Telepresence Options - Company Profiles

Glowpoint Company Profile

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:56:25 -0500

Website: http://www.glowpoint.com
Headquarters: Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA
Founded: 2000
Public/Private: Public - NYSEAMEX: GLOW

Company Details

Industry Categories: Cloud Managed Video Services, Telepresence Managed Service Provider, Telepresence Community of Interest Network (CoIN) Provider, B2B Video Exchange Provider, Multi-point (bridging) Conferencing Services

Key Executives:

Joe Laezza: President and Chief Executive Officer
Anil Balani: Senior Vice President, Technology
Michael Hubner: General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
John R. McGovern: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Darren Podrabsky: Vice President, Marketing and Channels
Tolga Sakman: Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy
Thomas P. Schroeder: Senior Vice President, Operations
Stephen K. Vobbe: Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Key Customers: Carnegie Mellon University, ESPN, Georgetown University, Univision, URS Corporation

Partners: Acme Packet, Avaya, Broadsoft, Equinix, Nexus, Polycom, Sabre Travel Network, Spire Global, TalkPoint, Tata Communications, Technical Innovation

AV Solution Providers: Affinity, Cenero, Conferencing Advisors, KBZ Communications, iVision, MSpace, New York Technology Company, Plus 6, PS Technologies, Soho Video Solutions, Spire Global, Whitlock

Company Mission: Glowpoint's mission is to provide cloud managed video services that make delivery of consistently high-quality videoconferencing and telepresence service as simple as the Internet, between any endpoint, network and business.

About Glowpoint

Glowpoint Company Overview
Cloud Managed Video Services
Consistent high-quality video service - made web simple

Glowpoint provides cloud managed video services that make delivery of consistently high-quality video conferencing and telepresence service as simple as the Internet, between any endpoint, network and business. Using our OpenVideo(TM) cloud architecture, Glowpoint enables organizations of all sizes to adopt business-class video easily, scale instantly and collaborate openly, yet securely across technology boundaries - to realize the full value of visual communications.

Glowpoint recognizes that successful, consistent service delivery of video communications is a direct result of combining qualified people, proven processes, and reliable technologies. Since inception, Glowpoint has established a diverse client roster, including Fortune 100 companies, educational institutions, governments, healthcare providers, business service providers, and nonâ€profit organizations.

Today, Glowpoint supports hundreds of clients located in 68 countries and is the trusted managed service partner for leading unified communications providers, telepresence manufacturers, global carriers and A/V integration firms. Glowpoint manages thousands of telepresence and videoconferencing rooms, produces hundreds of thousands video conferences annually, and has enabled millions of minutes of inter-company video calling via our business-to-business (B2B) exchange.

Glowpoint's OpenVideo(TM) Cloud

OpenVideo(TM) Cloud Architecture
Any Endpoint. Any Technology. Any Network. Open and Secure.

The OpenVideo(TM) cloud sets Glowpoint apart from other managed services providers, providing the capability to connect millions of video users from anywhere, across any network, in an open and secure environment.

OpenVideo(TM) utilizes Glowpoint's intellectual property and expertise to integrate best of breed software, video delivery & management technologies, and networking technologies, to deliver the most flexible, high quality, reliable cloud managed video services on the market today. OpenVideo(TM) is:

Endpoint Agnostic: We can provide services for the broadest range of multi-screen, conference room, desktop, and mobile videoconferencing solutions from all of the leading manufacturers - including Cisco, Polycom, LifeSize, and Avaya.

Network Neutral: OpenVideo(TM) is designed to interconnect disparate networks regardless of carriers to provide secure, reliable video experiences and the highest quality managed services.

Open and Secure: Our cloud supports all of the standard video signaling protocols, such as SIP, H.323, or ISDN, as well as codec technologies including H.264 or SVC. We also employ the highest levels of security, including encryption.

Flexible: We can provide fully hosted managed services from our cloud, including management of your on-premise infrastructure and video endpoints, or support a hybrid cloud-managed environment. Let us customize a solution that is right for you.

Glowpoint Services

Monitoring & Management Services
Get More Out of Your Investment in Videoconferencing

Glowpoint offers the most complete, flexible portfolio of remote monitoring & management services available from any video managed services provider on the market today.

We provide end-to-end cloud managed services for telepresence, conference room, desktop, mobile solutions, and video infrastructure. We have a team of video experts utilizing the latest in remote management technologies, with Video Network Operations Centers (VNOCs) and Points-of-Presence (PoPs) all over the world.

We offer a complete portfolio of remote monitoring & management services that can help you make video more widely available, improve up-time, drive higher usage, off-load your IT team, or all of the above. Our service packages can be customized to suit the needs of your business, whether for a large enterprise, small or medium sized business.

Video Collaboration Services
Use business video from anywhere, securely and openly, in the cloud...

