WebRTC as a standard to boost business video communication

More and more video solutions use this real-time browser-based system for quick and easy video conferencing., as explained in this article by Andrew Hug, Vice President of Systems Engineering at Polycom EMEA, providing real applications in corporate environments.

Although WebRTC or Web Real Time Communications has been known for a long time, The standards and recommendations that are applied are already sufficiently mature to support the active development of its applications and interoperability, and they have yet to reach a point where it starts to offer a real difference in the way people use video to communicate with each other and with the companies they deal with.

Standard enables real-time browser-based video communications and improves video conferencing capabilities, making them as simple as a phone call. Video meetings are possible with a WebRTC-compatible browser, which does not require users to download any software add-ons or plugins.

There are already video solutions that use WebRTC such as Google Hangouts, and the main browsers on the market support it, like opera, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari y Microsoft, which now provides support for the standard with ORTC (Object real time communications).

Solution for companies

Definitely, browser- and plugin-independent video conferencing system is the way to go, since it facilitates its integration into other solutions, It is more secure and creates new opportunities in the area of ​​B2C communications. Even though WebRTC audio and video streams are encrypted, Users have to trust Unified Communications solutions (CU) that companies provide to connect and have continuous transversal security.

Another sector that will witness high adoption of this video communication method is e-commerce. An example of this is that of an Italian car rental office where each counter was equipped with video conferencing equipment to be able to interact with staff located in other places to rent a car., along with a scanner and printer for documents.

Also, In healthcare there are obvious opportunities to improve video consultations and make it easier for patients to consult from their own homes. A preliminary visual review of the condition or severity of an injury is essential to provide advice on possible treatments. Besides, The video is already used internally between hospitals so that experts can help in emergency cases where professionals cannot be physically present.

Also in the financial sector there are great advantages associated with the possibility of connecting via video. For example, High net worth individuals or HNW (high net worth) They often sign up for Premium banking service, allowing them to connect directly with an employee of the banking team.

WebRTC will have a significant impact on how businesses integrate video conferencing into their workflows. Not only will it improve the speed and quality of decision-making processes, but it will also change the way we work in the future. All relevant enterprise video conferencing solution providers see a positive future in WebRTC and most have already adapted their portfolio to work seamlessly with it..

For example, Polycom's RealPresence Web Suite solution uses WebRTC to connect users who may be located in different locations and using different types of devices. In the coming years, The use of WebRTC will be mainly based on pilot projects and development plans launched to create professional applications based on this standard, so that companies will have the opportunity to identify and test the professional applications that are developed.

Andrew Hug

Vice President of Systems Engineering at Polycom EMEA