11 and the SARS outbreak were peaking corporate interest in communicating over the Internet to avoid lengthy airport waits and costly travel. The company has grown to 40 employees, and its revenue was between $5- and $10-million last year.Audability/Picasa
In the Audability video-conference room, recessed microphones pop up out of the table when needed.Audability/Picasa
A pair of cameras flank a video-conference screen. The cameras can be adjusted remotely, meaning far-off participants in a conference can move them to change the view of the room.Audability/Picasa
The market for video-conferencing, audio conferencing and Web streaming communication is growing, but that also has made life more difficult for Audability by encouraging competition. While some of the manufacturers of video-conferencing equipment partner only with established service providers such as Audability, plenty are happy to offload their products to anyone willing to sell them, Mr. Turner says. “It creates these low barriers of entry and a very competitive landscape,” he says. It also drives down prices.Audability/Picasa
The low barrier to entry means that even though cheap-solution providers may not have sustainable business models, an endless onslaught of new entrants is looking for a piece of the action. “Customers end up buying on price because they can’t differentiate, on paper at least, one company from another,” Mr. Turner says.J.P. MOCZULSKI/The Globe and Mail