Glowpoint's Video Collaboration Services, hosted via the OpenVideo(TM) cloud, are designed to connect video users all over the world whether they are on immersive telepresence, conference room, desktop or mobile devices.

Customers that are registered to the OpenVideo(TM) cloud can connect to any other customer in the OpenVideo(TM) cloud and get access to Glowpoint's full suite of cloud managed video services, including:

Virtual Video Room: The Virtual Video Room (VVR) is a fully cloud hosted service for on-demand, ad-hoc, high-definition videoconferencing. The VVR allows enterprise, small or medium businesses to easily adopt video and provide users with a simple, reliable way to collaborate visually using virtually any SIP, H.323 or ISDN based video solution. The VVR is delivered via Glowpoint's OpenVideo(TM) cloud, enabling seamless video collaboration across disparate networks and between the widest range of video solutions, including immersive telepresence systems, conference rooms, desktops, and mobile devices.

Video Bridging Services: Glowpoint offers a complete set of Video Bridging Services to solve your interoperability and business-to-business (B2B) challenges, and ensure that your videoconferencing meetings are always productive. Manage your meetings, including scheduling, conference production and concierge services utilizing our cloud, your on-premise infrastructure, or a combination of both.

Glowpoint's Video Bridging Services are included with our Premium Remote Management Services package or can be purchased separately on-demand.

Webcasting Services: Glowpoint's webcasting service lets you create and deliver impactful video presentations with rich media and broadcast them to literally thousands of viewers cost-effectively via the public internet, your corporate network or via Glowpoint's private and secure overlay network. Our webcasting service is perfect for events such as quarterly company 'all hands' meetings, sales training and press conferences. Participants can view and interact with presenters from their desktop, laptop, or mobile devices - wherever they are.

Broadcast Services: Glowpoint provides IP-based broadcast solutions for leading sports broadcasters, sports leagues, news outlets, cable stations, and collegiate conferences - including professional football and basketball drafts, Comcast's Mountain West Sports Network and the NFL Network.

Our "always-on," managed service and exclusive video-network exchange service reduces transport costs and program operations by up to 80% in comparison with traditional satellite feeds and associated operations. We enable ultra-clean HD- and SD-interactive broadcasts, provide real-time communications, and two-up capability for live-to-air and live-to-web broadcasts, all delivered through proactively maintained flexible solutions.

B2B Exchange Services
Extend your reach with video, collaborate more effectively

Glowpoint's Business to Business (B2B) Video Exchange Services let you use video to reach outside of your business and collaborate more effectively with key partners and customers. Our B2B Exchange Services securely interconnect disparate networks and immersive telepresence and videoconferencing systems, to deliver seamless video communications between all platforms and business networks around the world.

Our B2B Exchange Services enable you to:

Connect with More Partners and Customers: Glowpoint operates the world's largest multi-vendor global business to business video exchange, with nearly 600 companies directly connected or registered to date.

Use the Widest Range of Telepresence and Videoconferencing Solutions: Unlike competing video exchange services, we are video system manufacturer neutral. We support B2B calling between immersive telepresence, conference room, and desktop systems from all of the leading manufacturers - including Cisco, Polycom, LifeSize and Avaya.

Go Global with B2B Video Collaboration: We have exchange nodes in the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific. We also connect to exchanges operated by other service providers, to deliver the maximum global reach.

Consistent, Secure Experience Globally: Video calls across the Glowpoint exchange include QoS, and a layered security approach, as well as network performance monitoring - all backed up by a guaranteed SLA.

Providea Conferencing Company Profile

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:30:14 -0500

Website: http://www.ProvideaConferencing.com

Headquarters: Camarillo, California
Founded: 1999
Public/Private: Private

Industry Categories:

Telepresence, A/V Integration, Managed and Professional Services, Cisco ATP Certified, Polycom Platinum Reseller, LifeSize Platinum Reseller

Key Executives:

Todd Luttinger - President and Chief Executive Officer
Jill Price - EVP, Sales and Marketing
William Benoit - EVP and Co-Founder
John Price - EVP and Co-Founder
Steve Cogliano - EVP and Co-Founder

About Providea Conferencing
Headquartered in Camarillo, CA with East Coast operations in Boston, MA and offices nationwide, Providea Conferencing offers a full suite of TelePresence and high-definition video conferencing solutions along with comprehensive system and network design consultation and world-class 24/7 Real-Time support.

Founded in 1999 by veterans from the video conferencing and network carrier markets, the Providea team boasts years of experience in conferencing technologies, professional services, audiovisual design/build, multi-point bridging, network configuration and the best practices for successful deployment and utilization of these solutions.

We can custom-design our offerings according to each organizations application requirements and budget. We represent only best-in-breed manufacturers and carriers including: Cisco, Polycom, LifeSize, Vidyo, AT&T, and MASERGY.

With Providea Conferencing you can count on innovative products, bundles, and services that significantly reduce your video-related costs and help you better leverage the
latest TelePresence and high-definition video conferencing solutions.

