Logitech is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of input and interface devices for personal computers (PCs) and other digital products. Loubna Imenchal, Head of Video Collaboration, Africa, Middle East, Turkey, and Central Asia, discusses the significance of professional-grade video collaboration tools at workplaces.

How important is professional-grade video collaboration to innovation in the modern workplace?

One of the major work-related changes driven by COVID-19 was remote and hybrid working. For many people, this meant working away from their colleagues, with less dialogue and face-to-face contact.

Video collaboration came into its own during the pandemic, keeping teams connected and keeping the spirit of collaboration alive. But now, as remote workforces transition into long-term hybrid working styles, workers need easy-to-use, enterprise-grade collaboration tools as they move between home and office.

Enterprise-grade headsets and webcams for home offices enable remote employees to continue collaborating and remain productive, with features that ensure their collaboration experience is not just average, but excellent.

In terms of engendering a culture of collaboration, video conferencing tools are important for keeping your workforce active, engaged, and connected with their colleagues. This is important for people working remotely and can have an impact on an organization’s ability to retain talented staff.

Employees who feel engaged will also be happier and more productive, producing better work and better results for your company. In fact, it is important to remember that human beings are naturally social. Working remotely can lead to alienation from your colleagues. Seamless, quality video collaboration overcomes this. By using video collaboration effectively, employees can achieve more face-to-face meetings than they would if they were working from the office.

A relatively small investment in video collaboration technology pays off very quickly through increased productivity from a happier workforce, reduced demand for IT to fix glitches, and an improved relationship with partners and customers who can also benefit from seamless video collaboration with your organization.

How are you working with the education sector?

We are seeing huge demand in education. COVID-19 accelerated the shift towards distance and hybrid learning models. We’ve equipped many universities and schools in the region with conferencing solutions. These tools make a world of difference to the quality of lessons, lectures, and tutorials. Consistent quality is vital to students’ ability to learn. It is also important for teachers to have access to tools that are intuitive and reliable, allowing them to focus their efforts on teaching.

We have many products for education. The Rally Bar, an all-in-one video conferencing solution, is ideal for universities and schools, enabling teachers to deliver lessons with consistent high-quality audio and video. It features AI-assisted motorized pan, tilt, and zoom, which means it can adapt to meeting dynamics and keeps the camera on the action.

Logitech recently launched the Logitech Scribe, an AI-powered whiteboard camera that is compatible with leading services like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. It broadcasts whiteboard content into video meetings with incredible clarity, virtually transporting everyone into the same room. It’s ideal for education and we’re excited about bringing it to the Middle East.

What kind of solutions do you provide for the healthcare sector?

Video collaboration has proved invaluable in the healthcare sector during the pandemic. It means a patient in one clinic or hospital can be checked by a specialist who may be hundreds of kilometers away. This reduces the need to travel, with all its risks of infection. With high-end video collaboration solutions, the specialist can see the finer details, help diagnose ailments, and offer advice. Patients can even have their homes equipped with webcams for regular consultations with their doctor or specialist.

It’s all about increasing access to care, enhancing patient experiences, and improving outcomes, with technology as an enabler. Logitech is very active in this area. Healthcare providers can convert any small room or workspace for telehealth to connect specialists to patients and to connect patients to family members in long-term care.

Our high-end conferencing cameras like MeetUp or Rally give professional-quality video and audio for individual hospital rooms, consultation rooms, medical carts, and other applications.

What differentiates Logitech from its market rivals, and what are your goals and objectives for the remainder of 2021?

What differentiates Logitech is the quality of our products, which are carefully designed with the user in mind. Logitech invests heavily in R&D, which is reflected in the level of innovation in the solutions. We also have a very broad range of products – from high-end professional products to affordable products for more price-conscious consumers.

According to Synergy Research, Logitech ranked #1 worldwide in video conferencing hardware last year. Fuelled by the acceleration of remote work, Logitech experienced its strongest years to date. According to Synergy’s Research, Logitech accounted for nearly fifty percent of all video conferencing devices sold in the Q1 FY21, and over thirty percent of the industry’s revenue.

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