Lifesize Video Conferencing in Law Enforcement
Updated July 11, 2017
Lifesize Video Conferencing in Law Enforcement
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Lifesize Video Conferencing
We currently have 9 video conferencing kits set up throughout our department all on Lifesize Cloud. We are a large county with satellite offices more than an hour away. We have implemented the video conferencing to eliminate travel time between locations and to stay connected as a group. Several systems are used for our twice daily Patrol briefings so our officers can stay more connected as a team and our Corrections team uses it for their long weekly and monthly meetings between distant locations. We also use the system in our training facility so officers don't need to travel long distances. We are in the process of putting a system in our new command vehicle (RV) and are also considering it for Video Arraignment between our jails and courts.
Pros
- The biggest selling point for us was ease of use. The everyday user in our organization is not technical staff. We needed something that users could adopt quickly and easily with minimal training.
- The systems are easy to set up. Aside from having to navigate our own network quirks, the systems are very easy to set up and get paired on the cloud.
- Compared to other full systems, we think the price point is pretty manageable. At first Lifesize was making their Cloud system cost prohibitive but they seem to have reeled it in a bit.
- Their customer support has always been excellent. They are willing to go the extra mile to make sure you have a positive experience with their product.
Cons
- Most of the issues we have experienced have been because of our own network problems however we have had some random connectivity issues not related to our network. They are always resolved eventually.
- Lifesize used to offer a non cloud based option for video conferencing that, for us, would have been a better option.
- Even though their support is good, the assistance you get on initial setup is practically nil. They have a nice thick technical manual but we still floundered a bit getting the setting just right.
Lifesize Video Conferencing Feature Ratings
Using Lifesize Video Conferencing
3 - We needed quite a bit of support from our network security person for implementation but for day-to-day support, our IT Analysts can manage just fine.
- Daily Briefing Meetings
- Weekly Staff Meetings
- Long Distance Training
- We hope to put a system in our Command Vehicle (RV)
- We may use this for Video Arraignment in our Courts
- We've had several department-wide (500 people) meetings recently and were able to broadcast via Lifesize to all 9 of our locations as well as an additional PC connection. This eliminated the need for long distance travel by staff.
- This has kept our satellite locations connected to the main hub and maintained the team atmosphere.
- If we move forward with Video Arraignment, this will be a very unique use of this system.
- Connecting sites to our Command Vehicle will also be a law enforcement specific use.
100 - Patrol Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Office Staff, IT, Deputies.
Evaluating Lifesize Video Conferencing and Competitors
Yes - We had some Tanberg systems throughout the department but they were not as easily accessible or user friendly as the Lifesize. Lifesize provided an excellent VC solution at a very reasonable price that was easy to maintain.
I would have liked to have visited a site that was using the system in a similar fashion.
- Tanberg and Skype for Business
We chose Lifesize because of it's ease, quality of use and reasonable pricing. We looked into several online systems such as Skype but weren't as pleased with their audio/video quality or user friendliness as we were with Lifesize.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
I think Usability was the largest deciding factor for us. The touch screen on the phone unit is easy to use even for non-techy, law enforcement types. The onscreen menus are just as simple and the remote isn't over-complicated. We do well with lots of big pictures. :-)
Lifesize Video Conferencing Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Yes - We initially had our test systems on our in-house network. The full implementation is on Cloud. We also started with just two systems and over time have added seven more.
Change management was minimal
- Network connectivity was extremely difficult for us. Unfortunately, it wasn't something Lifesize support could really assist with although perhaps their documentation could be a little more comprehensive
- We had major audio/video quality issues in the beginning. They were resolved with some configuration changes and a network firewall upgrade.
Lifesize Video Conferencing Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Good followup Problems get solved Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | Need to explain problems multiple times |
Yes - It took a little time but the issue was resolved.
When we were having Cloud connectivity issues, two of their top guys and an engineer got involved. Turns out it was our own network firewalls causing the problem but these guys did everything they could to troubleshoot the problem for us. They were very concerned with our success.
Using Lifesize Video Conferencing
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using | Lots to learn |
- Dialing into a meeting or adding multiple locations to a call is very simple.
- Users calling into recurring meetings daily.
- Navigating through features using the touch screen or onscreen menu.
- Initial network connection setup was difficult for us.
- Learning the best configuration for audio, etc took some trial and error.
Yes - We don't use this very often but when we have, it's worked well.
Comments
Please log in to join the conversation