Leading organizations within financial, legal, technology, healthcare, entertainment, and
education and government sectors rely on Providea Conferencing.

Professional Services
At Providea Conferencing, we know that successful multipoint meetings depend on the clarity, immediacy and integrity of the video conferencing service. The connections must be secure and uninterrupted, the images and audio presented in lifelike definition and tone and the service available at a moment's notice. That's why we design and deliver service solutions that meet our customers' needs, exceed their expectations and produce consistently successful video conferencing results.

Providea delivers its B2B video conferencing solutions to a host of top companies and organizations that are looking for ways to communicate more effectively with their clients, partners and customers throughout the world.

Professional services from Providea can help your organization to:

Ease the burden of managing video
Improve operational efficiency
Maximize current investments
Solve complex IP connectivity issues
Improve your overall video experience
Preserve capital dollars

Corporate Headquarters:
Providea Conferencing
1297 Flynn Road, Suite 100
Camarillo, CA 93012
(877) 477-6843 or (805) 384-9995

HP Visual Collaboration Company Profile

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:47:15 -0500

Website: http://www.hp.com/go/visual-collaboration
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Founded: 1939
Public/Private: Public - NYSE:HPQ

Industry Categories:

Imaging and Printing

Information Technology Services and Infrastructure

Personal Computers

Software

Visual Collaboration

Key Executives:

Leo Apotheker
- President and Chief Executive Officer
Shane Robison
- EVP, Chief Strategy and Technology Office
Rob Scott
- VP and GM, HP Visual Collaboration

The HP Halo Studio in a Conference

Company Profile
At HP we believe technology can create new possibilities for people around the world--from high school students and soccer moms to budding entrepreneurs, government officials, and business executives. We're the largest IT company on the planet, with 304,000 employees working in approximately 170 countries around the world. And we are able to leverage our size and scope to deliver real value in the products and services we offer. Our healthcare solutions are helping hospitals reduce errors and insurers bring down costs. Our TouchSmart products are helping individuals with autism communicate for the very first time. Our digital printing solutions are revolutionizing the publishing industry by allowing publishers to print individual books on demand. Our Visual Collaboration products are allowing companies to reduce their carbon footprint while increasing efficiency. And that's just the beginning. Where others see challenges, we see opportunities. So we never stop exploring. We never stop at impossible. And we can't wait to show you what we think of next. HP at a glance:

Fortune 10 U.S.

Fortune 26 Global

$126 billion USD in revenue for FY10

304,000 employees

Operates in ~ 170 countries worldwide

At HP, world class business fundamentals are the foundation for everything we do. Our goal is not simply to have the least expensive operating model, but rather the most efficient -- providing the best services at the lowest cost. Once the mechanisms of the business are running properly, then we can operate from a position of strength with financial flexibility to build customer relationships, capitalize on opportunities, invest for the long-term and create lasting value for our people and our shareholders.

HP Visual Collaboration Room in a Conference

At HP, innovation is our lifeblood. We innovate to solve problems, create new, meaningful experiences for our customers, and pioneer markets and growth opportunities in today's rapidly changing world. We're focused on discovering opportunities to make a significant scientific or technological breakthrough that can impact not only our customers and our business, but can help fuel the economy and shape the future of technology.

While we are working aggressively to reduce our own environmental impact, HP is also applying our size, expertise and partnerships to help customers meet their business goals by reducing their environmental footprint. HP provides a comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions-- featuring hardware, software and services--that help companies of all sizes reduce costs, conserve resources and drive innovation and growth in the low-carbon economy.
Business is built on relationships and thrives on efficiency. With HP Visual Collaboration, you get both. No unnecessary travel, hotel costs or mini bar expenses. Simply quality face-to-face communication without leaving the office. And whether your five miles away or five thousand, Visual Collaboration will reduce your carbon footprint and increase efficiency, ultimately making things better for business and the planet.

RADVISION Company Profile

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:41:23 -0500

Website: www.radvision.com
Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel
Founded: 1992
Private/Public: Public (NASDAQ: RVSN)
Major Investors:

Company Details

Industry Categories:

Key Executives:

Boaz Raviv - Chief Executive Officer

Adi Sfadia - Chief Financial Officer

Roberto Giamagli - General Manager, Video Business Unit

Avishai Sharlin - General Manager, Technology Business Unit

Key Customers:

Large Enterprise
Small & Medium Business
Service Providers
Education
Financial
Healthcare
Manufacturing
National Government
State and Local Government
Defense

Key Line of Business:

Market leading price-performance room systems: SCOPIA XT1000 video conferencing room systems offer the perfect blend of value and a high quality, high-end HD experience.

Touch screen control via the Apple iPad: SCOPIA Control provides a revolutionary Apple iPad application for control of SCOPIA XT1000 room systems.

