Telepresence Options - Industry Press Releases

Telepresence Solutions by BrightCom Demonstrated at Presence 2009

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:57:39 -0500

BrightCom will showcase integrated video, audio and data telepresence solutions including the L37, first of their new line of Lumina Telepresence at Presence 2009, November 11th-13th.

Los Angeles, CA - November 4, 2009 - BrightCom, the performance leader in integrated telepresence and video conferencing solutions, announced today their exhibition at Presence 2009, The 12th Annual International Workshop on Presence sponsored by the International Society for Presence Research at the Marina del Rey Hotel in Los Angeles, California. BrightCom's L37 and ClearView 1052 HD Mobile Video Conferencing
solution will be on display.

The International Society for Presence Research defines telepresence as a psychological state or subjective perception in which a person fails to accurately and completely acknowledge the role of technology in an experience, thus offering human communication an experience similar to an in person meeting. The PRESENCE conferences provide a relaxed and enjoyable forum for presentation of presence scholarship and applications and (especially in the planned format this year), discussion sessions that allow attendees to join together in synthesizing and expanding our collective knowledge and visions for the future regarding this compelling topic.

On November 11th, BrightCom will demonstrate their integrated Lumina Telepresence solution, the L37. The L37 is a modular telepresence workstation for 2 to 6 people to instantly connect and collaborate in a fully immersive telepresence environment. The solution allows participants and their colleagues, customers and partners in conference rooms and offices across the world feel as though they are in the same room.

Attendees of Presence 2009 will be able to experience BrightCom's integrated telepresence solutions, an approach that combines the natural ease of life-like conversation with Web conferencing features including desktop sharing, remote desktop control, data sharing and cooperative data markup. Additionally, BrightCom will exhibit how Lumina Telepresence and ClearView Video Conferencing allow attendees to conduct instant meetings without plugging their laptops into the system and instead, connect via a secured, online meeting client.

"BrightCom is honored to be included in the International Society for Presence Research's Presence 2009," said Bob McCandless, CEO of BrightCom. "We are always eager to take as much insight and as many ideas as we can from the academic community as we progress with our vision of integrated telepresence and video conferencing solutions."

Several keynote speakers are scheduled to discuss different aspects of telepresence and its role in today's society. Speakers include Barbara Hayes-Roth, an internationally recognized expert in intelligent agents and interactive characters, Howard Lichtman, founder and President of the Human Productivity Lab, an independent research consultancy that advises organizations wanting to invest in telepresence technologies and Albert "Skip" Rizzo, Research Scientist and Research Professor at the Institute for Creative Technologies and Department of Psychiatry/School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California.

To learn more about Presence 2009 please visit: www.temple.edu/ispr/conference/.

For more information about BrightCom's Lumina Telepresence, ClearView HD Conferencing, Visual Collaboration System, or other telepresence and video conferencing services provided by BrightCom, please call 877-483-9737, visit BrightCom at www.brightcom.com or visit BrightCom on TMCnet on their Telepresence Channel.

About BrightCom

BrightCom specializes in creating flexible and affordable video and telepresence conferencing solutions. With unique integrated data and video conferencing solutions, BrightCom offers a wide range of options to connect people and content from home offices, mobile devices, desktops or conference rooms. BrightCom's Visual Collaboration System 2.0 provides a powerful conferencing infrastructure for real-time interactive data sharing. Alongside VCS 2.0, BrightCom's Lumina Telepresence allows for life-like, instant communication empowering businesses with a fully immersive environment for natural collaboration and conversation. BrightCom's ClearView Conferencing solutions allow for crystal clear HD or standard video and audio broadcasts giving business the face to face connection vital for effective communication. BrightCom's integrated video and audio solutions have helped thousands of businesses across the nation to reduce operational costs, diminish corporate carbon footprint and push the boundaries of communication within their industry. To learn more about BrightCom's quality telepresence and video conferencing with in-depth collaboration features but without a costly investment on bandwidth upgrades, call 877-483-9737 or visit www.BrightCom.com.

Contact Information:
BrightCom

5811 McFadden Ave
Huntington Beach, CA

Contact Person:
Victoria Sauer
Marketing Manager
Phone: 877-483-9737

Web: www.brightcom.com

Author:
Victoria Sauer
e-mail
Web: www.brightcom.com
Phone: 877-483-9737

CWT and Tata Communications to Team Up to Provide Public Telepresence Facilities

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:58:58 -0500

CWT Telepresence enables clients to meet business objectives and contain costs

PARIS, November 4, 2009 -- Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a global leader specializing in business travel management, and Tata Communications today announced they will team up to provide CWT Telepresence--an enhancement to the company's broader demand management offering--which will allow CWT clients to access the Tata Communications network of public Cisco TelePresence Suites around the world. In an economic environment that requires companies to look for ways to reduce costs, clients now have an additional solution for effectively managing their travel and meeting expenditures while realizing their business objectives. Furthermore, CWT Telepresence offers flexibility, enabling organizations to bring together employees who might not ordinarily travel to participate in meetings.

