SG Hambros Bank, part of the private banking arm of Société Générale, is installing high definition video conferencing facilities to link its offices across the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Canada and the Bahamas, and to ease communication with suitably equipped clients. The contractor mvision is introducing the equipment from Tandberg progressively thoughout Q3 this year.

The installation is intended to ensure closer integration with other parts of the banking group and unite employees and clients around the world. Video conferencing was seen as the solution to bring everyone together more often, without any loss in productivity or extra travel costs. SG Hambros already had screens in their meeting rooms, so the contractor, mvision, simply provided them with Tandberg Edge MXPs - units that can turn meeting rooms with flat screens into high definition (HD) video conference suites. The Edge units offer superior HD video quality, CD-quality audio and live presentation-sharing capabilities, enabling participants to view both presentation and presenter simultaneously. The Tandberg Management Suite is also being installed, as the management platform enables integration with SG Hambros' existing applications and it provides complete visibility and centralised oversight of all the video systems.

According to Lyndon Arnold, head of technical services at SG Hambros: "Video conferencing was also essential because of the restructuring of the business following the merger of other banking businesses into the firm." The regional expansion programme has seen new offices open up in Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Southampton and Leeds, all of which are part of the new communication network. Video conferencing is now a standard offering when opening any new SG Hambros office, and sits alongside other everyday IT and communication tools like the PC and telephone.

"Video has also improved the relationship with our clients as we get more face-to-face time without having to leave our offices," adds Lyndon. When asked about the HD experience, he says: "The quality is fantastic compared to when I first used video conferencing around four to five years ago. My own department has weekly multi-sited meetings; it's perfect for our requirements."

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