Logitech recently announced plans to deliver a web camera capable of on-board processing of video encoding, enabling it to support desktop video conferencing via thin-client. It plans to demo the D990 web camera with support from Avistar, Citrix, and HP.
Logitech’s move highlights the challenges in deploying software-based voice and video and desktop virtualization – you need to encapsulate locally to ensure acceptable performance. Solutions such as Citrix’s HDX are now available to support voice and standard definition video encoding in a virtualized scenario, but up until now no good solution for HD video with desktop virtualization existed.
With 50% of organizations now using desktop virtualization, up from 22% in 2010, those responsible for UC must work with desktop management groups to ensure that UC and virtualization plans are in sync. Understand that delivering HD desktop video over virtualized desktop infrastructure (VDI) will add to the cost of your deployment.
Irwin Lazar is the Vice President for Communication and Collaboration Research at Nemertes Research, where he develops and manages research projects, develops cost models, conducts strategic seminars and advises clients. His background is in network operations, network engineering, voice-data convergence, and IP telephony. Mr. Lazar is responsible for benchmarking the adoption and use of emerging technologies in the enterprise in areas including VOIP, unified communications, Web 2.0 initiatives, social networking, and collaboration.
A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and sought-after speaker and author, Mr. Lazar is a columnist for No Jitter and Enterprise2Blog. He is a frequent resource for the business and trade press and is regular speaker at events such as Interop, VoiceCon, and Enterprise 2.0. Mr. Lazar serves as the conference director for FutureNet (formerly MPLScon), and is on the advisory board for the Enterprise 2.0 conference.