The Pros And Cons Of Free Solutions In Desktop Videoconferencing

Clients often ask Forrester why they should pay for desktop video solutions when there are free consumer market solutions that could be available to everyone in the organization. This is a valid question, especially in the light of the "consumerization" trend that makes many consumer-focused products viable in business settings. In our review of free versus paid video solutions, we found that free desktop video solutions are easy to install, easily adopted by employees, and have the substantial benefit of being free. But dig deeper and it's clear that even "free" solutions come at a cost. Security and data privacy concerns are often valid, quality of service is low and rarely guaranteed, and interoperability with other systems is typically lacking. The risk to your own organization depends on how you deploy the solution, which is based on your company's strategy, risk profile, and the needs of your workforce.