CWT Telepresence offers clients a full range of services from help in determining if and when a virtual meeting meets their business needs, through management of the reservations process in any of Tata Communications' public telepresence rooms, to regular reporting on adoption and related cost savings. In addition, CWT reinforces its position as a leading integrator of top-tier technology that enables clients to optimize their travel and meeting programs.

"CWT recognizes the intense pressure corporations are under to contain rising T&E costs and maximize return on investment," said Pauline Quere, CWT vice president, Global Products and Services management. "By incorporating telepresence into the full range of products and services in our demand management offering, CWT provides a compelling alternative and solidifies its role as a key partner in helping clients demonstrate measurable return on investment. To that end, we are very pleased to be moving forward with Tata Communications, an industry leader in the telepresence arena."

John Landau, senior vice president, Global Managed Services for Tata Communications, added: "Tata Communications became the world's first provider of public Cisco TelePresence Suites in July 2008. Today, we offer state-of-the-art private and public rooms that enable companies to boost their productivity, cut costs, and conduct meetings as often as needed while reducing their carbon footprint. Furthermore, the seamless interconnectivity of our private and public rooms through our Telepresence exchange minimizes distances across the globe and brings more people together quickly and easily.

"Using the Tata telepresence services increases the accessibility of businesses beyond major company offices to their wider ecosystem of users, including customers, suppliers, remote workers and business partners. We are excited to be working with Carlson Wagonlit Travel and look forward to helping them add a new dimension to their clients' managed travel programs," Mr. Landau added.

Tata Communications' managed telepresence technology allows small groups to use high-definition video and real-time audio to meet at any time of the day or night while in multiple locations worldwide. Equipped with life-size images and immersive technology, participants have the effective experience of sitting opposite one another in the same room. In addition to connecting and managing on-site private telepresence facilities for companies worldwide, Tata Communications manages several public rooms available on a pay-per-use basis in the United States, England, India, South Africa and the Philippines. The company also recently announced plans with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to open additional rooms worldwide in Starwood Hotels by the end of 2009.

CWT clients will also have access to Tata Communications' Global Meeting Exchange (GMX). The GMX will conveniently support business-to-business sessions on a global basis between any Cisco TelePresence rooms(public or private), irrespective of the network service provider. This pioneering global service will enable subscribers to expand the use of telepresence from an internal meeting solution to one that reaches a greater number of business partners outside of their company.

Smart demand management

Aligning the underlying drivers of demand for travel with business objectives means "traveling smarter," not necessarily traveling less. CWT Telepresence complements a full range of products and services CWT offers to help companies effectively balance business travel with business needs and control costs.

CWT Meetings & Events helps clients optimize savings, improve services, increase control, enrich attendee experiences, and reach their company's unique strategic objectives.

CWT Solutions Group, the company's global consulting arm, can help clients define and implement best practice demand management strategies based on their travel needs and their company's specific objectives.

CWT Policy Builder helps companies design a travel policy that sets clear parameters and mandates to contain costs while driving business performance. Communicating the policy to all travelers through CWT Portal helps drive compliance.

Online booking tools and CWT travel counselors can help travelers make informed decisions at the time of booking by documenting the trip purpose and proposing alternatives adapted to business needs.

Automated emails targeted to individual travelers via the award-winning CWT Policy Messenger encourage behavioral change that supports business objectives.

Consolidated data that tracks the quantity, frequency and specifications of travel as well as realized savings is available through the award-winning CWT Program Management Center.

Acknowledging the role demand management plays in a well-managed travel program, Ms. Quere said, "The key to successful demand management is to be holistic in your approach. At Carlson Wagonlit Travel, we are committed to helping our clients make and implement the best choices that will enable their employees to connect easily and efficiently with key stakeholders and drive their business to new heights."

About Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) is a global leader specializing in business travel management. Present in more than 150 countries, CWT serves companies of all sizes, as well as government institutions and non-governmental organizations. By leveraging both the expertise of its people and leading-edge technology, CWT helps clients derive the greatest value from their travel program in terms of savings, service, security and sustainability. The company is also committed to providing best-in-class service and assistance to travelers. CWT services and solutions comprise four lines of business: Traveler & Transaction Services, Program Optimization, Safety & Security, and Meetings & Events. In 2008, sales volume for wholly owned operations and joint ventures totaled US$27.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.carlsonwagonlit.com.

About Tata Communications

Tata Communications is a leading global provider of a new world of communications. With a leadership position in emerging markets, Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.

The Tata Global Network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 400 PoPs, and nearly 1 million square feet of data center and collocation space worldwide.

Tata Communications' depth and breadth of reach in emerging markets includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services, leadership in global international voice, and strategic investments in operators in South Africa (Neotel), Sri Lanka (Tata Communications Lanka Limited), Nepal (United Telecom Limited), and subject to approval by the Chinese government, China (China Enterprise Communications).

Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. (NYSE: TCL)

www.tatacommunications.com

For further information on Tata Communications Telepresence Services, visit
www.tatacommunications.com/telepresence.