Executive desktop video conferencing system: The SCOPIA VC240 desktop video conferencing system integrates advanced video conferencing into a Samsung 24-inch LCD monitor.

Desktop software client with easy deployment model: The SCOPIA Desktop software client provides video conferencing capabilities on the Mac platform in addition to the PC.

Revolutionary advanced data collaboration: SCOPIA advanced data collaboration combines the interoperability of H.239 with access on the Apple iPad and iPhone and also provides the ability to review previously shared data.

Mobile device support: SCOPIA Mobile extends conferencing and control to mobile devices.

Connectivity: SCOPIA solutions connect any standards-based device including telepresence.

Simplicity: SCOPIA solutions are focused on ease-of-use and simple deployment.

Distributed architecture: Every component of the SCOPIA solution has been designed for deployment in a distributed IP network.

Unified Communications (UC): Integration is available with the leading UC applications from Alcatel-Lucent, IBM Lotus and Microsoft.

Scalable Video Coding (SVC): With SVC, the SCOPIA solution enables full interoperability with existing devices while enjoying all the benefits of very high network error resiliency.

Overview:

Since 1992, RADVISION has been an innovator providing products and technologies for unified visual communications over IP, 3G and emerging next-generation networks. RADVISION's latest innovations, including high performance room systems, unmatched telepresence and desktop communications, and mobile conferencing solutions are key examples of RADVISION's transformation from an infrastructure provider to delivering a full portfolio of video conferencing solutions.

RADVISION's SCOPIA product portfolio provides comprehensive and powerful visual communications solutions that allow advanced video, voice and data conferencing. The SCOPIA product offering includes network infrastructure solutions for multipoint conferencing, network connectivity and firewall traversal; endpoint solutions for board rooms, conference rooms, desktop and personal video conferencing and management software for scheduling, device and bandwidth management and directory services.

The SCOPIA product portfolio is a powerful combination of hardware and software products that is fully standards-based and supports the highest resolutions available in today's video conferencing solutions. Interoperability and interconnectivity is provided between any video-enabled device, such as a telepresence system, a conference room or a desktop video conferencing system, and with other telephony and video conferencing systems. SCOPIA solutions are used by institutions, enterprises, and service providers to create high quality, easy-to-use video, voice and data collaboration environments, regardless of the communication network - IP, SIP, 3G, H.323, ISDN or next generation IMS.

RADVISION's complete SCOPIA solution includes all the components necessary to provide a total video, voice and data collaboration application.

AT&T Company Profile

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:22:16 -0500

Website: http://www.att.com/
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Founded: 1885
Public/Private: Public
Major Investors:

Company Details

Industry Categories:

Key Executives:

Randall L. Stephenson
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
William A. Blase, Jr.
Senior Executive Vice President - Human Resources
James W. Callaway
Senior Executive Vice President - Executive Operations
James W. Cicconi
Senior Executive Vice President - External and Legislative Affairs, AT&T Services, Inc.
Catherine M. Coughlin
Senior Executive Vice President and Global Marketing Officer
Ralph de la Vega
President and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets
Richard G. Lindner
Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Ronald E. Spears
Senior Executive Vice President, Executive Operation
John T. Stankey
President and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Business Solutions
Wayne Watts
Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Rayford Wilkins, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer - AT&T Diversified Businesses

Key Customers:

Key Lines of Business:

Mobility
Broadband
High-speed internet
Advanced TV services
Voice services
IP-based business communications services

Overview:

AT&T is the communications provider of choice among large businesses. We serve thousands of customers on six continents, including all of the Fortune 1000.

We offer global, national, midsize and regional business customers -- as well as wholesale and government customers -- a reliable U.S.-based provider of integrated, high-quality and competitively priced services worldwide.

We provide service to our customers on our network through a global 24/7 customer-care operation that is first-rate. We offer proven infrastructure, global breadth, solid financial resources and a record of strong management.

By integrating our wired and wireless Internet Protocol (IP) networks, we will enable new applications that converge voice, data and video for our business customers over one of the world's most advanced IP networks.

Virtually every business today depends on the performance of its underlying network. That's why AT&T has invested billions to create the world's leading IP network and to back it with the reliability, security and performance measures that customers demand.

We will continue to set the standard for helping our customers transition from legacy technologies to IP-enabled voice, data and video solutions. Enhanced employee productivity, new operational efficiencies, increased network reliability and security and lower network costs -- these are just some of the significant advantages our IP-based networks can deliver to businesses. And our networks also offer access to a full suite of applications, such as Virtual Private Networking.

Voice over IP (VoIP), state-of-the-art hosting capabilities and advanced messaging and conferencing.

AT&T has an unsurpassed set of networking resources and assets that help customers deliver and share information seamlessly, including our global backbone, local high-bandwidth connections and wireless networks. We offer businesses a single source of sophisticated communications with unprecedented reach, including local, national and global along with both wireline and wireless access -- designed and managed to their specifications.

