For too long, the small-medium enterprise (SME) market has effectively been squeezed out of business video conferencing with solutions that are either too expensive or too low in quality. Vidtel’s cloud video conferencing service is designed to change all that. To reach our target market, we are linking up with channel partners that already have SME relationships. We’re partnering with video equipment vendors, VoIP service providers, managed service providers and video VARs to re-sell Vidtel service.

Our channel program supports the sales of MeetMe, the any-to-any video conferencing service that provides SMEs with a flexible, cost-effective and high-quality middle ground.  With Vidtel’s MeetMe Video Conferencing Service, video conferencing vendors, AV integrators, VoIP providers and managed service providers can offer cost-efficient and predictably-priced hosted, any-to-any videoconferencing services that work with room-based systems and executive video systems using SIP and H.323 as well as desktop platforms, PCs, tablets and smartphones using Skype and Google Talk. MeetMe enables users to participate in multi-party, multi-vendor (e.g., Tandberg/Cisco, LifeSize, Polycom, InFocus, SONY, Google Talk and Skype) video conferences.

Vidtel’s channel program benefits video vendors, VoIP providers, managed service providers and VARs by providing additional sales opportunities with new and existing customers. Selling Vidtel MeetMe enables our partners to:

Expand the Customer Base

MeetMe is cost-efficient and eliminates one of small-medium enterprises (SMEs)’ biggest barriers to adoption: The steep upfront cost of video conferencing infrastructure. Vidtel’s cloud approach means that there are no upfront expenses on infrastructure, no maintenance expenses and no IT expertise needed. Companies that would have never considered business-grade video conferencing due to the lack of suitable products and services targeting the SME market can now get in the game.

Upsell to Existing Customer Base

VARs can upsell service to customers who already own room-based and executive video conferencing systems.  MeetMe’s compatibility with diverse video platforms and technologies means that customers can leverage their existing video investments by connecting with employees, business partners and customers that use what otherwise would be incompatible platforms.

Drive Complementary Sales

MeetMe’s device-, vendor- and platform-agnostic architecture, along with its cloud-based design and multiple pricing options, provide SMEs with a combination of flexibility, affordability and predictability that encourages wide-scale video conferencing deployments. The savings free up capital for investments in other areas, such as LAN/MAN upgrades and additional endpoints.

Vidtel’s MeetMe service is available in North America with expansion plans for Europe and Asia. To become a channel partner, contact channels@vidtel.com.

By Mariette Johnson Wharton, VP of Marketing

With the accessibility of video conferencing and video chat at the desktop level, more and more business people are experimenting and gaining comfort with the technology. With this experience comes greater demand for ease of use, performance and interoperability.

No longer are small-medium sized enterprises willing to let only the big guys with special rooms purpose-built for video conferencing have all the high-quality video conferencing fun.  Fortunately, an emerging trend is the decreasing price of business-grade video conferencing devices.  The latest $20,000-$40,000 telepresence systems are dramatically lower, but still way out of reach for mid-sized and small companies. The 55-inch touchscreen-enabled wall tablet (Mondopad) announced last month by InFocus fills the void in the market with a sub-$6,000 pricetag. Now smaller companies do not have to get shut out of high-quality video conferencing because they can’t afford the equipment.

One issue people often don’t address is that even though the large enterprises spend a fortune on HD room systems, these pricey solutions are still primarily used for internal connections. It’s just too difficult to navigate the complexities of interoperability between proprietary systems and even standard systems (maddeningly, various vendors interpret standards differently).  Seamless connectivity presents tremendous challenges, from firewall traversal to interoperability between the multitude of video technologies (from consumer services such as Skype to executive video phones to room systems by various vendors).   Companies need session border controllers, SIP proxies, gateway servers and specialized know-how to pull it off.

Most companies have never even heard of the infrastructure required for weaving together video conferencing technologies and we don’t believe they should have to.  We agree with Martin Vilaboy:  The answer to widespread SMB deployment of business-grade video conferencing lies in a service provider solution “that can deliver affordable and robust hosted services”.  Our hosted (think SaaS model) video conferencing service puts our “secret sauce” for interop and our video conferencing server infrastructure in the cloud so the SMBs can access it as a monthly fee.  This means on-demand interop between everything from Skype and GoogleTalk to the Mondopad and Polycom, Tandberg, LifeSize, etc.  We made it as simple as dialing a phone for point-to-point connectivity or as easy as an audio conference call for a group video conference (just dial in).  This will allow companies of all sizes to finally experience high-quality any-to-any video conferencing between companies without IT hassles and exorbitant expenditures.

