DALLAS, July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations are
embracing video to help them communicate more effectively with
their workers, according to new independent research commissioned
by BT and Cisco. Coupled with the proliferation of cloud computing
and mobile, these developments are helping to prevent 'digital
dislocation' between organizations and their employees.
The study found that technologies such as video, cloud and
mobile are becoming critical platforms for communication across
large businesses - from executives through to employees. U.S.
executives acknowledge the impact of technology when going global
-- 92 percent believe desktop video would add value to the
workplace, and 76 percent believe video on smart phones would also
be useful to their organization. In addition, 73 percent of
employees want the latest collaboration software and work tools,
but only 20 percent agree that their directors make IT spending a
priority.
The findings suggest that more work is needed to reduce "digital
dislocation". Even though 59 percent of America's IT leaders say
they have recently invested in new technology, 52 percent say video
conferencing still needs updating. Video demand is surging because
seeing someone's expression and reaction to what you're saying is
incredibly valuable information, as it often reveals more than what
they say. If these tools do not facilitate easy, real-time
communication then employees can feel frustrated and disconnected
causing the business to suffer.
These struggles reflect changes in the modern workplace in
recent years, with initiatives such as bring your own device (BYOD)
and flexible working driving the need for more innovative
communication and collaboration technology. The research reveals
that 48 percent of U.S. employees now work 'flexibly', either on
the go, at client sites or from home, and 62 percent want easier
access to corporate communications when on the move. As a result,
43 percent of employees now want to use their own device for
work.
Better collaboration tools are increasingly being seen as the
solution, with 78 percent of employees globally citing this as a
way to improve communication.
To address this demand, BT and Cisco are announcing an upgrade
to the BT One Cloud video technology platform. The new set of
enhancements further simplifies scheduling a video call conference
using Outlook. They also make it easier for almost any type of
video user to join a conference using any device or application,
including TelePresence™ and Skype for Business - whether they are
located inside or outside of the organization.
Andrew Small, vice president,
unified communications and collaboration, customer relationship
management and mobility at Global Services, says: "It's easy for
employees to get trapped inside specialist departments and
divisions or drop off the map while working out of the office. But
staying connected has never been so important and is vital to an
organization's success. Using effective collaboration tools,
employees can share information and make faster, better
decisions."
Scot Gardner, vice president,
Global Service Provider Europe, Middle
East and Africa and
Russia (EMEAR) at Cisco says:
"Businesses are under extreme pressure to prevent against 'digital
dislocation', streamline processes and improve productivity in a
variety of locations across countries and even continents. By
adopting cloud, mobile and video technology, like the BT One Cloud
video technology platform, companies can ensure that they have
simple and seamless communication throughout their organization,
avoiding siloed departments and ultimately, creating an inclusive
and connected culture, regardless of geography."
In order to facilitate these new technologies, many IT managers
are looking at cloud services to help stretch their budgets and
replace outdated legacy systems. The research reveals that even
though 78 percent of U.S. IT decision makers said security of their
organization's data has become more important in the last two
years, 73 percent see a value in utilizing cloud services to access
and store work data. Global enterprises reported a 30 percent
increase in both employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction
directly following implementation of cloud based collaboration
technology beyond a trial.
Andrew Small comments: "As
organizations become more familiar with cloud services, there is
increasing trust and confidence in their security. At BT we've
noticed that organizations leading the trend by using cloud
collaboration tools are already experiencing great results – saving
money and delivering better customer experience."
About the research – Digital Dislocation in the
Workplace
In 2013, BT and Cisco conducted the first
research into Digital Dislocation with large organisations across
Europe to find out how effectively
they were using new technologies to improve collaboration and
achieve growth. Three years on, BT and Cisco again commissioned
Davies Hickman Partners Ltd to conduct follow up research to find
out what has changed. The new research was expanded to include
large organisations in ten markets across North America, Africa and Asia as well as Europe. Responses were based on a sample of
758 senior IT decision makers in organisations of over 500
employees across public and private sector.
About BT
BT's purpose is to use the power of
communications to make a better world. It is one of the world's
leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving
customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the
provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and
international telecommunications services to its customers for use
at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet
products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and
services. BT consists of six customer-facing lines of
business: Global Services, Business and Public Sector, Consumer,
EE, Wholesale and Ventures, and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2016,
BT Group's reported revenue was £19,042m with reported profit
before taxation of £3,029m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets
of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in
London and New York.
For more information, visit www.btplc.com
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide
leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of
tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect
the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to
http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A
listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at
www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are
the property of their respective owners. The use of the word
partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and
any other company.
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SOURCE BT