Despite video conferencing being adopted by the majority of Interop attendees, 38% of respondents indicated they lacked metrics and tools to assess video quality, according to the 5th annual study released by Network Instruments. The onsite survey of network engineers, IT managers, and executives who attend the annual Interop Las Vegas IT conference found:
Widespread Video Adoption: 81% deploy some form of videoconferencing. The majority of respondents have multiple deployments throughout their organization, including desktop video (62%), standard video conferencing (42%), and telepresence (24%).
Increasing Bandwidth Demands: Organizations that do use video conferencing report it currently consumes 20% of network bandwidth on average. Respondents expected this to rise in the next year to one-third of bandwidth.
No Clear Quality Metrics: Without clear consensus on a specific metric for monitoring video quality, respondents rely on a variety metrics, including latency (60%),packet loss (52%), and jitter (51%). A smaller number rely on Video MOS (8%) or soliciting user feedback (5%).
Largest Video Challenges: What are the largest challenges to improving video-conferencing performance? Nearly 50% indicated difficulties in allocating and monitoring bandwidth. 38% lacked the tools and metrics to monitor video conferencing. This compared to 28%who attributed the lack of user knowledge as the biggest challenge they face in ensuring a positive user experience.
"With video conferencing shifting to the mainstream, discussions at Interop are centered on how to ensure a more positive end-user experience," says Brad Reinboldt, senior product manager of Network Instruments. "Without clear quality metrics and tools to track and present video traffic in the context of overall activity, it's very challenging for network teams to effectively resolve performance problems and ensure the quality of the video service."