We back our business solutions with an array of professional consulting and management services for network planning, design, deployment, security and ongoing management.

The AT&T Telepresence Solution offers an "in-person" meeting experience enabling you to collaborate with customers, suppliers and business partners on the AT&T Business Exchange, a unique intercompany collaboration feature of AT&T Telepresence Solution. This dynamic business-to-business, multipoint, meet-me bridging capability allows multiple companies in different locations to connect to one another using the reliability of AT&T VPN services. It's the first, fully managed, multipoint, business-to-business telepresence application powered by the industry leading AT&T global MPLS IP-based network.

More on AT&T's Telepresence Solution:

AT&T Cites Strong Demand and New Enhancements for Telepresence
AT&T Delivers First-Ever Telepresence Exchange Feature for Multi-Vendor, Inter-Company Interoperability

Human Productivity Lab Company Profile

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:48:01 -0500

Website: http://www.HumanProductivityLab.com
Headquarters: Northern Virginia & Frankfurt, Germany
Founded: 2005
Public/Private: Private

Company Details

Industry Categories: Telepresence and Visual Collaboration Consulting, Productivity Consulting, and Publishing

Key Executives:

Howard S. Lichtman, President
Thomas Kayser, Managing Director, EMEA

HPL Consulting

The Human Productivity Lab is the leading telepresence consulting firm for global financial institutions, multinational telecommunications and energy companies, and other Fortune 5000 corporations across a broad range of industry sectors. The company has offices in both the United States and Europe to support organizations interested in using telepresence and effective visual collaboration to improve personal and organizational productivity, future proof technology investments, connect their organizations to partners globally, and provide a disaster recovery capability for any eventuality where physical travel should become impossible or cost prohibitive.

The Lab was founded by Howard S. Lichtman, a productivity-focused technologist who advises firms how to successfully deploy telepresence to enhance internal and external communications, cut costs and improve organizational productivity, and increase bottom line revenue. On the vendor side, the Lab works with both established technology brands and emerging companies to provide independent, third-party product evaluations and training. For investors the Lab provides research and advice on the growing telepresence and visual collaboration industries.

How Can Human Productivity Lab Help Me?

The Human Productivity Lab provides telepresence consulting services for Fortune 500 and mid-size firms across a broad range of industry sectors. We approach every telepresence engagement exclusively from our client's perspective, employing a vendor-neutral focus. With objective analysis, companies and enterprises get the right hardware, network, and services mix for their needs, not what a single vendor wants to sell them.
Selecting equipment, managed services and network providers is a complex process and the investment considerable. The Human Productivity Lab's mission is to future-proof and secure the best possible terms for your organization's telepresence deployment.

The Human Productivity Lab offers telepresence end-user firms and vendors a host of consulting and advisory services including:

RFP/RFI Development
Acquisition Consulting
Inter-Company Visual Collaboration Strategy
Realistic ROI Modeling / Deployment Strategies
Vendor and Technology Assessments
Telepresence Solution Design & Financial Modeling
Best Practice Assessments

The Lab's expertise and knowledge of current and future technology trends is not just academic - it is real-world.

Examples of HPL Consulting Engagements for End-Users

Global Fortune 20 Oil Company - The Lab helped a global Fortune 20 oil company better understand its telepresence options with respect to deploying telepresence group systems between its global locations. The Lab traveled to multiple telepresence hardware vendors and met with their research scientists and product managers to get an up-to-date understanding of multiple product offerings and their technology roadmaps. The Lab conducted an evaluation of a new telepresence system on the market, helped write the firm's RFP and produced a comprehensive report comparing the firms' various options with our recommendations to streamline deployment.

Global Fortune 20 Energy Company - The Lab helped the same Fortune 20 global energy company evaluate their options in creating a telepresence distance learning capability for training petrochemical engineers and oil field geologists globally. The Lab short listed the appropriate suppliers, arranged demonstrations, and helped produce the appropriate RFI. The Lab designed a "Pro-Modified" version of a Polycom RPX that created a stand up presentation environment for an instructor to be captured naturally instructing in a "Theatre in the Round" format for teaching to both local and remote student simultaneously with enhanced capabilities for data collaboration. The Lab also created a design for a "Productized Learning and Collaborative Kit" that would have provided an enhanced capability to collaborate on data by improving and simplifying the ability to launch collaborative sessions including the ability to whiteboard interactively between any sites equipped with the kit (Unimplemented). The Lab helped the project team create the business case for using telepresence in the learning center and created a financial model that compared the various proposals including multiple options for hardware, managed services, and network including the option to manage the video network infrastructure themselves.

Unique HPL Design for a telepresence classroom with a stand up presentation area where an instructor can be captured both "teaching in the round" and at an interactive whiteboard. Other elements of the solution are confidential. Click to expand.