Telepresence, video conferencing, video chat…many different terms are floating around and as the technology is moving from the boardroom and consumer environment into the massive mainstream, more people are asking questions about what the different categories mean. Here’s an overview of video conferencing categories.

Overview

Telepresence, video telepresence, videoconference, video calls and video phone calls are all terms for real-time, two-way audio-video interactions at different locations but there are broadly two categories:

·Point-to-point video conferencing – two different locations

·Multi-point video conferencing – three or more separate locations

Point-to-Point Video Conferencing

Video conferencing or video calls between just two locations is called point-to-point video conferencing.  For connections between two endpoints, Vidtel offers Vidtel Connect.

Although a room-based (telepresence) system can certainly be used for point-to-point video conferencing, often web-based video communications software or desktop, “executive systems”, video phones or “media phones” are used.  Vidtel can support all types of these devices with Vidtel Connect.

Multi-Point Video Conferencing

For organizations with geographically dispersed branch offices and employees, video conferencing enables multiple locations to meet simultaneously.

Room-based (telepresence) video conference systems, video phones, and web-based video conferencing software are all used for multi-point video conferencing.  The Vidtel Meet Me Service supports video conferencing between all different types of systems.

Video Conferencing Equipment

Today video conferencing takes on many forms, from conference room-based systems to executive systems, video (media) phones, web-based or computer video conferencing software, tablets and video-enabled mobile phones.  Vidtel’s vision is to enable any-to-any video conferencing; that is, connecting from any type of video-enabled device whether from a Polycom VVX1500 Business Media Phone to a LifeSize Passport or a Google Talk user.

Room-Based Video Conferencing Systems

Room-based systems are housed in a conference room, sometimes dedicated only to video conferencing.  Generally these are used for multi-point video conferencing.

Cisco, LifeSize, Tandberg, HP and Sony produce telepresence systems, the highest-end videoconferencing systems.  Telepresence systems and service are characterized by:

• state-of-the art room designs
• high-definition video (30 frames per second or higher, 720 pixels)
• high-definition audio (far superior to standard PSTN audio)
• top-of-the line video cameras
• life-sized display images on 60+ inch screens
• high-end sound-systems and processors
• high-capacity bandwidth transmissions
• groupware, directory, unified communication systems and streaming/content management system integration
• integrated session recoding, including in some cases, shared data content
• $2,500-$500,000+ per room costs

Video conference room-based systems can include smaller screen systems and non-HD quality. On the other end of the spectrum,  “telepresence rooms” start at $100k per month. With this scenario, everything has to be managed from the bandwidth to lighting to the room furniture. Interoperability with other systems and networks is generally sub-standard.  Telepresence rooms  are super-premium experiences designed for a small and is “out-of-reach” of all but a select number of users at the very largest companies.

Wall Tablets

InFocus has created a new category of wall-sized tablets to be used in conference rooms. The Mondopad is retailing for just under $6,000 and features multi-touch collaboration and presentation applications, whiteboarding, the ability to share, view and control content remotely from PCs, tablets and smartphones. It allows for business-class, disruptively-priced cloud video conferencing through Vidtel.

Executive Video Conferencing Systems

Executive video conferencing systems generally refer to all hardware-based devices used by individuals on their desks and are typically around $3,000-$10,000 per endpoint.

Video phones or “media phones” also fall into this category, although the prices range from $300 to about $1500. Video phones are more apt to be used for both video and PSTN voice (i.e., regular telephone calling)..

Cisco/Tandberg, Polycom, Samsung/Radvision, LG/Lifesize, and Sony are the market leaders in executive systems or video phones.  Vidtel’s service works with all these vendors’ video conferencing equipment . These executive systems are characterized by:

• Integrated flat-panel screen, video camera, and microphone with phone interface
• Full-duplex (bi-directional) video and audio transmission capability
• High-quality video images from standard to high-definition
• Some enable groupware, directory, unified communication systems and streaming/content management system integration
• Some include integrated session recoding, including in some cases, shared data content
• $300 – $5,000 per device

Smartphones and Tablets

Video conferencing has been enabled in smartphones around the world for years and has recently become more widely available in the US through Android and iPhone4 devices.  Tablets will increasingly provide video conferencing. It was just announced that the iPad2 will incorporate Skype.

Web-Based Video Conferencing

Most video communication today involves a web cam and Internet connection.  Some variants remain free, including  Google and Microsoft, while others charge for multi-party conferences (Skype). Vidyo and Avistar are also web-based but not free.  WebEx and GoToMeeting are not free but include video in the subscription fees.

