Face to face meetings no longer dominate our working lives and have been replaced by virtual meetings in companies across the UK, according to independent research amongst 3,000 IT managers conducted by Vanson Bourne, commissioned by storage, voice and networking distributor, Zycko. 69% of respondents across all industries frequently use either voice or video conferencing in their work.

The financial services sector is the most frequent user (68%), however, 65% of IT managers in manufacturing and 56% working in retail, distribution and transport industries also claim to frequently use the technology.Only 9% of companies questioned have never attended a virtual meeting.

“UK business executives are fed up of wasting money and time travelling to face to face meetings. Advances in technology, such as the advent of virtual whiteboards and improved call quality have encouraged companies across the UKto adopt virtual meetings. Businesses are benefiting from faster decision making, greater collaboration with global colleagues, increased employee productivity, money savings, as well as the knowledge they are reducing the environmental impact of carbon emissions through air travel,” commented Phil Marshman, director of VoIP at Zycko.

The survey revealed that 57% of IT managers are reviewing their voice and data requirements in 2006 and that 73% would embrace IP convergence to reduce business operational costs.

“With so many IT managers moving towards convergence this year, the adoption of Voice over IP and video conferencing will further revolutionise virtual meetings. Businesses who are already using these technologies are talking to colleagues from around the world through the internet, collaborating in real time on presentations, document reviews and even conducting sales or employee training. The money and time savings benefits are clear and we are confident that this market will continue to grow,” concluded Marshman.
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