Patrick was joined by special guest David Danto who is Director of UC Strategy and Outreach for Plantronics Polycom.
Firstly Patrick asks David to explain the concept behind Collaboration Week NY 19. David tells Patrick that he and the other IMCCA members have realised that, although still useful, large industry events come with a lot of draw backs for everyone involved. The expense and time commitments required mean that there is a gap in the market for a series of smaller, local, more focused events which avoid such issues.
“We really feel like there is a need in the industry now to change the economics and create smaller regional shows.”
One of the main differentiators for the Collaboration Week NY 19 event was that it was completely free to attend for end users. David explains that they have plans for shows in different regions such as Silicon Valley and potentially in the UK too.
Patrick then asks David to summarise some of the main recurring themes that were relevant throughout the week. David explains that the fundamental trend that forms the foundation of events such as this is the opportunity to network with peers, colleagues and competitors.
In terms of technological themes the event covered multiple different areas throughout the week, including IoT. Participants were able to witness various examples in the different event venues of how IoT devices are being used to enhance user experience whilst maintaining the security required in the enterprise. The event also visited the Oblong offices to examine some of the processes and concepts behind ideation, a principle crucial to the next phase of collaboration.
“We felt it was a really good idea to provide a balanced presentation on each of the topics, highlight what was going on in the industry, let an expert in the industry speak – allowing a chat and then letting the host or sponsor lead a panel discussion around their perspectives.”
Patrick and David then move onto to focus on a few of the most prevalent concepts from the event. One of the revelations was the premise that Team chat application’s, such as Cisco Webex Teams, Microsoft Teams or Slack, only appear to be effective in much smaller organisations. Achieving widespread adoption within the enterprise space can prove challenging and David feels that we may see a contraction in that space over time.
David tells Patrick that another major area of discussion was the balance required between simple easy to use systems for end users and security. As vendors, integrators and organisations try to make collaboration and communication systems more intuitive for users they have to strike a fine balance to maintain their own security.
Finally Patrick and David discuss the importance of emerging technologies within collaboration tools and platforms. David explains that these tools have to be utilised to make systems more simple for users as that is the fundamental principle behind any technological deployment.
The content from Collaboration Week NY 19 is available to view here.
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Presenter Patrick Watson and special guest David Danto from Plantronics Polycom.
