Webex: Delivering the Best Video Experience for the Modern Workforce

I recently joined a panel of executives to discuss video conferencing and whether it will it be ubiquitous in 2022. That’s only three years away and I would contend that all the signs point to a resounding “yes.” But the question isn’t a matter of whether video is here to stay, but rather, “what is going to make it evolve and become pervasive?” Experience matters. Video meetings are core to collaboration – across boardrooms and the globe. It must deliver a world of new productivity and social possibilities so the modern workforce can engage and collaborate in more ways than ever before. At Webex, we are already bringing next-generation video meetings and collaboration possibilities to fruition, to deliver better experiences to you every day.

Today, meeting via video is not a nice-to-have; it’s already a standard for most – certainly the newest generation of workers have grown up with it. It’s no wonder that we saw a 50% adoption spike in usage in the first weeks of our recent version of Webex. A cultural shift has happened and we are now in a video-first era. “Good enough” video experiences are not good enough.

As video meetings usage continues to grow, so does demand for higher quality video. The burgeoning Millennial and Generation Z workforce demand HD video. Great video is one of the things we know you appreciate the most about Webex Meetings, and we provide a high definition, high quality, video-first experience that is awesome.

It starts with the network

Amazing video experiences has to start with a rock-solid, secure global cloud infrastructure and network backbone. It’s one of the key things that separates Webex video meetings experiences from the rest of the pack. Our Webex backbone is purpose-built to handle video and media, so our video meetings connections are secure and simply faster. The video is crisper and clearer than any other solution out there. Hey, don’t just take our word for it – check out this post from Zeus Kerravala of No Jitter.

Secure video is fundamental

Alongside network security, encryption is another absolute must for video meetings. On top of preventing unwanted “guests” from getting into the system, encryption secures the content of communications by scrambling them in transit using a digital code. Unlike some competing solutions that don’t have encryption turned on everywhere by default, all communications between Webex apps and the Cisco Webex Cloud occur over encrypted channels, which means your media streams (audio VOIP, video, screen share, and document share) are secure.

Almost better than being there

Face to face is still the gold standard, so video meeting experiences need to be virtually identical to being in the same room. Being able to engage and see non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language bring a whole new dimension to a meeting. Maybe you want to know if the people in the meeting were paying attention or whether they are reacting to you, or if they are distracted. With Webex, you instantly see who’s in the meeting and whether they are engaged. You can communicate with people anywhere in the world, on levels beyond a traditional conference call.

Features like the ability to share rich video and media content is a must-have for engaging meetings. Webex is optimized to share video content at higher frames per second so you can see video content and animation in high resolution, with 30 frames per second sharing. A higher frame rate gives you smoother motion and more images, so you can focus on what’s happening in real time. Everyone in the meeting can watch full motion video from sources like YouTube or Facebook. Audio and video stay perfectly synchronized so everyone can see and hear at the same time, no matter how you connect – from any platform, mobile device, or room system.

Intelligence + context = cognitive

Video also has to be more than “intelligent”; it needs to enable Cognitive Collaboration. What that means is the technology has to take away the guesswork and obstacles involved in collaboration and replace it with smooth, contextually-aware assistance. Webex includes innovations like facial recognition so you can easily identify the people in the meeting and even learn more about who they are and what they do. It also has noise suppression that uses machine learning to detect background noises like a dog barking or keyboard tapping, then prompts you to mute your microphone. Webex even automatically adjusts the brightness of your webcam based on your lighting conditions so everyone can put your best “face forward.” Cognitive Collaboration innovations like these, help create a more meaningful and smooth experience so you can be more productive.

Video is transformative

Video has the potential to transform industries like education, hospitality, medicine, design where people rely on seeing things, too. We are working on augmented reality to bring virtual objects into meetings. Imagine being a surgeon in Australia and operating on a patient in Colorado via hologram-like visuals in real time? Or a group of architects working from six different locations across the globe to build a bridge? If you are a developer, you should give it a try. AR object sharing for Webex Meetings is available for the mobile iOS Webex application on Apple devices via the Apple AR Kit.

At Webex, we don’t want video to be almost as good as being there; we want it to be better. We don’t want you to worry about what could be better because we are laser-focused on delivering that. So whether you are at your laptop, on your mobile phone, or in a conference room or huddle space, you know you’ll get the best possible video experience with Webex.

Learn more about the best in video conferencing and online meetings.

What is Cognitive Collaboration? Learn more, see Cognitive Collaboration Solutions