We’re having a great time in Baltimore this week at the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Customer and Industry Forum 2011 (DISA). We’ve had the opportunity to discuss telepresence with people from all across the defense industry, and we’ve learned a great deal about their innovative and enterprising communications practices.
All of these discussions of enhancing information exchange for better command and control of military operations and improving communication throughout the Defense Department highlighted, for me, the profound impact a wide video collaboration deployment can have on an agency. With telepresence connections available to all employees, business retains continuity during disruptions, teleworkers stay fully connected, and agencies fulfill their commitments to environmental sustainability, among other benefits.
We’ve also seen the direct impact pervasive video and telepresence can have on command and control. The raid that led to the capture and death of Osama bin Laden relied on video to keep all parties connected, including President Obama in Washington.
Following our time here at DISA, I anticipate seeing more interesting and inspiring uses of video collaboration and telepresence for defense operations. There is so much potential for video applications like telepresence to refine military operations, enhance collaboration on defense initiatives, and help keep the defense budget in check.
We will certainly keep you posted here about all the great ideas for and uses of telepresence we witness, and we always welcome your observations and experiences, too!
By: Kerry Best