International Investment Bank - The Lab helped an international investment bank evaluate multiple providers of desktop video conferencing solutions including a new firm with which that client had an investment. The Lab made recommendations and preliminary budgets for the firm to create a studio environment for their equity analysts to rapidly create video content of breaking economic and company news for their equity research clients. The Lab created a preliminary design and budget for creating a solution that would connect their New York City and London trading floors so their head trader in New York could be "present" on the London floor while trading. The Lab worked directly with the CEO and CIO on the engagement.

International and Domestic Standards Bodies - The Lab helped both an international standards body and a domestic (US) standards body understand their telepresence options for effectively connecting their organizations together to work on a major project. The organizations required a large capacity telepresence solution to accommodate a 16 member board and four executives on one-side of the Atlantic and eight board members and executives on the other with the ability to stream and archive content. The Lab accelerated their due diligence process and provided expertise to evaluate vendor proposals.

International Security Consulting Company - The Lab helped the CEO of an international security consulting company understand his options for improving the human factors of his existing videoconferencing deployment. The CEO, a best-selling author, spends more than half the year writing at his home in Fiji and wanted to improve his ability to communicate with his staff and clients. The CEO realized the limitations of his traditional videoconferencing system especially with respect to eye-contact and contacted the Lab to better understand his telepresence options.

Examples of HPL Consulting Engagements for Vendors

Arming Telepresence Commission Driven Mercenaries - This is the Lab's "Open Source" competitive overview for telepresence solutions vendors, managed service providers, and inter-networking firms in the telepresence and telecommunications industries. The course is designed for product managers, sales representatives, sales managers, and sales engineers to rapidly bring them up-to-speed on the competitive landscape in the telepresence industry. While the Lab judiciously protects forward-looking product roadmap information that we are under NDA on, we offer a true critique of the various telepresence systems on the market and the pros and cons of various approaches. The Lab has created courses for multiple Fortune 500 clients.

International Telecommunications Carrier - The Lab helped an international telecommunications carrier better understand the landscape of telepresence managed service providers so they could select a provider to private label a telepresence managed service offering. The Lab further helped the company better understand the differences between small group telepresence solutions so they could create bundled telepresence solutions for their portfolio. The Lab worked directly with the firm's two principals / co-founders.

Telepresence Product and Strategy Review - The Lab worked with an established telepresence solution provider to understand the telepresence landscape. The Lab provided an independent third party critique of the firm's telepresence offerings, managed service provider strategy, and go-to-market strategy with respect to telepresence. The Lab worked directly with the CEO.

Telepresence Consulting for Investors

International Investment Bank - In June 2009 Howard Lichtman participated in a trip to San Francisco and Silicon Valley organized by a European investment bank which took multiple institutional portfolio managers and hedge fund managers on visits with telepresence and videoconferencing companies. The group met with CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, and other corporate officers and received demonstrations of telepresence and videoconferencing solutions. Mr. Lichtman provided independent third party analysis on what the investors saw and heard and conducted an overview presentation on the overall telepresence market. Mr. Lichtman predicted that Cisco would acquire TANDBERG and took the assembled investors through his reasoning. Cisco announced they would pursue an acquisition of TANDBERG 5 months later on October 1st.

Buy / Sell Side Hedge Fund - Mr. Lichtman provided an independent third party analysis of the telepresence industry to the portfolio manager of a buy/sell side hedge fund in April of 2009. Mr. Lichtman predicted that Cisco would acquire TANDBERG and took the portfolio manager through his reasoning. Cisco announced they would pursue an acquisition of TANDBERG 7 months later on October 1st. The fund claims to have made 30% on an investment in TANDBERG in 7 months.

The Human Productivity Lab's Inter-Company Telepresence Conference in April brought together Fortune 100 companies and managed service providers that support hundreds of companies to discuss how to use telepresence and effective visual collaboration to effective conduct business with partners, vendors, and customers.

Human Productivity Lab Telepresence Network

HPL Publishing - TelepresenceOptions.com

With over 30,000-plus unique visitors a month from over 180+ countries, HumanProductivityLab.com, TelepresenceCatalog.com, and TelepresenceOptions.com rank as the top destinations on the Internet for news, research, and analysis on telepresence and effective visual collaboration.

Telepresence Options, the Lab's annual multi-media overview of telepresence, has over 2,000 subscribers to the hard cover Telepresence Options 2011 Yearbook, while our newsletter, the Telepresence Options Telegraph, has over 4,300 subscribers.

The Telepresence and Videoconferencing Catalog

The Telepresence and Videoconferencing Catalog at www.TelepresenceCatalog.com is the world's most comprehensive on-line resource of telepresence, videoconferencing, unified communications, managed services, inter-networking and other visual collaboration solutions. New solutions and providers are added every month and intelligently organized in categories ranging from on-stage telepresence to robotic telepresence to managed services and inter-networking.

