#Highfive video conferencing hardware update
#Highfive video conferencing hardware plus

One notable anecdote comes from the Pentagon, which reportedly needs to spend nearly half a million dollars to update their aging video conferencing equipment.Īnother failing of legacy video conferencing has been the high barrier to everyday usability for the average office worker or business executive. Furthermore, updating an existing system often proves incredibly expensive. It isn’t uncommon for the old video conference platforms to require extensive technical support from dedicated IT teams, which represents a significant expense in manpower alone. The need for continuous IT support of legacy conferencing technology also poses an ongoing challenge for business video conferencing. This figure is dwarfed by other options from the industry behemoth, some of which can carry a seven-figure price tag. For example, companies investing in the entry-level telepresence solution from Cisco can expect to spend somewhere in the ballpark of $33k to deploy these tools. Shockingly, it was not a smash hit.įortunately, technology has evolved significantly in just the past few years, but legacy video conferencing costs remain sky high.

#Highfive video conferencing hardware plus

For instance, one system released to the public in 1982 came with a whopping $250,000 price tag, plus a $1,000 per-hour cost to operate over the phone lines. Technology advanced (and shrunk), of course, but even in the 1980s deploying these communication lines was jaw-droppingly expensive, and the cost of the hardware further elevated the overall price of these tools. Historically, video conferencing systems relied on a complicated network of telecommunication systems and perplexing audiovisual equipment the earliest computers capable of video conferencing weighed 100 pounds. As waves of new businesses turn to video conferencing to solve their communication needs, it’s all but inevitable that the old model will be replaced by more innovative, flexible, and cheaper alternatives. Traditional video conferencing systems also present a number of unique challenges, such as ongoing maintenance requirements, dizzying costs, and steep learning curves for everyday users. Unfortunately, legacy video conference systems offer a quite limited practicality for many businesses, with the price tag alone placing these tools firmly out of reach. With the ability to visually link co-workers and colleagues around the globe, video conferencing services offer undeniable appeal for companies of all shapes and sizes.