The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to innovate if they wanted to carry on doing business-as-almost-usual. Remote collaboration and hybrid working became the default – along with videoconferencing as the number one way of holding meetings.

The legacy of this enforced change is mixed. Many companies are now fully behind remote working – they understand the benefits to staff well-being, productivity and budgets.

But you might also have noticed that there's been an accompanying trend to neglect the in-person side of things a little.

People are still going into the office – but it's looking a little lacklustre. Offices used to be like pyramids – impressive monuments built to demonstrate power and influence. Now, they can sometimes seem like an afterthought.

One way of upgrading your office environment is by investing in a dedicated videoconferencing device.

If you don't know what this means, imagine a high-quality flat-screen TV with a touch interface that's connected to a whiteboard, speakers, webcam and microphone.

Picture the scene: your team is assembled and ready to start. The meeting chair can use the touch interface to join or start a meeting, make a call, present and all the other things that videoconferencing software can do.

And here at SimplyVideo, we provide a videoconferencing platform that integrates with these devices. Together, they're a powerful pairing – the Lennon and McCartney of remote collaboration.

Videoconferencing hardware is a big investment. But we believe that, in tandem with SimplyVideo, it can create meetings that are truly collaborative and speed up the problem-solving process.

Interested? Let's look at some more of the benefits to your team.

Why invest in dedicated videoconferencing hardware?

Along with hybrid working came the age of BYOD – bring your own device.

This is an extremely flexible way of working. It means that people can join meetings wherever they are with any device to hand.

The downside is that it makes networks hard to police. They become sprawling, straggling things made up of seemingly endless devices and users joining and leaving throughout the working day.

Security is always paramount – and while it's possible to encourage BYOD and stay more or less safe from cybercrime, it does introduce some novel threats.

A video conferencing environment, by contrast, means that employees are only using software and apps that have been approved by IT.

So at least in the meeting room, "shadow IT" is no longer a problem. That keeps you protected from ransomware, malware and other nasty net-borne threats. Remember: it takes only one infected device to bring down the whole network.

As well as being safe as houses, videoconferencing solutions are intuitive and easy to use.

The touch interface can be mastered in no time – and there's no pre-meeting faff as Jeff figures out how to turn his mic on (again). The roadworks at Clarissa's flat won't disturb the flow of ideas. And Alistair won't get up to answer the front door mid-thought.

But there's still another advantage that lies in the word "dedicated".

Laptop and smartphone webcams have come a long way over the last decade – but we're all familiar with fuzzy, glitchy video and audio that sounds like an especially daring piece of experimental music.

That's because these webcams aren't designed for videoconferencing – so if you have a meeting held on 20 different devices in 20 separate locations, it's not ideal. You may as well be slicing bread with a spoon.

By contrast, videoconferencing hardware has been designed specifically to create smooth, high-quality video meetings. They're boutique devices, not passable knock-offs.

Take the way that the microphone and camera work together. Some devices can sense who's speaking and zoom in on them – meaning the person on the other end knows where to look and who to address. They're not casting around forlornly trying to find the right person.

Finally, these devices add a touch of class. Everyone in business knows the importance of making strong first impressions.

With crisp, seamless audio and video streaming your beautiful office and dressed-to-impress team, you can be sure that you look like a force to be reckoned with.

Why use SimplyVideo?

Videoconferencing software like Teams, Zoom and Skype all have their place – but they're not built for low-bandwidth connections.

If you have an international team or are holding a meeting with someone in a hard-to-reach place, you need a solution that can handle low bandwidth. SimplyVideo is an industry leader in this regard.

It's also astonishingly easy to use. You can join a call at the click of a button – or with a simple voice command.

It also has XR functionality. Pairing SimplyVideo with a videoconferencing device opens up new possibilities for remote collaboration – namely "see-what-I-see", seamless audio, video and screen sharing and 3D asset visualisation.

Let's say a member of your team is carrying out a site survey. The rest of you are in the office with your videoconferencing device. The surveyor is onsite, wearing an XR headset.

You can watch their POV through your device, literally seeing what they see. This is a massive improvement on situations where onsite staff have to laboriously explain what they're looking at – or send you pictures and videos to look at after the fact.

This is real-time collaboration with high-end audio and video. The sky's the limit – an architect could use it when showing clients around a construction site, or a construction manager could talk you through their latest health and safety solutions.

What's more, the frontline member of staff can use their headset to quickly take pictures and videos that can be viewed on your hardware. These can then be annotated at your end.

It all goes to make collaborative problem-solving and idea generation a frictionless, enjoyable and productive process.

We believe that this is the next generation of videoconferencing. Using hardware with XR-enhanced software makes remote assistance and problem-solving easier than ever before. And it makes your teams more connected, wherever they are.

Are you planning to invest in videoconferencing hardware? Are you looking for a Microsoft Teams or Zoom alternative that's built for the future of collaboration? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of SimplyVideo today.