Videoconferencing services provide a live connection between people in separate locations for the purpose of communication. It involves primarily audio, text, and video applications. Videoconferencing is capable of transmitting everything from static images and text to full-motion video and high-quality audio between multiple locations. In addition, videoconferencing also offers collaboration tools that allow you to chat, transfer files, share programs, send and receive graphic data, and to operate computers from remote locations.

To join a videoconference, each participant needs a computer, webcam, microphone, and broadband internet connection. Users are able to see and hear each other in real-time, making it possible to have more natural conversations not possible with voice-only technology. Having that face-to-face interaction brings non-verbal communication into the conversation. This allows each individual to develop a stronger sense of familiarity with each participant, even if they never meet in-person.

In the past, it was necessary to download and install complicated software and/or buy expensive equipment in order to enjoy the convenience of videoconferencing, which often discouraged it for personal use. However, with the development of free or inexpensive software and digital imaging, videoconferencing became affordable and easy to use for live connections to distant friends and family.

In the fields of education and business, videoconferencing allows users to save time and money on traveling and housing costs by bringing people face-to-face virtually. Many prominent universities have adopted videoconferencing as an educational tool to be used for online courses. Businesses benefit from it as well by empowering business leaders worldwide to get in touch with important contacts while on the go.