Orange Business Services tapped by INX to deliver global telepresence solutions

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:57:15 -0500

Value-added reseller relies on Orange for geographic reach and global integration services expertise to deliver Cisco Telepresence to end users

Orange Business Services has enhanced a three-year agreement with INX Inc. (NASDAQ: INXI), a reseller of U.S.-based IP communications solutions for enterprise organizations. INX has turned to Orange to support the global Telepresence needs of its end users for field service and maintenance support, as well as equipment procurement.

INX, a certified Cisco Authorized Technology Provider in the U.S., needed a global provider who could support its customers at their diverse locations around the world. Orange Business Services has a local presence in 166 countries and territories worldwide and operates the world's largest network optimized for Telepresence, covering 42 countries in six continents. Through its partners and indirect channels arm, Orange is able to deliver the full range of its solution portfolio to a variety of end users through reseller agreements.

With a strong presence in the U.S., INX counts many oil and energy companies among its customers. Multinational companies, such as those in the oil industry, are increasingly looking at Telepresence to increase employee productivity and collaboration. By reducing travel to far-flung locations, yet holding remote meetings as if employees were face to face, companies can drive down travel costs and save time.

"Orange Business Services enables us to expand our coverage with our clients. Our clients wanted global Telepresence solutions, and we turned to Orange because they could offer harmonized support worldwide and deliver high quality solutions," said Doug Hancock, Regional Director at INX. "With the support of Orange, we are thrilled to provide reliable one-stop-shop Telepresence services to our end users."

About INX Inc.

INX Inc. (NASDAQ: INXI ) is a leading U.S. provider of IP communications and data center solutions for enterprise organizations. We offer a suite of advanced technology solutions focused around the entire life-cycle of enterprise IP network communications and data center infrastructure. Our services are centered on the design, implementation and support of network infrastructure, including routing and switching, wireless, security, unified communications, and data center solutions such as storage and server virtualization. Our customers include enterprise organizations such as corporations, as well as federal, state and local governmental agencies. Because of our focus, expertise and experience implementing and supporting advanced technology solutions for enterprises, we believe we are well positioned to deliver superior solutions and services to our customers. Additional information about INX can be found on the Web at www.inxi.com.

About Orange

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators.

The Group has consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros in 2008 and a customer base of more than 189 million customers in 30 countries at Sept. 30, 2009. Orange, the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, now covers more than two-thirds of customers. At the end of September 2009, the Group had 128.8 million mobile customers worldwide with 13.4 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers in Europe.

France Telecom-Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

The Group's strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business Launches Global Classroom of the Future Using Cisco TelePresence

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:11:08 -0500

COLUMBIA, S.C., Nov. 3 -- The University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business, ranked consistently as one of the top schools in the country for international business, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Cisco to utilize the company's revolutionary Cisco TelePresence technology to deliver a range of global Executive Education and Graduate-level business and management courses. Moore becomes one of the first business schools in the country to utilize the high-definition conferencing as a way to offer students and executives around the world a variety of "blended learning" options for participating in business education programs.

Cisco's TelePresence is designed to create live, face-to-face meeting experiences and empower participants from different locations to collaborate with each other in a life-size, high-definition environment that feels like you are in the same room with the other people you are talking with. The Moore School and Cisco are working together to deploy Cisco TelePresence and other leading collaboration technologies and professional services to bring people together from anywhere around the world in a live learning and meeting environment.

"Our collaboration with Cisco allows us to take executive learning to a whole new level," says Raymond Smith, Associate Dean of Executive Education at the Moore School. "The use of Cisco TelePresence and other technologies will fundamentally change the way we think about global learning and teaching in a way that is more visually stimulating and interactive than any vehicle ever used in educating executives."

Moore School Dean Hildy Teegen points out that the study of international business requires an understanding of the interface between the practice of management and the political, economic and socio-cultural dimensions that shape global business. "One way of achieving this is through a process of dialogue between faculty, students, business and government from different cultures and countries around the world," she says. "At the Moore School, we
now have the technological capability to bring the world closer together and make this happen in real time."

The Moore School plans to first integrate the Cisco TelePresence in its Professional MBA Program beginning in February 2010. In addition, the School will utilize the new integrated learning platform in a variety of its Executive and Graduate Degree programs - including its Master in International Business, a new Executive Master in Higher Education Management and in various programs with the School's 20 partner institutions around the world.

"Working alongside leading universities and business schools like the University of South Carolina's Moore School, together we are creating 21st century learning environments that more effectively prepare students to participate in the global economy," says Scott Westlake, Director of Market Development at Cisco. "We believe that the Moore School has the vision to use Cisco's technology in a way that will truly change the way the world learns."

About the Moore School of Business

The Moore School of Business is among the highest-ranked business schools in the world for international business education and research. Founded in 1919, the school has a history of innovative educational leadership, blending academic preparation with real-world experience through internships, consulting projects, study-abroad programs, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Moore School offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as distinctive executive education programs. In 1998, the school was named for South Carolina native and New York financier Darla Moore, making the University of South Carolina the first major university to name its business school after a woman. For more information, visit http://www.moore.sc.edu.

