Video conferencing for faster governance

BANTAY GOBYERNO

Ike Señeres

Video conferencing is nothing new. For all intents and purposes, it is really just teleconferencing but with video added. Perhaps what is new about it is that it is cheaper now, and is even more secure.

What makes it cheaper now is that it could now be done over Internet Protocol (IP) in other words over the internet, whereas before it could only be done through the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS).

What makes it more secure now is that it could now be encrypted, and could even be done within very secure Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). What used to be simply known as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) has now evolved to be known as Voice and Video Over Internet Protocol (VVOIP).

 There is something else that is new about video conferencing, and that is the option to integrate it with Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) and Social Networking Services (SNS). The latter could be done over the internet, or over a corporate intranet that is even more secure.

As originally intended, both PPM and SNS were developed to work independently of each other and also independent of video conferencing, but for best results, these three should be integrated into one seamless deployment. Once integrated with SNS, there would be an additional advantage of having non-voice messaging and text archiving. Once integrated with PPM, there would be an additional advantage of project progress monitoring on one hand, and project cost reporting on the other hand.

Because of videoconferencing, the employees and officers of companies are no longer bound by time and space, because they could already conduct meetings and conferences any time, regardless of where they are. Of course, this technology could also be used by bureaucrats and government officials who could also meet virtually at any time, from any location.

Regardless of whether the technology is used by the government or by the private sector, the bottom line is the same, and that is the savings in time and money, the latter usually in the form of avoiding the costs of travel, accommodation and meals. For a new government that wants to save money and to make its governance faster, this is the ideal solution.

 As it is now, everyone could already do video calls in most mobile phone models therefore video conferencing is already a reality and no longer just a theory. Being able to do video calls in mobile phones in effect completes the available mobile services because users could now do video, voice and text in their units. What that means is that most users could already fully enter the realm of mobility, a condition that is also needed to fully enter the realm of agility. Could you imagine what would happen if most of our citizens would become fully agile? This is now possible because most of the services that could only be accessed before via a computer could now be accessed via a mobile phone.

 Although video conferencing software is already very useful by itself, its use could be maximized by integrating it with three other software products, namely project and portfolio management (PPM) software, user collaboration software and business intelligence (BI) software.

PPM software would enable private companies and government agencies to monitor the progress of projects, but also the status of portfolios in terms of how much money has been allocated, how much has been spent and how much has been accomplished in terms of overall targets.

User collaboration would enable all offices within an organization to work together on joint projects and activities. BI software would enable officers and senior managers to analyze the data coming from projects and portfolios, at the same time it will produce a dashboard that will show current data that they need to know on a daily basis.

 All told, the combination of video conferencing software, PPM software, user collaboration software and BI software will enable all types of organizations to work better and faster. The other choice for them of course is to stick to the old ways and just use written memos and phone calls, even text messaging.

There is really nothing wrong with these old ways, because these could still be integrated with the new ways.

As a matter of fact, it would not be too difficult to integrate in-person, voice, non-voice, video conferencing and live chat into one seamless bundle. Regardless of the means that will be used, what is important is that all organizations will be able to do their work faster and better, and at the same time, do it cheaper and easier.Email bantaygobyerno-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or text +639956441780