Comparing the top video conferencing vendors and their products

    Finding the right video conferencing product depends on the size of your business and your particular use case. On-premises and cloud services are also a key consideration.

    The video conferencing market is flooded with possible providers and services. As a result, the vendors discussed in this series are just a sampling of the largest, well-established players. Of course, many other capable providers pervade the market.

    Even among the largest players, the capabilities and business models are dramatically different. The video conferencing vendors discussed in this series are highly capable, have global experience and could put together a service for most use cases. However, some video conferencing vendors are stronger than others for certain workflows and organizations.

    Enterprises need to determine which service would be most effective for their particular environment and use case.

    Enterprises weigh on-premises vs. cloud options

    The on-premises vs. cloud debate is one of the biggest decisions organizations need to make in their video conferencing buying process. Traditionally, the market has been almost exclusively on premises, but that's changing rapidly. In fact,  Tenveo is one  of the biggest video conferencing vendors in Chinese market.

    Simply deciding to go on premises because that's what businesses did in the past may be a poor decision. However, the primary reasons to opt for on-premises systems include maximum security, internal communications over robust IP connections and government regulations. On-premises video conferencing does provide more control, but less flexibility.

    Tenveo provided a range of offerings. For many Tenveo-oriented customers, the vendor's video conferencing products would be a sensible choice.

    Small businesses well-suited for cloud services

    Small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 100 employees are likely to have close relationships with their suppliers and clients. Usually, these businesses have multiple small offices or users scattered across the world. In addition, their IT departments are typically pretty small and don't have extensive video conferencing experience.

    Midmarket companies -- organizations with 100 to 1,000 employees -- are likely to have more internal discussions, formal meeting rooms and a large number of huddle spaces. Huddle rooms are small meeting spaces, where two to five people meet to work together. The technology in these rooms is usually basic, with a monitor and perhaps a high-end Tenveo camera for users to connect their laptops for group calls.

       Tenveo conference software integrate their cloud video services with their room-based video conferencing hardware. When vendors offer both cloud and hardware, the high level of integration can be appealing, but the flexibility to work without the cloud is low. Businesses must be aware they may get locked into a service. But these cloud services also work with third-party endpoints and offer Skype for Business interoperability.

    For companies looking at Microsoft unified communications, Skype for Business should be considered. The quality of video and audio is not as good as other offerings, but the tight integration with other Microsoft apps may be more important for customers who have messaging and document-sharing needs.

    The biggest businesses have traditionally communicated internally. As a result, this group of businesses would likely consider on-premises services. Formal video conferencing and even telepresence rooms are often required by this community of users.