As 2018 winds down and we all shift into New Year’s resolution mode, it’s helpful to take stock of where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going. To that end, No Jitter recently surveyed 142 IT professionals to get an idea of how they are (or are not) implementing video conferencing and collaboration solutions and what the future might hold for their companies. Let’s take a look at the results and what they mean.

The holiday office party is a mixed bag for sure. Suddenly shifting gears into party mode with a bunch of people you work with can be difficult and awkward. For some, an office party feels more like work than actual work. It’s like getting to know a group of people you already know for the first time, and that’s a recipe for social anxiety. We aren’t here to tell you that office parties are always fun. But even the most reluctant reveler has to admit that getting to see different sides of co-workers can humanize the workplace in ways that can make the rest of the year just a little more fulfilling.

In August of this year, Polycom commissioned Forrester Consulting to poll companies of various sizes for a snapshot of the current state of video conferencing applications and endpoints. Polycom wanted to get a sense for how organizations are using video conferencing solutions and whether or not they are getting the most out of their video technology.

The jury’s still out on whether this is a good thing or not, but according to a recent study conducted by Upwork and Freelancers Union, freelancers will make up fifty percent of the U.S. workforce by 2027. Over thirty percent of the U.S. workforce is currently composed of freelancers, so this prediction doesn’t seem all that far-fetched. This isn’t to say the everyday contract employee is a thing of the past, but it is a sign that the workplace just isn’t what it used to be.

It doesn’t matter what you call them. Huddle rooms. Mini rooms. Closets. What matters is that you have them--those small spaces that can accommodate just a few people. These modest rooms often go overlooked and underused, but organizations that have harnessed the power of small teams know just how crucial these rooms can be. With the right video conferencing and collaboration solutions, these rooms can become more than just ersatz offices. They can be transformed into conference rooms uniquely suited to bridging the distance between small teams and distant colleagues.

We’ve written quite a bit about the transformative power of huddle rooms, but we haven’t spent nearly as much time talking about how the small teams using such rooms can be drivers of efficiency and productivity. The rise of the huddle room didn’t happen in a vacuum. The space of the workplace has been redefined because the nature of teamwork has changed. Small teams are the future. They are the now. Let’s look at why.

As troublesome as it might be for your company’s IT departments, your employees who use unauthorized messaging and conferencing apps to do business have very good reasons for doing so. So-called “shadow IT,” or technology that your company has not approved for communication purposes, is so appealing because it comprises tools that people are familiar and comfortable with, and for employees, it can often feel like the shortest distance between two points. But the convenience comes with a price: your IT department can’t manage these tools, nor can they ensure the security of the software. Employees using unauthorized apps can leave your company vulnerable to security breaches and frustrate IT attempts at solving problems. So let’s look at a few ways you can get your team on board with the conferencing and communication solutions you have implemented.

Cloud or on-premise? On-premise or cloud? This debate might seem played out at this point, but the choice between on-premise and cloud-based conferencing solutions is one that more and more companies are being forced to make. And although you might think you know exactly where you stand on this particular issue, it never hurts to take a fresh look at it.

Approximately 4.3 million U.S. employees (or 3.2% of the workforce) work from home at least half the time. That’s a lot of people. But that 3.2% starts looking a little measly when you consider how much of the U.S. workforce is composed of jobs that are compatible with telecommuting. Just about 50% of employees in the U.S. do work that can be accomplished (at least in part) remotely. Of that 50%, about half actually does telecommute occasionally.

When you think about the process of digital transformation, your imagination probably skips ahead to an ideal future in which AV integration solutions and mobile conferencing technology combine to create a mega efficient workforce in both the virtual and physical realms. But undergoing such a sweeping transformation requires more than just plugging in new machines and watching them work their magic. It is a process that involves many moving parts. Which means things might get complicated. Let’s see how you can avoid some of the more common obstacles to successful digital transformation.

Cisco WebEx is a versatile, all-in-one conferencing and collaboration solution that is ideal for remote workers on mobile devices. It has always been an intuitive and user-friendly solution for meeting participants on the move, but with Cisco’s recent integration with Apple iOS, it’s even easier for WebEx users on iOS devices to connect with their colleagues. Let's dig in to these exciting new features.

Harvard Business Review recently polled 1,153 employees and found that 52% of respondents worked from a home office at least some of the time. This shouldn’t shock anyone who’s been paying even a little attention to the changing shape and culture of the modern workplace.

You might have heard about WebRTC. Or maybe this is your first encounter with the word. Either way, you might have some questions about this video technology that is changing the way people connect. Let’s take a closer look at some of these questions.

A lot has been written (by us and by others) about the transformative power of video conferencing solutions in the classroom environment. Much of this writing has been focused on students, and that’s probably a good thing--the impact of technology on learners should be the first thing we think about when we think about implementing new solutions in schools. If a conferencing and collaboration solution doesn’t help a child learn, what good is it?

You might think of video conference call recording as a bonus feature you’ll never use, but there are plenty of ways to employ this collaboration technology in your everyday practice. Recording a video conference requires no more work than clicking a single button, but the impact that single click could make should not be underestimated.