Mobile collaboration

Mobile collaboration is a technology-based process of communicating using electronic assets and accompanying software designed for use in remote locations. Newest generation hand-held electronic devices feature video, audio, and telestration (on-screen drawing) capabilities broadcast over secure networks, enabling multi-party conferencing in real time (although real time communication is not a strict requirement of mobile collaboration and may not be applicable or practical in many collaboration scenarios). Differing from traditional video conferencing, mobile collaboration utilizes wireless, cellular and broadband technologies enabling effective collaboration independent of location. Where traditional video conferencing has been limited to boardrooms, offices, and lecture theatres, recent technological advancements have extended the capabilities of video conferencing for use with discreet, hand-held mobile devices, permitting true mobile collaborative possibilities. The scope of mobile collaboration takes into account a number of elements that continue to evolve in their sophistication and complexity: video, audio and telestration capabilities, conferencing and telepresence systems, collaboration tools, transmission technologies, and mobility. Cisco Systems predicts "two-thirds of the world's mobile data traffic will be video by 2015." The Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF), a non-profit alliance of technology vendors states that "one important driver for the growth of UC (unified communications) is mobility and the remote worker. No segment is growing faster than mobile communications, and virtually every smart phone will be equipped with video chat, IM, directory, and other UC features within a few years." To date, the use of mobile collaboration technology extends to industries as diverse as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, insurance, government and public safety. Mobile collaboration allows multiple users in multiple locations the ability to synergistically combine their input while working towards the resolution of problems or issues in today’s complex work environments.