About Cisco TelePresence

Cisco TelePresence combines innovative real-time video, audio, and interactive technologies to give people in distributed global locations a wide variety of face-to-face collaboration experiences. It enables new types of collaboration applications that are transforming business processes, saving resources, improving productivity and helping organizations grow globally.

Vidyo Granted Patent for Groundbreaking Video Conferencing Architecture

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:26:54 -0500

Patented VidyoRouter Architecture Delivers the Only Available Scalable Video Coding Solution that Eliminates the Multipoint Conferencing Unit

HACKENSACK, N.J.-- Vidyo Inc., the first company to deliver personal telepresence, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company a patent for its VidyoRouter(TM) architecture which delivers reliable, low latency, multipoint conferencing over any IP network including the Internet. The patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,593,032 entitled "System and Method for a Conference Server Architecture for Low Delay and Distributed Conferencing Applications") covers the key intellectual property behind Vidyo's groundbreaking video conferencing technology.

"For many years video conferencing just didn't work because the quality was inconsistent and the delays were too long for highly interactive communications," said Ofer Shapiro, CEO of Vidyo. "Telepresence remedied these problems by guaranteeing the network and eliminating the multipoint conferencing bridge, but at very high cost. This patent validates the innovation and technology behind the VidyoRouter architecture, which is based on the new H.264/SVC (Scalable Video Coding) standard, and maintains the lowest latency and most consistent quality of telepresence on the Internet and on any computer." [Click here to see a comparative demonstration of Vidyo's consistent quality.]

"When you eliminate the need for expensive networks and expensive MCUs as part of the HD multi-party video conferencing experience, then the possibilities of what can be done with video communications are endless," said Andrew W. Davis, Senior Analyst and Partner at Wainhouse Research. "Vidyo has changed the economics, the scalability and the quality of the experience. Their technology opens the door for large scale video conferencing deployments."

Vidyo's Intellectual Property

Vidyo was the first company to utilize H.264/SVC as the basis for a video conferencing solution. H.264/SVC is a video compression standard that enables a video stream to be broken into multiple resolutions, quality levels and bit rates. Utilizing this capability and Vidyo´s intellectual property, the VidyoRouter architecture offers unprecedented error resiliency while eliminating the MCU. The VidyoRouter is the first video multipoint solution that can deliver rate matching and continuous presence capabilities without an additional video encode and decode. This unique capability allows for less than half of the end-to-end latency of MCU-based solutions.

"SVC-enabled video solutions work better in environments with variable performance, such as the Internet," said Scott Morrison, Research Vice President, Enterprise Network Services, Gartner, Inc. "As a result, it will be increasingly possible to stream video communications over Internet connections for many use cases, while retaining a high-quality experience."

Although others are attempting to use the H.264/SVC standard and claiming improved quality, potential customers should exercise caution, because not all SVC products are equal in terms of quality or price. Without the VidyoRouter architecture, other SVC solutions are still dependent on using the MCU to transcode and that remains the biggest obstacle to the advancement of video conferencing.

"We've dramatically changed the business model from one that's dependent on hardware, to a software platform," said Shapiro. "The VidyoRouter reduces by several orders of magnitude the amount of processing required in the network core."

VidyoTechnology - Setting a New Bar for Video Conferencing Quality and Scalability

Until Vidyo introduced its revolutionary technology in 2008, unified communications companies wanting to deliver video over converged IP networks did not have the necessary means to provide high quality video conferencing over non-QOS IP networks. When Vidyo offered the first commercial video conferencing implementation based on H.264/SVC, it radically changed this scenario, offering unified communications solution providers and conferencing services providers the ability to integrate better point-to-point and multipoint video communication capabilities into their offerings. [Click to see example of a Vidyo conference in action.]

"When we looked for a video conferencing technology that would enable us to deliver high quality and cost-effective personal telepresence, Vidyo was clearly our only choice," said Takeshi Masuda, Executive Vice President of Telecommunications & Network Systems Division, Hitachi, Ltd. "With Vidyo's technology, we were able to build a video conferencing solution that is better than any MCU-based product. We feel that this gives us a tremendous competitive advantage."

About Vidyo, Inc.

Vidyo, Inc. pioneered Personal Telepresence enabling multi-party video conferences using a personal computer, with HD quality over converged IP networks. Leveraging its patented technologies built on the new H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) standard, Vidyo's award winning products deliver the industry's best error resilience and lowest latency videoconferencing over the Internet and general-purpose networks. Vidyo's technology for OEMs and end-to-end product solutions for enterprises support point-to-point and multi-point connections that include a variety of different platforms ranging from Mac & Windows desktops to dedicated room solutions. VidyoTechnology(TM) is used by Hitachi, Teliris, Shoretel and other major organizations and enterprises. Vidyo is based in Hackensack, New Jersey and is privately held. Learn more at www.vidyo.com.

