Organizations Look To Video To Tackle 'Digital Dislocation' In Workplace

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

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