Singapore – With travel costs rising and airlines reducing their number of flights, companies are increasingly displacing business travel with new technology that enables telecommuters to take virtual conferencing to a whole new level.

Enabled by high quality video and audio, new telepresence systems such as Creative’s inPerson Conferencing Service and Hewlett-Packard's Halo Collaboration Studio will allow members of remote groups to engage virtually in a simulated environment, allowing them to view and talk to each other almost as though they were in the same room. Such technology also promises to enable an immersive videoconference experience that is more in sync and interactive compared to mainstream collaboration technologies such as web conferencing, online document sharing and internet telephony.

A spokesperson from HP tells Human Resources magazine that with greater adoption of these technologies, travel will eventually be on a strict as-needed basis, and firms can accomplish their business objectives with lower cost and lesser impact on the environment. “There is also huge potential for more effective collaboration and decision-making, as meetings can take place much more frequently than when each executive has to travel to a common location,” HP adds.

Of its conferencing service, Creative says this will help companies reduce the need for travel, increase productivity, cut costs, and reduce carbon footprint.