Tandberg cut-price kit for SMBs

Phil Siefert, regional director A/NZ, Tandberg said he was excited to launch the Quick Set C20 because it was the first offering of its kind providing quality video at an affordable price for smaller businesses.

The system can be plugged into any high definition display for immediate video conferencing.

In five steps users connect the 1) camera, 2) display, 3) power, 4) network and 5) microphone and are ready to connect face-to-face with colleagues, customers, and suppliers. 
 
"Video enables a lean staff to increase customer face time and reduce travel expenses; recruit top talent no matter where they are located; and build a culture around collaboration which will help SMBs adapt to changing realities," said Siefert.

In the past, smaller businesses dismissed video conferencing as a technology for larger global corporations, but that is not the case.

Customer, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, a firm with 350 staff, cut costs and increased productivity with team video conferencing.

"Video conferencing means we can truly work across boundaries to collaborate on projects. It's a huge boon for productivity and I wish we'd done it sooner," said David Hughes, CEO, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects.
 
Roopam Jain, principal analyst Conferencing & Collaboration, Frost & Sullivan said SMBs are increasingly becoming remote, heightening their need for effective conferencing solutions to carry on normal business operations.

"Video conferencing, while very effective, has traditionally required expensive equipment and resources, making it uneconomical for this group," he said. 

The Quick Set has a plug-and-play high-definition video conferencing solution.

It is easy to install and users can get enhanced features through a software upgrade instead of buying new hardware.

The Quick Set C20 starts from approximately $12,500 for a basic unit.

Meanwhile, Express Data, who signed on as a Tandberg distributor earlier this year said there's been a great deal of interest and activity around the vendor's products.The decision to distribute Tanberg throughout Australia and New Zealand was a strategic one, particularly considering the imminent increase in bandwidth as a result of the Australian National Broadband Network (NBN), stated Express Data. 

"Video conferencing will become increasingly widespread and as it does it will provide enormous opportunities for the channel," Matt Wilson, Express Data's communications division manager.

"It will mean that businesses will be able to collaborate like never before. And for these Unified Communications to work seamlessly, resellers will need to be capable of finding creative and robust solutions."