The guild has found different innovative spaces to remain active in the industry.
by Per Björkdahl*
The current COVID-19 crisis has undoubtedly reshuffled the scene for standards organizations like ONVIF to conduct our business as we were used to. As the situation continues to develop, we are not sure what the professional world will be like in the future.
Like many others, we've made the decision to cancel meetings, like the one we do quarterly all Committee face-to-face and developer plugfests, and we've seen trade shows and many other events rescheduled postponed. The way we all connect and collaborate has been partially affected, as the idea of an industry coming together to innovate and create standards has been challenged.
ONVIF is used to collaborating in the virtual space and, in fact, most of the work is carried out in frequent meetings organized over the Internet. Collaboration platforms have long been cloud-based, enabling progress despite the challenges we currently face.
In addition, many of our member companies have demonstrated a great capacity to adapt to this changing landscape, with the deployment of virtual product exhibitions, informative breakfasts for the media and digital conferences. This ability to quickly switch to alternative messaging channels not only shows the flexibility of these companies, but the dedication to continuous innovation in the face of the crisis.
Despite continued progress in the virtual space, face-to-face meetings are an important component for ONVIF members to meet, discuss, and interact. Of course, we are affected by the current situation and realize that we must adapt to the new order and ensure that we can continue to contribute standards to the industry.
While it's easy to get discouraged at times like these, we need to put more emphasis on making virtual meetings as valuable and dynamic as possible. To our advantage, we all know each other from previous face-to-face meetings, which gives us the ability to grasp the nuances in the discussions and all the work towards the goal of reaching a consensus in the sometimes very complex technical discussions that form the basis of the development of the specifications.
Having said all that, we are finding that the lack of physical connection is placing greater emphasis on the importance of it. We are no strangers to working remotely with each other, so we rely so much on those few times a year that we can meet in the same place. In some cases, we meet someone new to ONVIF with whom we have interacted in a virtual meeting space for some time, but have never come face to face.
When an industry of competitors comes together in a collaborative environment like what ONVIF has created, it means positive things for the industry, and this should not be lost during this time of isolation. This is a challenge, but we will overcome it and find opportunities to maintain momentum and make sure we can restore and increase collaboration in the future. We look forward to the day when we can see our industry members and partners in person once again. Until then, we will stay safe and keep moving forward.
* Per Björkdahl, Chairman, ONVIF Steering Committee.
