Virtual collaboration technology and how is it used - Research Paper Example

Virtual collaboration technology: Virtual collaboration is largely used for organizational communication and coordination in the technologically advanced countries of the world. Businesses have flourished manifolds with the help of tools and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitating virtual collaboration. Among the numerous types of virtual collaboration techniques and mediums available in the present age, two most popular ones that are in common use are the video conferencing and phone apps.

This paper briefly evaluates the usability and cost of these two means of virtual collaboration. Phone app: The term “Phone app” is indeed, a cool way of referring to the cell phone applications. (Christensen, 2010). Today mobile phones are being produced with more and more functions and their usability far exceeds the verbal communication that was their original purpose. It has been attempted to make the mobile phones as close in use to computers as possible. Mobile phones provide the users with the facility of checking and forwarding mail, capturing videos and photos, chatting online and video communication.

Besides, mobile phones are employed for various other purposes including tracking and keeping track of the base station and the destination. These phones update the users on accurate displacement from the base station with the help of coordinates. Phone apps are of huge significance to organizations because they help to maintain effective coordination and develop strong communication links among the colleagues involved in a particular task. Strong communication is the most fundamental requirement of a successful business and phone apps serve the purpose.

It is quite useful because it provides numerous facilities all in one unit that include but are not limited to recorder, loudspeaker, video camera, internet, and Bluetooth. Mobile phones are handy and portable. All it requires to use the mobile apps is knowledge of appropriate handling. There is hardly any person in the modern age who is not educated on the use of mobile apps. There wide usability make them extremely suitable for use in organizational work. Video conferencing: Video conferencing is a technology that facilitates group discussion without having to oblige the discussion participants to make physical appearance at one location.

As the name implies, video conferencing technology is meant for conducting conferences where individual members participate virtually. One screen displays several locations clearly demarcated. The quality of picture supersedes that of a mobile phone. Also, all participants can visualize one another simultaneously. This is a facility not often offered by phone apps. However, the arrangement of technology for video conferencing is more expensive than that of phone apps. Video conferencing is employed in virtual businesses where colleagues often work from their homes via softwares.

Individual tasks are undertaken by individual employees and they use video conferencing to communicate with one another in the hour of need. The integration of voice and video links the remote users. (Anissimov, 2010). As there is a shortage of time in the present age, and people can not manage to make appearance everywhere they are needed. In such circumstances, video conferencing assists the exchange of views by ensuring the participation of physically distant members through ICT. Use of video conferencing is so widely employed that “by 2012, video conferencing will replace 2.

1 million airline seats per year.” (Gartner cited in Mitra, 2010).References:Anissimov, M. (2010, Oct. 10). What is Video Conferencing? Conjecture Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-video-conferencing.htm.Christensen, T. E. (2010, Sep. 8). What is a Cell Phone App? Conjecture Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cell-phone-app.htm.Mitra, S. (2010, Jan. 29) CIO Priority: Virtual Collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/28/telepresence-entrepreneurs-citrix-technology-cio- network-virtual.html.