SMART Technologies announces new global research demonstrating a correlation between optimized use of collaboration technologies and better business outcomes. Filigree Consulting, an independent global consulting firm specializing in technology research, conducted a study asking business users about technology adoption in their workspaces and the value that these solutions provided. The research concluded that 71 percent of businesses are not effective at using collaboration to drive business value throughout their organizations. The study included participants from North America, Europe, India and Asia and gathered input from multiple industries and government and included various company sizes and job functions.

The research results have been published in a white paper entitled Visual Collaboration Solutions Best Practices: Global Report and Recommendations. The primary conclusion identified that achieving the highest value from collaboration requires a strategy that deploys integrated solutions, supporting services and best practices. For those organizations at the highest levels of maturity, 90 percent reported value from collaboration solutions exceeding what was achieved from other technology investments. Organizations that adopted this comprehensive approach achieved up to 300 percent improvement on a range of outcomes including:

• Accelerated rate of innovation
• Faster and more informed decision making
• Increased productivity
• Enhanced customers experience
• Reduced travel costs