Related: Teliris Releases 6th Generation Telepresence Platform, New CODEC, New Endpoints, New Infrastructure, New Customers

TANDBERG First to Enable High Definition Video Between Microsoft Office Communicator and Standards-Based Video Users

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:19:14 -0500

NEW YORK, NY and OSLO, NORWAY -- Today, TANDBERG (OSLO: TAA) further established its leadership in open standards with the announcement of a Unified Communications Gateway technology, demonstrating high definition video interoperability with Microsoft Office Communicator R2. This groundbreaking technology enables Microsoft Office Communicator users to experience high definition video quality when connecting to standards-based systems. TANDBERG is the first company to transcode from Microsoft's Real Time Video (RTV) codec, to the industry standard H.264 video codec. With this breakthrough, TANDBERG brings absolute video quality to everyone, from the Microsoft desktop user to telepresence suite participants.

The new technology is the result of TANDBERG's long-standing partnership with Microsoft and solidifies the company's commitment to delivering the increased productivity and high-quality experience of telepresence to everyone across an organization.

"By strengthening interoperability with Microsoft and continuing to invest in their partnership, TANDBERG is sending a clear signal that the company has no intention of slowing its efforts to advance its vision of an open community of video users," said Brent Kelly, Sr. Analyst, Wainhouse Research. "The UC Gateway is a critical development for enabling video users to connect in the best HD quality no matter where they are or what network they are on, helping to bring value to customers and drive further adoption of video conferencing."

"TANDBERG is breaking down the barriers to widespread video adoption and creating a standards-based video community where no one is out of reach," said Fredrik Halvorsen, TANDBERG CEO. "This Unified Communications Gateway innovation reflects our dedication to integration with Microsoft and illustrates our video-first approach to unified communications. We are connecting communication islands and delivering value to customers that goes beyond travel reduction -- we are transforming the way people work at a pace unmatched in the industry."

TANDBERG will preview the Unified Communications Gateway technology at the Microsoft Tech Ed conference in Berlin from November 9-13, 2009. For a demo, please visit booth E43/E44. The solution will be available for purchase the first half of 2010.

For more information on TANDBERG, visit www.TANDBERG.com or contact info@TANDBERG.com. Stay up-to-date on the latest TANDBERG news on Twitter and Facebook.

About TANDBERG

TANDBERG is the leading global provider of telepresence, high definition video conferencing and mobile video products and services. Dually headquartered in New York and Norway, TANDBERG designs, develops and markets systems and software for video, voice and data. The company provides sales, support and value-added services in over 90 countries. TANDBERG is publicly traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker TAA.OL. Visit www.tandberg.com for more information.

TANDBERG is a trademark or registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contacts:
Susan Vander May
Blanc & Otus for TANDBERG
+1 415.856.5112

Jeannie McPherson
TANDBERG
+1 985.264.8887

Verizon Business Circles Globe With Optical Mesh Network; Begins Extension to Middle East

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:41:27 -0500

Undersea Meshing Provides Additional Paths for Rerouting Communications in the Event of Multiple Cable Breaks

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Now that Verizon Business has circled the globe with optical undersea meshing, the company is extending this technology to the Middle East.

Undersea meshing creates additional paths to seamlessly reroute traffic in the event of multiple undersea cable breaks or network disruptions. Verizon Business was the first service provider to offer seven-way diversity for services traversing cable systems in the Atlantic and Pacific. The meshing is made possible by installing communications equipment in network facility buildings linked to the submarine cables.

With recent mesh deployments in Mumbai and Chennai, India; Marseille, France; and Singapore, coupled with an ultra long haul (ULH) build throughout France, Verizon Business now can send critical customer traffic and business applications in any direction around the world on the global mesh network. The company completed the global portion of its undersea meshing as part of an aggressive, three-year project.

Now Verizon Business is extending its optical-mesh architecture into the Middle East. The first phase of the extension includes installation of communications equipment in Egypt. The geographic location of Egypt allows for an efficient crossing from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea for submarine cable systems.

"Circling the globe with our mesh network has been a top priority we wanted to complete this year for our customers" said Ihab Tarazi, vice president of global network planning for Verizon Business. "Since we introduced our mesh network, we have seen a dramatic improvement in our overall network performance. Now we extend this same benefit from India, to Singapore, through the Asia-Pac region to Europe and into the Middle East to help meet the growing demands of our multinational customers"

Automatic Restoration and Real-Time Management

When Verizon Business completes the mesh project in Egypt, the network will provide automatic restoration and real-time management of voice and data traffic between Europe and the Middle East. The mesh network also will provide predictable latency -- the time it takes for data sent from its entry point in the network to reach its destination -- in the event of a network disruption like the one that occurred earlier this year in the Asia-Pacific region when 10 submarine cable systems were damaged in more than 20 locations. The Verizon Business global mesh network operated exactly as designed, rerouting traffic within milliseconds of the multiple cable breaks.

"Our large-business customers want reliability, scalability, low and predictable latency, and maximum uptime, and that is why we are making substantial investments around the world in our network infrastructure" Tarazi said.

