Bring on the VoIP apps

Sometimes referred to as "the other VoIP," IP video has been used longer than IP telephony in some companies, but it has been viewed as more of a bell-and-whistle technology than a core everyday business tool, such as phones and PCs.

While rolling out IP telephony across its global network, Dow Chemical saw the opportunity to layer video onto the system and make it a more practical application for users.

Dow has established iRooms, or conference rooms wired for IP videoconferencing, in 30 facilities in the U.S. and overseas. These rooms are equipped with Cisco IP voice and videoconferencing equipment, including IP-based multipoint control units, and PCs for operating Cisco's IP videoconferencing software. The DowNET videoconferencing tools also tie into Microsoft Exchange scheduling servers, which notify users of scheduled videoconferences.

"Before DowNET, it took weeks to schedule and coordinate a [videoconferencing] meeting activity, and the quality was not always up to Dow's standards," says Bill Copple, DowNET program director at Dow in Midland, Mich. The difficulty was a result of the ISDN-based videoconferencing equipment and services Dow used in the past from multiple providers. This produced mixed-quality results and was expensive. "In many instances, employees preferred face-to-face meetings," he says.

Now, scheduling video time is as easy as setting up a bridge to talk to employees in different offices, Copple says. The fact that video runs over IP, along with voice and data, means that the service is included in the cost of regular network maintenance. Video also has helped reduce travel expenses.

"Travel restrictions brought on by challenging economic conditions [has] limited our employees' ability to meet face-to-face," Copple says. "The iRooms address this, and the results are very impressive."

Videoconferencing has increased seven times since the same time last year, he adds. And over the next year, Dow will roll out desktop video cameras as part of DowNET, letting some employees, such as engineers or researchers, initiate their own one-on-one or group video calls.