A crucial part to designing an effective conference room, innovation lab, or other meeting area is the technology. From digital whiteboards to video conferencing systems, there are many collaborative solutions available. Some of these rely heavily on hardware to deliver their services, while others are powered primarily by software. While the difference in platform may not seem that noticeable at first glance, there are several advantages software-based solutions provide over hardware-based solutions:
1. Software based solutions allow the product to evolve/continuously improve over time. When a new feature or release comes out, you can take advantage of it right away. Updates are quick, often taking mere minutes to complete and require little to no labor, learning curves, or extra costs.
2. Fewer physical materials make for fewer points of failure. Unlike with hardware-based solutions, with software, you rarely have to worry about replacing wrong-sized cables, broken control panels, or burnt out light bulbs.
3. Lower costs. Most hardware-based solutions come with many pieces - power cords, remote controls, cables to connect with other systems, etc. When added up, all these pieces can get expensive. For this reason, software-based solutions are often more affordable - all you need is the software and a platform to run it on (which you might already have!). What's more, general purpose solutions like ThinkHub have the ability to replace several single-purpose hardware-based solutions.
4. More intuitive for end users. A well designed user interface will be intuitive, providing users with easy-to-use tools to simplify their existing workflow. End users won't have to worry about flipping through manuals, navigating remote controls, or sorting through cables to take advantage of a software-based solution's full capabilities.
Download our product guide to find the best T1V software-based solution to fit your needs.
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