In a previous column, I defined telecommunications as enabling remote communications between humans. Back in the last century that meant being able to project your voice and ears across thousands of miles — speaking and listening at a distance, in other words. Extending that definition to other senses yields some interesting ideas. Take sight: Videoconferencing has been a decidedly mixed success, primarily because of the cost and complexity of current systems. However, there are signs that video is on the uptake. Many IT executives I've spoken with in the past few months have indicated that extending videoconferencing out to branch offices is a major driver for converged infrastructures.
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