From 2006 to 2008, Verizon Business invested $3 billion in its global network serving enterprise and government customers, and plans to invest at a similar rate this year. The global mesh infrastructure is part of that ongoing investment.

Verizon Business also will use the mesh technology on current and future undersea cable systems between Europe and the Middle East in which Verizon Business has an ownership or partners with other companies. One of the newest submarine cables Verizon Business will use for its industry-leading optical mesh architecture is the Europe India Gateway (EIG) cable network, scheduled for activation in 2010.

Verizon Business operates one of the largest global IP fiber-optic networks spanning six continents. The company also participates in more than 80 submarine cable networks including next-generation undersea cables SEA-ME-WE-4 (South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe), which link Southeast Asia to Europe via the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, and the Trans-Pacific Express network linking the U.S. to mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea. Verizon Business is the only U.S.-based founding member of SEA-ME-WE-4 and only U.S. charter member of TPE.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications, is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

NATO Armed With Polycom Telepresence for Global Collaboration

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:59:30 -0500

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently deployed immersive telepresence solutions from Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM) to improve operational efficiency, interagency collaboration and enhance its ability to support out of area operations.

"Information flow is vital to fulfilling our goals and mandates, as well as maximizing the productivity and efficiency of personnel and ensuring the success of operations," said Malcolm Green, Chief of the NATO C3 Agency's Capabilities Area Team 9 (CAT 9), Networked Information Infrastructure Communication Services. "Polycom telepresence addresses these challenges by enabling our teams to collaborate more effectively over distances."

Deployed in six international locations, the Polycom immersive telepresence solutions join an existing large deployment of Polycom video conferencing systems in use today at NATO headquarters and in outposts around the world. The standards-based systems also interoperate securely and seamlessly with video conferencing systems in use by NATO allied partners.

The technology is used daily for central command communications, emergency management, critical needs assessment, crisis communications, intra/interagency collaboration, workgroup collaboration and project management.

"[Video conferencing] has certainly shortened the fuse on NATO's ability to act in this dynamic environment," says Brigadier General Gyorgy Lehel, Director of Operations at the NATO Communications and Information Systems Services Agency (NCSA) in Mons, Belgium.

The technology is also helping NATO reduce its need for travel, thereby saving money and improving productivity. The geographic disparity among locations that made it difficult to bring teams together to manage program issues such as budget requirements and technical concerns has been virtually eliminated through the use of immersive telepresence. For example, NATO recently replaced a series of quarterly in-person meetings with telepresence, resulting in an estimated cost savings of $51,000, over 500 hours of travel time and 21,000 kg of carbon emissions for one quarterly session.

Telepresence also helps reduce health and safety risks to operational theatre personnel imposed by traveling, as well as the burden placed on the hosting agency's resources with managing visitors.

The deployment of Polycom immersive telepresence solutions was a joint project between the NCSA and the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A), which is responsible for the seamless provision of unbiased scientific support and common funded acquisition of Consultation, Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities. The collaborative effort marks the first permanent use of immersive telepresence technology within NATO.

Tasked with implementing technological solutions that will enable NATO to improve the efficiency of its operations, the NC3A initiated a project to provide Virtual Meeting Rooms (VMRs) to locations in Brussels, The Hague, ACT Norfolk, Virginia and the staffs at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). NC3A worked in close partnership with the NCSA, the operational support agency to NATO who fully supported the initiative and provided a system within their headquarters in Belgium.

After testing and evaluating internationally competitive solutions, NC3A chose the Polycom Telepresence Experience (TPX) 306M solution to create its collaborative and immersive network of VMRs. The VMRs are a part of an ongoing mission to expand the use of technology in order to serve the NATO Alliance. The entire VMR network currently runs over IP between The Hague, Brussels and SHAPE and more recently expanded to a sixth location in Norfolk, Virginia.

"Telepresence provides a natural and effective meeting environment that delivers a far superior collaboration experience over traditional conferencing," said Green who led the acquisition for the Agency. "The Polycom telepresence systems also have an advantage for us because they interoperate with our existing video conferencing systems and the systems used by our allied partners."

"Native interoperability with existing video conferencing systems was critical for NATO," said Joseph Moeder, Deputy Director, NATO Operations, ManTech Global Services Corporation, a leading provider of technology and technical services solutions to federal government customers. "It ensures that when complex missions require a well-coordinated response among other government agencies and international organizations, NATO is able to connect and reach locations worldwide. In addition, NATO can maximize its previous investments in video conferencing technology throughout the Alliance."

With life-size images and high-quality surround sound, the Polycom TPX 306M solution allows participants to clearly see nuances in facial expressions and other non-verbal communications that lend to the feeling of being in the same room. In addition, each VMR was designed with the same paint, lighting and multipurpose, boardroom-style tables to further enhance the virtual "same room" meeting experience. The solutions include personal content monitors embedded within the table that allow users to easily share virtually any type of multimedia content as part of meeting, enhancing the interaction and facilitating teamwork.

