The TelePresence service, developed by Cisco and operated in Luxembourg by Telindus offers a next generation video conferencing tool that has many advantages over older systems. Reliability is improved, as is ease of use, and the overall effect is deeply impressive: rather than patchy sound quality and shaky, flickering images, the voices sound as if they are in the same room while the images are full HD and crystal clear. The aim of TelePresence is simple: when video-conferencing is so advanced and reliable it saves companies time and money by cutting down on travel and unnecessary journeys. According to Gérard Hoffmann, Chairman and Managing Director of Telindus in Luxembourg, “TelePresence enables meetings to be more spontaneous, and the reduction in number of often-tiring business-trips allows for a significant saving of time and money.”

Telindus is the first company in Luxembourg to install TelePresenceand their system has a video-conferencing capacity for six people. However, the solution is versatile: one person can hold a meeting with one other, but TelePresence systems have the capacity to support a link-up between 36 different sites, with up to 18 people on each site. Technically, this means the system can support a conference with approximately 650 participants in 36 different countries. To move all of those people to one venue would require substantial investment in time, money and planning. With TelePresence, that time and money can be put to more efficient and productive use.

An idea for our time

While the system itself is easy to use, it requires a dedicated room in a building which is painted a specific colour and has a regulated temperature, for a “total immersion” feel. Behind the scenes, the equipment is sophisticated but reliable and serviced by experts at Telindus. The company’s dedication to TelePresence is notable. William Mosseray, CEO of Telindus International, states that it is “at the heart of our commercial strategy, not only in Belgium and Luxembourg but also across our European operations.” Telindus currently provides the service in six countries. The technology and benefits accrued are entirely relevant to the modern world. As Hoffmann points out, “everybody wins. Companies are saving time and money, but employees are also cutting down on draining trips and improving their own work-life balance. Then, of course, the environment benefits through reduced emissions as those trips do not need to be taken.” Mosseray is convinced that TelePresence will be a success as it will change how things are done, and the timing is right: “this is a solution for our time, where time and cost pressures, as well as corporate social responsibility are becoming more and more important and relevant.” It may once have seemed like science-fiction, but now, thanks to TelePresence, one can cross the globe instantly without ever leaving the room.