A lot has been said recently about the benefits of videoconferencing, even Trevor Manuel has ordered Government employees to make use of videoconferencing as much as possible. The problem is that your company doesn't have a videoconferencing system, but you would like to make use of the technology. So, what options are available to you? You can either purchase a system, or you can make use of third party videoconferencing venues that charge by the hour for you to make use of their facilities. Not all companies have the capital available to make an outright purchase of a videoconferencing system, which then leaves the option of making use of videoconferencing bureaus. Making use of videoconferencing venues is most likely far more cost- and time-effective than travel. Although, while it may seem that it is more cost effective to hire a venue, it may well be that leasing a system may very well save you a lot of hard earned cash at the end of the day. If you are making use of an independent venue for more than 2 hours a month, you may find that its actually cheaper to 'rent-to-own' your own system than to hire the venue.