Telepresence Industry Professionals (TIP)

Telepresence Industry Professionals (TIP) is the Lab's telepresence industry association on Linked In which is now over 1500+ members! The group is a superb venue for discussion, networking, and industry news and information. There is a Jobs board for organizations looking for talent and for folks that are in the market for their next gig. The Human Productivity Lab has organized live events for TIP in New York City, Marina Del Rey, and Reston, Virginia.

Conferences and Events
The Human Productivity Lab organizes and participates in conferences and events in both the United States and in Europe. The Lab's last major event, The Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Conference was held on April 22nd, 2010 in Reston, Virginia. The conference brought together experts on inter-company telepresence and videoconferencing who shared the best practices around using telepresence and effective visual collaboration to connect with partners, vendors, investors, and customers. These best practices are now available on a DVD of the complete conference proceeding and all the course materials.

HPL Publications

The Human Productivity Lab has published some of the most widely distributed publications on telepresence and effective visual collaboration. Recent titles include: The Inter-Company Telepresence and Video Conferencing Handbook which educates CIOs, executives, managers, telepresence and video conferencing professionals about the opportunities, challenges and solutions for inter-company telepresence and video conferencing with partners, vendors, and customers. The Telepresence and Videoconferencing Exchange Provider Review, was the first comprehensive survey of a new class of service provider connecting enterprise and carrier networks at high-speeds and high-qualities for effective inter-organizational visual communications. The Lab is currently working on the Telepresence Options 2011 Yearbook which will be a comprehensive overview of telepresence and visual collaboration solutions and service providers.

Human Productivity Lab Principals

Howard S. Lichtman - Founder and President

Howard S. Lichtman is a productivity-focused technologist, author, publisher and consultant with specialties in telepresence and visual collaboration to improve organizational and personal productivity. He is the founder and president of the Human Productivity Lab, an independent consultancy and research firm that helps organizations design telepresence strategies and deploy telepresence solutions. He is the publisher of Telepresence Options, the #1 website on the Internet covering the telepresence revolution and editor of the Telepresence Options Telegraph, the world's most widely read publication covering telepresence technologies.

Mr. Lichtman is also the author and/or co-author of The Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Handbook (2009), The Telepresence and Videoconferencing Exchange Review(2010), Telepresence, Effective Visual Collaboration and the Future of Global Business at the Speed of Light (2006), and Emerging Technologies for Teleconferencing and Telepresence (2005). He is currently working on the Telepresence Options 2011 Yearbook.

Mr. Lichtman is a frequent commentator on telepresence, videoconferencing and effective visual collaboration and his writings on and analysis of the industry have been featured by US News and World Report, Telephony Magazine, CXO Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Reuters, Pro AV Magazine, Killer App Magazine, ABA Banking Journal, Bank Systems and Technology Magazine and CFO Magazine among others.

Thomas Kayser - Managing Director - Europe, Middle East, Asia Pac

Thomas Kayser is a productivity-focused technology consultant with a wide knowledge in telepresence and visual collaboration as well as telecommunication and networking solutions. He is managing the Human Productivity Lab's Consulting Practice in Europe, an independent consultancy and research firm that helps organizations design telepresence strategies and deploy telepresence solutions.

Mr. Kayser has worked for various global telecommunication service providers and has more than 20 years experience in telepresence, unified communications, networking and managed services. He has developed and managed major global telepresence deployments. Mr. Kayser holds a degree in Information Technology and Theoretical Electrical Engineering from the Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany. Mr. Kayser offices outside Frankfurt, Germany.
Contact
Info@HumanProductivityLab.com

LifeSize Communication Company Profile

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:59:00 -0500

Website: www.LifeSize.com
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Founded: 2003
Public/Private: Public, Division of Logitech (Nasdaq: LOGI)

Company Details

Industry Categories: Telepresence and HD Video Conferencing Endpoints, Video Network Management & Control, Security & NAT/Firewall Traversal, Video Infrastructure, HD Streaming, Recording, and Auto-Publishing

Craig Malloy, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Casey King, Chief Technology Officer
Bill Paape, Chief Financial Officer
Colin Buechler, Senior VP Sales and Marketing
Matt Collier, Senior VP of Corporate Development

Key Customers: NASA, Activision, National Geographic, Los Angeles Community College District, Seattle Science Foundation

LifeSize Conference 200 Telepresence System

The Logitech/LifeSize Promise:
To bring HD video communications to anyone, anywhere. Where there is audio, there should be video.

Leadership & Background

Delivered the world's first HD video product
Over 100 patent and pending applications
40K units shipped to 10,000+ customers in 80 countries
Offices in Austin, TX, and regionally throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC
Acquired by Logitech in November 2009

LifeSizeÂ® Room 220 delivers the highest quality on the market today
720p60 and 1080p30 resolutions.

