As we welcome the New Year, it is time to reflect on the road we travelled in 2023 here at Public-i. Join us as we take a moment to acknowledge the milestones of the past year and set our sights on the promising year ahead in 2024.
Gratitude for 2023
Overcoming Challenges
In any venture, challenges are inevitable, and 2023 was no exception.
Last year presented a tough landscape for local government, with many of our clients facing funding uncertainty. Some even declared section 114 notices, forcing them to make difficult decisions on budgeting vital services.
Disappointingly, the government continues to deny English councils the ability to conduct meetings with remote participation for members. Our clients will have hybrid and remote participation solutions ready for deployment as soon as the legislation changes, and we continue to support calls for legislative change. Read more about our hybrid solutions here.
Despite the obstacles we have faced, we have adapted to the changing local government landscape thanks to your continued support and collaboration with Public-i.
Celebrating Achievements
Let’s celebrate the victories, both big and small, that defined our journey in 2023.
We started the year with a bang! Public-i opened a new chapter in its history, now as part of the Lyvia Group. Lyvia specialises in backing entrepreneurial companies offering software solutions and niche IT services. We will maintain and build upon our existing commitments to the public sector as part of Lyvia, and we are enthusiastic about the opportunities this partnership will bring.
Shortly afterwards we made another major announcement, the launch of Hybrid Link for Teams. A milestone towards integrating and simplifying the management of remote and hybrid meetings for local government, whilst benefiting from the security and ease of use of Microsoft Teams. Our Scottish, Welsh and Irish customers are already embracing this solution, as legislation allows them to do so. We hope that England will soon be able to follow suit.
And on our team front, we have seen the engineering team growing with new additions, a new account manager and even celebrated the arrival of a beautiful Public-i baby!
Looking Forward to 2024
New Projects On The Horizon
We are thrilled to unveil some exciting projects that will shape our path in 2024.
Stream Box
We are launching a new portable plug-and-play webcasting system, Stream Box, designed for small meeting rooms. Using AI-powered 360 cameras with integrated microphones, StreamBox automatically captures hybrid or regular meetings.
Webcaster V8
Our encoding software Webcaster, the heart of our webcasting solution, is undergoing an update. This will ensure greater stability, improved picture quality and future-proof streaming.
Technology Innovations
Watch out for technological developments that will further enhance our offer. The first part of this year’s R&D will focus on investigating the potential of AI for improving automation, enhancing transcriptions and tagging index points.
User Engagement Events
Stay tuned for our upcoming user groups. These informal meet-ups are where we communicate our latest developments and listen to your feedback. Your involvement is crucial for us: user groups are one of the main ways we decide where to focus our development efforts. We look forward to seeing some of you over the course of the year.
Closing thoughts
As we move into 2024, the entire Public-i team is enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you for being part of the Public-i community. Here’s to a year full of collaboration, innovation and positive transformations.