July 2013 VCI-Group President’s Message

July 2013 VCI-Group President’s Message

As our industry continues to evolve it becomes very difficult for us as End Users, Implementers and Strategists to determine where to go for information.  There are now hundreds of companies in the visual and collaboration arena and more are entering every day.  Also, more services are being developed and offered monthly.  The dilemma is “how to keep up?”

We are committed to be the organization that will help you navigate the industry and keep you abreast of all that is happening throughout the industry.  To that end we have revised the Buyer’s Guide and have named it the Industry Sourcebook.  This Sourcebook provides you with a list of organizations and the products and services they offer.  You can navigate this reference tool by clicking a particular product/service category and get a list of companies that provide or represent that interest.

We also deliver monthly VCIG Live! webinars boasting record attendance on topics which are timely and pertinent to the changes in the industry—our last webinar on “Managed Services in the Cloud” was well attended and provided a thought provoking discussion amongst the panelists.  You can still view this webinar in our archived files.

Our Industry Events Calendar lists all of the events that are happening in our industry, this list includes webinars from manufacturers, service providers and other organizations; as well as, conferences.  These webinars cover a multitude of topics from SIP, Unified Communications and Microsoft Lync – there is something there for everyone.  Also, don’t miss our highlights, such as the End User Member or Alliance Member Spotlights – find out what some of the vendors are doing or; more importantly, your peers.

We also have an active Distance Learning and Healthcare Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Virtual meetings are held throughout the year – this is a perfect opportunity to find out what is happening in your vertical and to network.  We will also soon begin the Technical & Engineering SIG – so stay tuned for information on that SIG meetings.

Lastly, I want to point you to the Education & Resources section of our website.  You will start to find White Papers in this section of the website with the first one on “The Great Codec Debate” submitted by Thomas H. Doria of Cisco.  You will certainly want to read this as it is well written and certainly provocative.  Be aware that this is an exclusively member benefit and only open to VCI-Group Members.   

We have two (2) End User memberships; a Trial Membership which is good for one (1) calendar year and a Principal Membership which is $99 per year and should your organization not reimburse you for this remember that it is a tax deductible expense.

Stay informed, stay educated and continue to be the expert in your organization.

Toni Alonso

President, VCI-Group