Vidtel’s aim is to incorporate the leading web-based video conferencing approaches into the Vidtel network for total interoperability between endpoints without any pre-configuration.

Web-based video conferencing involves:

• softphone” technology – either downloaded or browser-based software
• web cams
• microphones
• Internet connection
• $0 (hard to beat)

Personal video communication is most common with this technology, since it’s mostly free. Business organizations tend to seek a more reliable, high-quality experience and seek dedicated devices or HD quality for business transactions and meetings over video and are willing to pay something for better quality. ]]> http://www.vidtel.com/community/defining-todays-video-conferencing/feed/ 0 http://www.vidtel.com/community/video-interview-of-vidtel-ceo-scott-wharton-by-tmcnet/ http://www.vidtel.com/community/video-interview-of-vidtel-ceo-scott-wharton-by-tmcnet/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:19:07 +0000 admin http://www.vidtel.com/community/?p=297 by Mariette Johnson Wharton, VP of Marketing

Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC, asks Scott Wharton, CEO of Vidtel, about Vidtel’s cloud-based video conferencing service. Scott discusses the vision of the company to provide HD video conferencing for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Vidtel service enables SMEs to have business-grade video conferencing without investing in video conferencing infrastructure (e.g., session border controllers, gateways, SIP proxies).  Vidtel is device-agnostic, enabling any SIP device (e.g., Polycom, Cisco, Tandberg, LifeSize, Sony) to register to and connect with others over the Vidtel network.

Vidtel’s approach is to provide a hosted service, similar to a telephone monthly service fee, eliminating the need for customers to invest in additional IT support, servers, testing and interoperability.

To gain new customers, Vidtel is pursuing a channel strategy with video conferencing vendors, VoIP providers and and VARs.  Vidtel’s service allows VARs and VoIP providers to expand their hosted voice offerings to include hosted video.

In the case of the major video conferencing vendors, Vidtel helps solve the problem of these vendors’ niche focus on the large enterprise. Teaming up with Vidtel enables these manufacturers to address a much wider audience. Without a hosted service such as Vidtel, potential customers would be required to make substantial IT investments to accommodate HD video conferencing.

What’s next? Vidtel has already enabled interoperability between the major players’ equipment (Tandberg, Cisco, Polycom, LifeSize and Sony).  H.323 to SIP  interoperability is next.  Vidtel’s vision also includes gateways from SIP devices to proprietary standards (e.g., Skype, Google, Microsoft, Apple).

See Scott Wharton interviewed on TMCnet.

For this year’s VoiceCon, the leading enterprise communications and video conferencing event, Vidtel CEO Scott Wharton has been selected to lead the discussion panels on choosing the right video device, extending video across the enterprise boundary and the challenges in a mass deployment of video endpoints in an enterprise.  The Video For the Enterprise program at VoiceCon will be in Orlando on March 22-23, 2010.

The Right Video Device:  How To Decide Who Gets What?

Today, most video conferencing systems reside in conference rooms. In order for video to expand to everyday use, different devices will be used. Executive systems (dedicated video systems on a user’s desk), laptops and video phones are alternatives to high-end room systems and telepresence systems. To determine which devices are the best options, some questions will be addressed, including:

• What are the key video device options today and the pros and cons for each device?
• Which device is the best suited for what types of workers, locations or use cases?
• What are the key tradeoffs in terms of quality, price and productivity considerations?
• How are the different device alternatives evolving and what will the future hold?
• How would this change the mix of video devices used with the enterprise?

Other panelists include Robert Romano, VP Enterprise Marketing, Radvision, Matt Jordan, Enterprise Development Manager, Skype for Business and Ira Weinstein, Senior Analyst & Partner, Wainhouse Research.

Extending Video Across the Enterprise Boundary

Although the vast majority of video conference calling is within the enterprise, it’s only a matter of time before these same systems are used to make calls to people in other organizations.

There are some challenges, though.  Unlike voice communication, which uses the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to link together all phones, video devices have no such network.  To further complicate matters, there are significant barriers to making inter-enterprise video conferencing as easy as a voice call such as addressing, security, quality of service and interoperability.  In this VoiceCon panel, Scott Wharton will be leading the discussion on these topics:

• What are the different approaches to inter-enterprise video conferencing today?
  How do you find and call other video users (use “regular” phone numbers, URI address, IP Address, iNum, FDQN)?
• Will enterprises rely on service providers or handle this issue internally?
• When should dedicated bandwidth be used vs. the public Internet or a hybrid approach?
• What are the security requirements and tradeoffs for inter-enterprise video?
• What are the different requirements for inter-enterprise video conferencing between video endpoints from the same vendor? From different vendors?
• What are the considerations for opening up bridging (e.g., an MCU) for inter-enterprise video conferencing vs. using a 3rd party?

