Hybrid work and the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology are boosting demand for intelligent video conferencing systems to support the latest working lifestyles, according to Jabra, an audio, video and collaboration solutions provider.
"Since March 2020, people have been forced to work remotely, which is driving the online meeting," said Aurangzeb Khan, Jabra's senior vice-president for intelligence vision systems. The number of users of Microsoft Teams jumped to 270 million per month in January this year.
Even though it is post-pandemic, there is still demand for hybrid work among workers.
Mr Khan was speaking at a booth representing Jabra at InfoComm Southeast Asia 2022, a regional professional audio-visual tradeshow, held at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Bitec). The event began on Wednesday and is set to finish today.
A global survey showed 77% of respondents still want to work from home at least one day a week while 48% say they will leave their jobs if their offices do not provide hybrid work, Mr Khan said, adding that many companies are looking into reducing office space and turning to hybrid work.
The survey also discovered 84% of knowledgeable workers agree that workspaces of the future include collaborative office environments and separate space for individual tasks, he said.
The use of enterprise-grade devices for audio and video as well as AI technology would create an immersive natural meeting experience for collaboration, Mr Khan said.
Some 61% of respondents said they feel more included and present in meetings when everyone has the camera turned-on, and 70% said standardised professional video cameras help everyone participate equally within a hybrid meeting, he said.
Staporn Sambhavaphala, Jabra's country manager, Thailand and Indochina, said the trend of video conferencing has changed from being held in a large-sized room to a medium or small room as users engage in smaller group meetings.
He said the company has seen a rise in demand for the installation of new video-conference systems which have become necessary tools for the hybrid working environment in large organisations, such as those operating in the banking, telecom and education sectors.
Mr Khan said Jabra has developed PanaCast 50, a flagship video-conference solution to support the latest working lifestyle trend.
This intelligent video soundbar comes with three cameras that support a 180-degree field-of-view that can capture the entire room. It comes with AI capability that can automatically zoom in.
Jabra developed Pana20 as an on-the-go meeting device that can be utilised for a personal meeting in the home or as a private meeting booth in the office, along with Panacast, a plug-and-play device with three 13-megapixel cameras suitable for smaller meetings.
Mr Khan said collaborative and video-conferencing systems are here to stay, even when the metaverse takes shape over the next 5-7 years.
The trend in video conference systems involves equipment that is easy to use, functions in real time, and supports the interactive experience, he said.