WebRTC is on course to becoming the top technology for anything related to real-time communication over the web, according to Maria Stoitsi, Marketing Communications Coordinator at 3CX, which collected the Best SME On-Premise System accolade at last month's Comms National Awards.
WebRTC is a game changer for the UC industry, offering simpler and cheaper real-time communications options, believes Stoitsi. "It has essentially transformed the web browser itself into a communications platform, levelling the playing field and thereby removing the dominance of any one operating system or device type," she stated. "This will also bring issues of interoperability and compatibility to an end as WebRTC is browser-based. This technology has the capacity to add new features to the range of UC functions, for example the click-to-call feature, which will have a huge impact on real-time communication for companies."
With this degree of flexibility, resellers will not face any big obstacles in trying to sell and implement WebRTC-based solutions. "Market insights show that end users are asking for more flexible solutions that are, at the same time, easy to use, manage and more cost-friendly. All are characteristics of WebRTC," commented Stoitsi.
3CX has always considered WebRTC to be one of the top emerging trends over the past few years, even from its very first introduction. In the past year alone the use of WebRTC has gained momentum and Stoitsi is beginning to see how the technology is disrupting the market. "Its ability to support multiple participant meetings at the click of a button, without the need for additional plugins or clients, is revolutionising video conferencing for enterprises," she added. "Solutions that depend on expensive software and video conferencing hardware will struggle immensely to keep up with this development. WebRTC will push expensive proprietary vendors out of the market."
To embrace WebRTC video conferencing on a corporate level, enterprises will need to assess which VC software or application best fits their needs. "There are just a few providers with business-fit products that have gone completely WebRTC, so finding a suitable provider won't be a laborious process," noted Stoitsi. "Everything else is easy because WebRTC is a browser-based technology. Companies won't need to purchase new dedicated hardware because existing webcams and headsets are fully compatible with WebRTC solutions. In terms of external communication, you won't need to send your customers a specific plugin or client to download in order to interact with them. All they need is their open standard browser, be it on their computer or mobile device."
However, there is one question: Does the replacement of a proprietary video conferencing solution make sense from a cost point of view? The answer, in Stoitsi's opinion, is a clear yes. "WebRTC solutions are much more cost-effective as they eliminate the need for expensive maintenance and additional overhead costs for dedicated IT staff," she added. "This means that there is a short return on investment, and with this in mind it won't take much to convince CEOs and CFOs to embrace solutions with the technology embedded."
Some of the sectors where Stoitsi sees increased potential for the demand and uptake of WebRTC video conferencing might come as a surprise. Firstly, and more traditionally keen to deploy WebRTC, are call centres. "For this line of business the technology offers the opportunity to provide real-time communications not only with audio, but with hassle-free video input as well," she explained. "For call centres with a supportive role in particular this is an exceptional new tool as customers can be assisted via video call and users can make use of helpful features such as screen sharing. This has the potential to increase customer satisfaction substantially and, as a result, increase profits."
Additionally, and perhaps more unconventionally, 3CX sees the healthcare sector as prime market for video conferencing. "Hospitals are already using video conferencing for consultations between doctors and patients, and even real-time surgery support could become standard in the future," she said. "Hospitals use video conferencing to collaborate with other physicians without necessarily sharing the same location. WebRTC-based solutions would fit perfectly into this scenario, increasing the adoption of video conferencing due to its uncomplicated use.
"The third sector that has positive growth potential is the educational system. Schools and universities can benefit from the cost-effective solution that WebRTC has to offer, delivering knowledge in an innovative way more inline with where we are today, technologically speaking, as a society."
WebRTC goes beyond VoIP and web conferencing, at least in its current form, and moves towards ultra-personalised customer interaction, believes Stoitsi. "WebRTC will be the top technology for anything related to real-time video communication over the web," she stated. "It will make the world as we know it shrink and the globalisation of businesses, which was an obstacle for many companies in the past, will have even less impact on the way organisations run today and in the future.
"Furthermore, WebRTC might develop in such a way that ultimately supports online sales platforms. It creates the perfect conditions for employees to assist in the making of sales, where traditionally the online sales process might stop due to a lack of communication and information. Amazon's Mayday button has already demonstrated this and we will definitely see further development in this direction."
In general, 3CX does not see many challenges associated with selling and implementing a WebRTC video conferencing solution. "It's a no brainer," added Stoitsi. "While Apple and Microsoft still lack cooperation towards WebRTC this has done nothing to stop its growth. In terms of adoption of the technology, Internet Explorer and Safari not supporting WebRTC has actually no impact on developers and end users. With Chrome and Firefox being widely used, WebRTC overcame these restrictions easily.
"While Skype and FaceTime might have strong branding, we don't see them taking over corporate communication beyond its current market shares. Even Microsoft's smart marketing-driven rebranding of its Lync product line to Skype for Business will not take over the video conferencing market. WebRTC is based on open standards and its web browser concept. WebRTC is not locked to a particular operating system. All someone needs is a browser that supports the technology."
WebRTC's success is driven through its clientless approach, which eliminates the need to download any additional software or plugins. Like no other technology before, users can interact with each other quickly and easily as they only need their web browser. "It puts an end to interoperability issues, as it is not locked into a particular hardware vendor, meaning the users are not limited to specific brands and models of peripheral hardware," said Stoitsi. "As WebRTC is clientless and open standards, it enables real-time communication without infrastructure boundaries and is incredibly easy to add or implement to existing ITC systems."
On the other hand, companies can be reluctant to adopt a new technology, often due to data privacy and data security concerns and the question of whether WebRTC is secure is one that has troubled many. "However, the technology comes with a set of security characteristics that are actually an additional reason to consider adopting WebRTC," said Stoitsi.
"As you don't need to install any plugins or clients, the fear of downloading malicious software is eliminated. Also, security and encryption is not optional with WebRTC. It has native built-in features that address security concerns. What's more it offers end-to-end encryption and a set of security protocols like DTLS and SRTP ensuring safe, private and secure real-time communication."