WHAT IS IP-VIDEOCONFERENCING?
IP-Videoconferencing is a two-way multicast technology that enables two or more users to communicate using combined audio and video over an IP network. Participants can see and hear each other, whilst also sharing applications and whiteboards via a live, interactive format. Sessions can be delivered over a LAN, private WAN or public IP network.

WHY DO I NEED IP-VIDEOCONFERENCING
IP-Videoconferencing delivers the greatest advantages to organisations where enhanced communications, efficient information flow and location-independent real-time collaboration are key requirements. Video-over-IP offers such organisations the following benefits:

•  Reduced travel costs: streaming video and audio is an extremely effective substitute for face-to-face meetings, training events and instructor-led classroom programmes.

•  More effective communications: audio and video combined with supporting text and graphics enhances the effectiveness of content delivery, ensures different learning styles are addressed, and potentially provides accessibility to greater numbers of delegates than more traditional methods.

•  Improved knowledge flow: more effective communications (above) ultimately results in better intra-company awareness regarding product and service updates, business strategies and compliance procedures.

Improved productivity: the above benefits combine to produce a more efficient, effective and enjoyable working environment which improves worker productivity.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IP-VIDEOCONFERENCING?
In addition to certain Quality of Service (QoS) controls to manage traffic and bandwidth allocation, IP-videoconferencing does require certain specific hardware and software network components to achieve full functionality:

•  Video terminals - Video terminals come in many forms, ranging from standalone desktop units installed on PCs to shared conference room devices.

•  A Gatekeeper - one of the most important components of an H.323 videoconferencing network because it performs all address resolution, bandwidth management, call admission control, zone management, and call routing.

•  A Gateway - provides interoperability between H.323 elements and existing H.320 units on the network. Video gateways perform translation between the various protocols, audio encoding formats, and video encoding formats used by the other components.

•  A Multipoint Conference Unit (MCU ) - enables three or more participants to join a videoconference. The MCU manages call control functions, conference resources, and audio and video media streams.

•  A Proxy - a call-processing agent that terminates H.323 calls from a local LAN or zone and establishes sessions with H.323 endpoints located in other LANs or zones. The proxy provides QoS on inter-zone segments as well as a method for tunnelling videoconferencing connections through firewalls and Network Address Translation (NAT) environments.

IP-Videoconferencing Solution

WHAT IP-VIDEONFERENCING SERVICES DOES PROGRESSIVE NETWORKS OFFER?
As a certified Cisco Premier Partner, Progressive Networks is able to plan, develop and implement the complete Cisco IP/VC 3500 Series IP-videoconferencing solution comprising of the Cisco IP/VC 3510 Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), the Cisco IP/VC 3520 and IP/VC 3525 Videoconferencing Gateways, and the Cisco IP/VC 3530 Video Terminal Adapter (VTA).

The Cisco IP/VC 3510 MCU allows multiple participants in multiple locations to attend the same meeting with full real-time interactivity. The IP/VC 3520/3525 Gateways let users connect their ISDN-based H.320 systems to IP-based H.323 videoconferencing endpoints. And the IP/VC 3530 Video Terminal Adapter (VTA) connects a single H.320 room-based system to an IP network.

n addition, Progressive Networks is able to offer the Cisco Multimedia Conference Manager, which is an H.323 Gatekeeper/Proxy. Combined with any H.323-compliant endpoint and a Cisco-powered IP network infrastructure, these products create a complete end-to-end videoconferencing solution.