When not being used for telepresence, the Polycom TPX systems support a multi-functional conference room, allowing users to maximize the utility of the room and leverage valuable office space for traditional meetings. The high-definition monitors can display content locally (from laptop, web conference, etc.) and the system can be used for high-quality audio conferencing.

Additional Information:

NATO Case Study (PDF)

http://www.polycom.com/global/documents/company/customer_success_stories/government/nato_telepresence.pdf

NATO Virtual Meeting Rooms (VMR)

http://www.ncsa.nato.int/news/2009/20090423_VTM.html

Polycom Telepresence

www.polycom.com/telepresence

Polycom Government Security Center -- Security, Standards and Interoperability

www.polycom.com/govsecurity

About NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on April 4, 1949. NATO provides a forum in which the United States, Canada and European countries can consult together on security issues of common concern and take joint action in addressing them.

About NC3A

The NATO C3 Agency's mission is to enable NATO success through the comprehensive provision of unbiased Consultation, Command, Control, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities. In 2008, the Agency procured some 300 million Euro worth of leading-edge capabilities for the Alliance; over 70,000 NATO forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, as well as the Alliance's top decision-makers, depend on systems capabilities delivered by the Agency.

About NCSA

"Connecting NATO!" This motto sums up the main task of the NATO Communication Information Systems Service Agency, its mission being to connect NATO headquarters and installations all over the world with telephone lines, computer networks and video teleconferences. NCSA is composed of a central headquarters collocated with SHAPE, Mons Belgium, ten NCSA Sectors that support their affiliated headquarters, two deployable NATO Signal Battalions and the NATO CIS School in Latina, Italy. Permanently stationed on four continents, with a civilian-military mixed staff of approximately 3,400 personnel from 22 nations it is today NATO's largest agency.

About ManTech International Corporation

Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia with approximately 8,000 professionals, ManTech International Corporation is a leading provider of innovative technologies and solutions for mission-critical national security programs for the Intelligence Community; the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security and Justice; the Space Community; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and other U.S. federal government customers. ManTech's expertise includes systems engineering, systems integration, software development services, enterprise architecture, cyber security, information assurance, intelligence operations and analysis support, network and critical infrastructure protection, information operations and information warfare support, information technology, communications integration, global logistics and supply chain management, and service oriented architectures. The company supports the advanced telecommunications systems that are used in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in other parts of the world; has developed a secure, collaborative communications system for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and builds and maintains secure databases that track terrorists. The company operates in the United States and 40 countries. In 2008, BusinessWeek magazine chose ManTech for its 'InfoTech 100' listing representing the best performing tech companies in the world; Forbes.com named ManTech as one of the 400 Best Big Companies in the nation; and A-Space, a Web 2.0 enhanced collaboration tool that ManTech developed for the Intelligence Community was named one of the Top 50 Inventions of the Year by Time magazine. Also in 2008, GI Jobs magazine named ManTech a Top Ten Military Friendly Employer for the third year in a row. Additional information on ManTech can be found at www.mantech.com.

About Polycom

Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM) is the global leader in telepresence, video, and voice solutions and a visionary in communications that empower people to connect and collaborate everywhere. Visit www.polycom.com for more information and follow us on Twitter @AllAboutPolycom.

(c) 2009 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM, the Polycom "Triangles" logo and the names and marks associated with Polycom's products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Glowpoint Achieves "Advanced Certified" Service Provider Status from Polycom for Immersive Telepresence VNOC Service

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:36:34 -0500

Expands global managed service offerings through unique "video in the cloud" approach

HILLSIDE, N.J.-- Glowpoint, Inc. (OTCBB: GLOW), a leading provider of managed services for telepresence and video conferencing, today announced it has been awarded Polycom Advanced Certified Immersive Telepresence VNOC Service Provider status from Polycom, Inc., a global leader in telepresence, video and voice communications solutions. The designation, the highest awarded by Polycom for telepresence VNOC service partners, recognizes Glowpoint for its ability to deliver world-class telepresence managed service for global customers utilizing Polycom's broad portfolio of standards-based telepresence systems.

"Glowpoint is a valued VNOC delivery partner and we are pleased to recognize its world-class managed network service capabilities for Polycom immersive telepresence solutions," said Ron Myers, vice president of worldwide channels at Polycom. "Customers are looking for services that will help them maximize their investment in visual communication both in terms of the best user experience and the broadest collaboration capabilities. Working with Glowpoint, Polycom is able to meet customers broad service requirements for both intra-company and business-to-business telepresence."

"With the global market for telepresence and video conferencing projected to exceed $8 billion by 2013, it's critical for Glowpoint to continue to innovate and enhance our service portfolio for the growing global community of video users," said Glowpoint President and Co-CEO Joe Laezza. "Glowpoint continues to make investments in next generation video applications, infrastructure, skills, and technology to further empower our global customers' use of video communications as a critical business tool."