In addition to moderator/speaker Scott Wharton, CEO, Vidtel, are panelists Chris MacFarland, COO, Masergy, Michel Sagen, Director, Product Management, Tandberg, John Bartlett, Principal, NetForecast Inc. and Ted Tracy, Director, Engineering & Architecture, TelePresence Exchange BU, Cisco.

Challenges in Mass Deployment: From Tens to Thousands of Video Endpoints

Enterprise use of video is growing, but it remains a “niche” application, largely used by a select set of users in planned sessions.  For video conferencing to move into the mainstream, it needs to evolve into a universal tool for business – an application that is used both inside and outside a company’s boundaries.

Incremental growth isn’t that difficult, but challenges abound for any CEO or CIO who wants to extend video deployment to everyone in the enterprise – expanding from dozens of systems to thousands.  In this session, Scott Wharton will moderate these topics:

• What are the product requirements for scaling a deployment and are today’s solutions up to the task? What about bandwidth requirements and network upgrades?
• What makes sense to tackle internally vs. outsourcing or hybrid choices?
• Are people outside the firewall (teleworkers, branch offices) out of luck?
• How does VOIP help – or hinder – the expansion of video?
• Should the video network be integrated with other network elements (i.e., the PBX, PSTN) and if so, when and how?
• Most enterprises are multi-vendor environments; how does that affect options for scaling video?

Others on the discussion panel are Chris Lauwers, CTO, Avistar, Brent Kelly, Senior Analyst & Partner, Wainhouse Research, Ofer Shapiro, CEO, Vidyo and Roy Skillicorn, Senior Director, Advanced Services, TelePresence Practice Management Organization, Cisco.

To meet up with us at VoiceCon or suggest any additional questions for the panels, please send an email to voicecon@vidtel.com.

Research Now released a recent survey of 1200 global business professionals on the topic of video conferencing. The study showed that most (79%) who use video conferencing are using consumer technologies such as Skype. The remainder (21%) use business-grade video conferencing systems from the likes of Tandberg, Cisco and Polycom.

Given that most are using consumer-grade video conferencing applications for business meetings, it’s not surprising that the majority (61%) reported quality problems such as video delay.

As high-quality dedicated video conferencing systems (available for as little $800-$1500) become more commonplace and as more service providers offer inexpensive video conferencing solutions (such as Vidtel’s Connect service), it’s only a matter of time before business-grade video conferencing takes considerable share away from consumer applications.

It’s no surprise either that the survey shows reduced travel expenses and improved quality of business communications are behind the video conferencing trend.  These are significant benefits and 40% of the survey respondents reported their companies will be deploying a video conferencing within the next 6-24 months.

Let’s just hope they spare themselves the aggravations of lower-quality solutions when high-quality, reasonably priced solutions are on the market today.  At Vidtel, we conduct our video conferences on Tandberg and Polycom dedicated video conferencing devices in the $800-$1500 range with TV-like quality.  Hardly any reason to travel any more, except for fun.

Until now, Cisco has focused on high-end video conferencing, far too expensive for anything but the largest companies. With the October 1 announcement of a $3 billion acquisition of the leader in video conferencing (Tandberg), Cisco is showing that they will be tackling the enormous opportunity to serve the middle market. Tandberg now has 40% of the video conferencing market (Polycom has 34%).

Tandberg’s video equipment ranges from extremely high-quality desk-top video phones to full conferencing room systems with the pricing starting at about $1500. Cisco’s acquisition, if it goes through, will allow them quickly capture the burgeoning opportunities among mid-range companies.  While Cisco’s high-end video conferencing sales have been only marginally impacted by the economic downtown, the Tandberg strategy will enable them to explode.

Video is clearly a growth strategy for Cisco, evidenced by another recent acquisition of Pure Digital, maker of Flip cameras. Polycom is likely scrambling for a strategy to counteract Cisco’s dominance of the video conferencing market.

With the brand and marketing power of Cisco, high performing video calling and video conferencing equipment will be coming to the middle market like never before.

Now that business-grade video endpoints from Tandberg and Polycom have been launched, Vidtel is now focused on serving the SMB market (as opposed to the consumer market when we first launched) with service for these devices.