EC Plans Emergency Video Conference Over Flight Chaos

European transport chiefs will be using video conferencing technology today, to discuss emergency measures in response to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, which produced an ash cloud that has grounded all flights in Europe.

European commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced the ad-hoc meeting late last week to examine the economic effects of the flight suspensions. “The volcanic ash cloud has created an unprecedented situation,” he said. “I have asked vice-president Kallas to coordinate the Commission’s response and fully assess the impact of the situation created by the volcanic ash cloud on the economy, and the air travel industry in particular.”

Technology providers have been using the suspension of flights to push the potential of video conferencing as an alternative to face-to-face business meetings, which has gained ground in recent years due to concerns about the costs and carbon impact of air travel.

The Importance Of Contingency Plans

Alistair McKinnon, senior product manager at telecoms provider Virgin Media Business said that the flight suspension showed the importance of contingency planning and the flexibility of collaborative technologies such as video conferencing and teleconferencing.

“Companies that already use remote collaboration tools on a daily basis will be aware of the cost and time savings that can be generated by meetings virtually,” he said. “All businesses face unexpected disruption like this from time to time yet, while it may be impossible to predict the next big event that will impact your business, that does not mean that you cannot prepare for it in advance.”

The issue of technology alternatives to air travel was also raised on the BBC’s Any Answers phone-in programme last week with a caller identified as Keith Warburton (who could be this Keith Warburton), claiming that politicians could be doing more to champion use of video conferencing.

“There is a solution when it comes to business travel at least, which makes up a notable percentage of overall travel, and that is video conferencing,” the caller said. “It allows for meeting without moving. Surely it is time for a national initiative to make more use of technology and if properly effective could cut the need for more runways, more motorways, more rail-track and save us billions and billions of pounds.”

Tech Companies Hit by Stranded Staff

Video conferencing specialist Netviewer has announced it will allow business people to use the free version its software while the flight bans continue. “Netviewer AG will permit its free-of-charge version to be utilised by business users, whilst the current traffic chaos continues as a direct result of the volcano’s eruption,” the company stated.

Tech companies have also been hit by the effects of the flight ban. Late last week, Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley blogged that staff from the security company were stuck in Berlin following a sales conference in the German city. Some workers had tried to head home by train but others were still stranded according to Cluley. “But there are still some of us stranded in Berlin. Everyone has a story to tell of why they need to get home,” he said. “For instance, I spoke to Jer Jang, one of our sales superstars and Kung Fu master, who is desperate to return to the UK in time for Saturday – not only because he’s going to be the best man at his friend’s wedding – but also because he has the wedding ring on him with no obvious way to get it to the church on time!”

The video conferencing sector has recently been shaken up by the purchase of Tandberg by Cisco, which has completed today, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere