Item: Lifesize Video Conferencing
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Implementation Rating

8

The set up was very easy and didn't require much time or IT work. The simple plug and play hardware goes right into the tv and into the speaker unit. One very annoying thing is the network configuration required. We constantly had to play and tweak ports to make sure we weren't getting any packet losses. That should be automatic these days considering it's a cloud solution.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The primary reason for getting Lifesize was to reduce travel between our offices. Video conferencing puts remote office employees into the meeting room as if they were there with colleagues across the country. It really changes the nature of colleagues who are used to working on the phone together. Face to face adds a certain trust.

We also feel we are getting more effective conferences. Instead of very passive calls, where we don't know what people are doing....we are suddenly face to face...knowing they are tuned in.

Pros and Cons

Admin screen is good and IT friendly.
Manage meetings well. Easy to join meetings or dial in.
Remote zoom is a great feature, so we can pan and zoom into the speaker or look at a demo.

Sometimes the video jumps and freezes - especially on a PC or Mac.
Sound issues and echo is our biggest frustration. It's not nearly as good as the phone.
Our biggest complaint is that the screen automatically goes to the speaker. They claim this is a feature, but it's not a good practice for us. As the executive in the room wants to see everyone despite who's speaking. This should be configurable.

Other Software Used

iMagic Inventory Software, Power BI For Office 365, Remote Desktop Manager

Likelihood to Recommend

It's good for remote offices. It's easy to start a meeting in seconds with no setup. No planning is needed, we can just dial and we have the other party on screen to begin. It's ideal for presentations and screen sharing, but that needs a bit of work.

Products Replaced

Yes - We replaced skype as we wanted a dedicated system that didnt require a computer and had a full audio, HD video and screen share with multiple locations.
It made starting calls easier than booting up and having to deal with another piece of hardware to maintain.
We now have a dedicated tv for meetings.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I would spend more time on the screen sharing and test it out in different use cases.
I also would of liked to compare the screen sharing abilities on the competitors such as polycom and BlueJeans.
While price was a very important factor in the decision- it probably would not have changed my mind- just informational.

Alternatives Considered

BlueJeans

The BlueJeans system seemed great from many different standpoints, including many nice to have features and reliability.
One thing that was odd- BlueJeans costs were about 5 times the price of life size and I just dont understand how a comparative product can be so much higher. I didnt see the value in that

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Product Usability
Product Reputation
Vendor Reputation
Existing Relationship with the Vendor
Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Third-party Reviews

The best part of the life size product was its friendly user features. It was easy to just start a meeting without getting the techies involved.
Anyone can shcedule a conference or start one at the whim.
I was also very impressed with the sales process at life size. They were quick- put on a great demo that sold us right away

Usability

9

My biggest issue is the poor screen sharing. (and sometimes choppy sound)
We bought the system for screen sharing and able to do remote presentations. But sometimes it dosent show full screen or the lag isnt good- especially when on 3 way calls.
It would be nice to have more flexibity as screen sharing has evolved.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Easy to use Well integrated Quick to learn Feel confident using	Unnecessarily complex Requires technical support Inconsistent Cumbersome Lots to learn

Easy Tasks

The touch screen control center
Intuitive software design
Dial by directory

Difficult Tasks

Screen sharing needs work
Sound is not always great. In fact sometimes we use the phone
Email invitations are confusing for non Lifesize users

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - Its a good idea, but not practical for iphone as its very slow connection isnt stable enough for a full video confererence.
Im assuming the ipad version on Wifi would be better suited.
Also- its needs to have background services so you can listen to call and mutlitask- as its not a dedicated computer.

Great enterprise conferering solution

Overall Satisfaction with Lifesize Video Conferencing