Glowpoint's unique "video in the cloud" business model makes it easy and cost-effective for any company to access carrier grade support services and infrastructure for full service management of their telepresence and video environment. Glowpoint's "service cloud" approach also enables users to seamlessly connect with virtually any other video user on any network using any video technology, including Polycom and others, via Glowpoint's Telepresence interExchange Network (TEN) which interconnects more than 6,200 connected video systems and hundreds of public rooms. Laezza added, "Our offerings provide secure, reliable and scalable services that allow businesses of all sizes to make video simple to use, allowing wide adoption while maintaining lower total cost of ownership, containing costs through travel reduction, reducing their carbon footprint and reaching a growing global community of corporate business-to-business video users."

Today, Glowpoint supports thousands of locations and video systems around the globe for hundreds of businesses, including the management of more than 300 telepresence and standards-based video rooms with Glowpoint's fully managed VNOC services providing 24/7 robust proactive monitoring, help support, conference scheduling and production, and a full suite of concierge services. Polycom Advanced Certified Immersive Telepresence VNOC Service Provider status provides assurance to customers that Glowpoint has completed rigorous product training; has expertise and capabilities for troubleshooting, testing, upgrading and updating verifications; has tight integration with Polycom Global Services; has coordinated access to Polycom engineering teams in support of VNOC service delivery; has completed a complete process audit, ensuring compliance with all Polycom-defined standards; and utilizes proven and detailed Polycom standard operational processes in support of Polycom immersive telepresence solutions and VNOC services. The program also ensures Glowpoint will receive early access to new Polycom products and product enhancements to ensure seamless support as new products and capabilities come to market.

About Glowpoint

Glowpoint, Inc. (OTCBB: GLOW) is a leading provider of managed services for telepresence and video conferencing. Glowpoint's suite of robust telepresence and video communications solutions enables organizations to communicate with each other over disparate networks and technology platforms. Glowpoint supports thousands of video communications systems in more than 35 countries with its 24/7 video management services. Glowpoint also powers major broadcasters, Fortune 500 companies, as well as global carriers and video equipment manufacturers - and their customers - worldwide. To learn more, visit www.glowpoint.com.

About Polycom

Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is the global leader in telepresence, video, and voice solutions and a visionary in communications that empower people to connect and collaborate everywhere. Visit www.polycom.com for more information.

Media:
Glowpoint, Inc.
Jonathan Brust, 312-235-3888, ext. 2052
jbrust@glowpoint.com
www.glowpoint.com

InterCall and MASERGY Partner to Provide Complete Video Conferencing IP Network and Bridging Solutions

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:31:34 -0500

CHICAGO, Oct. 14 -- InterCall, the world's largest conferencing and collaboration services provider, today announced a partnership with global service provider MASERGY to offer a complete IP network and managed service solution for customers. MASERGY delivers the strongest enterprise WAN experience in the telecommunications industry. This partnership will provide InterCall's customers with the ability to run video conferences on a secured IP overlay network with the management of InterCall's expert technicians.

"As we continue to see more and more customers run their video conferencing traffic on IP networks, we want to assure them they are receiving the best quality of service," said Kathleen Finato, senior vice president of marketing and business development at InterCall. "By adding additional network options for our customers to run their video conferencing traffic, we are providing our customers a complete conferencing solution."

Customer benefits of this partnership include:

    -- 100 percent packet delivery/quality of service guarantee, specifically
        for video.
    -- Quality of service across the local access loops.

    -- Management of all video conference calls over an IP network.

"MASERGY is very excited about working with an acknowledged industry leader like InterCall," said Chris Carr, director of video markets at MASERGY. "We see tremendous value to end customers with the combination of our QoS guaranteed network transport services, and InterCall's comprehensive suite of managed video services; this combination delivers the fully integrated, seamlessly supported solutions that customers are looking for as they migrate to HD and invest in immersive telepresence."

About InterCall

InterCall, a subsidiary of West Corporation, is the largest service provider in the world specializing in conference communications. Founded in 1991, InterCall helps people and companies be more productive by providing advanced audio, event, Web and video conferencing solutions that are easy-to-use and save them time and money. Along with a team of over 500 Meeting Consultants, the company employs more than 1,500 operators, customer service representatives, call supervisors, accounting, marketing and IT professionals. InterCall's strong U.S. presence, which includes four call centers and 26 sales offices, is bolstered by a global reach that extends to Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. For more information, please visit www.intercall.com.

About MASERGY:

MASERGY is a privately held global network service provider that has redefined enterprise wide-area networking by delivering innovative products, advanced capabilities and a superior customer experience. Serving hundreds of customers throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, MASERGY leverages advanced transport technologies to deliver global Ethernet services across a native MPLS network. The company pioneered customer-controlled network services and the delivery of multiple services over a single network connection. MASERGY's customers include companies from the financial/banking, healthcare, entertainment broadcasting, hospitality/hotels and manufacturing industries. MASERGY received the 2008 Nemertes Research Pilot House Awards for Best Overall MPLS Service and Best Overall Customer Experience for Emerging Providers. More information about MASERGY is available at http://www.masergy.com.


[via websiteGear]