Partners

Extensive global partner network
Sales channel includes VOIP and data VARs, system integrators, audiovisual and conferencing experts, strategic OEMs and carrier partners
LifeSize Global Deployment Program (GDP) enables enterprise-wide, multi-national video deployments
Logitech/LifeSize, alongside global communications leaders, have founded the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF)

Customers

Large enterprise (energy, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, media, utilities)
Mid-market enterprise (corporate recruiting, high-tech, legal, manufacturing, professional services)
Education (primary, secondary and higher education)
Public sector (federal, state and local government)

LGExecutive, powered by LifeSize

Key Components of the LifeSize Visual Experience
Highest quality of experience video endpoints

Solutions for security, flexibility, scalability and control

From the desktop PC, to the meeting room to the telepresence suite,
LifeSize products allow businesses to work in a world where distance equals zero.

Virtela Company Profile

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:41:07 -0500

Website: http://www.virtela.net/

Headquarters: Greenwood Village, CO
Founded: 2000
Public/Private: Private, venture-backed

Virtela Technology Services Incorporated Company Details

Industry Categories: Global network services provider

Company Executives:

Vab Goel, CEO
Matthew DiMarsico, Vice President of Sales
Liza Adams, Vice President of Marketing
Ron Haigh, Vice President, Cloud Architecture and Services
Ted Studwell, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Operations
Jian Li, CTO and Vice President, Network Consulting Services
Mark Hansard, Vice President, Security and Systems
Andy Funk, Vice President, Global Access Strategy
Gary Schlisner, Vice President of Finance and Controller
Suhas Desai, General Manager of Finance, Virtela India
Jane Morrissey, Vice President, Corporate Communications

Key Customers:
Allstate, Fedex, Shaklee, UPS, Juniper, Kodak, Fujitsu, Delta, Coca-Cola, Google, Proctor & Gamble, Mazda, Honeywell

Partners / Resellers:
IBM Global Services, KDDI, HitachiJoho, Fujitsu, Bharti Airtel, Macquarie Telecom, Easynet, others

Company Mission:
Deliver innovative WAN services that improve the quality and frequency of customer collaboration, decision-making and operations.

Network:
Virtela Technology Services Incorporated takes a unique approach to enterprise WAN services. Within a network of Regional Policy Centers, Virtela is able to seamlessly integrate and aggregate hundreds of the world's access and backbone infrastructures around the world. The company's Global Service Fabric brings the network of RPC resources to deliver optimal performance, resiliency and reach through interconnectivity to more than 5,000 access POPs covering 190+ countries.

Yet that global reach is focused and enabled to address the needs of each enterprise customer whether MPLS-oriented, as part of a private VPN using frame relay, ATM or private lines services or through an IP VPN provided directly over a network of high-speed secure Internet connections. The company also recently launched its Enterprise Cloud Services (ESC) architecture that enables delivery of next generation services from 50 local cloud centers around the world, positioning it well for swiftly activating future cloud-based collaboration services.

Services:
Many Virtela customers choose to implement their telepresence implementation as a real-time service within a converged enterprise MPLS or IP VPN WAN, where the Virtela infrastructure leverages one or more unified access circuits for both real-time telepresence and or voice and near-real-time computing traffic. Other customers choose a separation of traffic, a dedicated-to-key applications network design so as to assure security, performance and quality on each of two or more networks. To address these disparate enterprise needs, Virtela provides two powerful video networking-optimized solutions for customers.

The Managed HD Conference Room and the Desktop Video Services each enable converged or dedicated MPLS-class connectivity and security from virtually any location across the globe - on private networks or via VPNs over the Internet. The company's global network infrastructure supports delay-sensitive applications like Video Conferencing and VoIP by prioritizing traffic through the Class of Service level. Plus, VirtelaVideo is integrated with Virtela VPN solutions, assuring enterprises that their telepresence media traffic is protected within an MPLS or IP VPN infrastructure.

Going even further, Virtela's network is optimized to deliver packets in sequence, removing the processing burden from the customers' routers. It also provides global SLAs so customers never have to worry about the quality or delivery of your video service. Customers can engineer their networks for broadcast or HD quality with each service securely and fully managed by Virtela network engineering, security and operations professionals.

Virtela also offers its Secure Video Extranet service that enables inter-company telepresence and video conferencing services Customers can leverage a mix of dedicated carrier-carrier NNI connections, connections to strategic inter-company telepresence exchanges or leverage IP VPN technologies for interconnectivity, enterprise network to enterprise network over the Internet, depending on their business goals and networking strategy.

Services are typically available for unlimited use at a fixed monthly fee.

Tata Communications Company Profile

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:36:10 -0500

Website: http://www.Tatacommunications.com/telepresence
Headquarters: Mumbai, India
Founded: The Tata Group, a large, India-based conglomerate acquired 46% stake in India's incumbent telco, VSNL in 2000. In 2004, Tata acquired the Tyco International submarine cable business and Teleglobe of Canada, and Neotel, the second licensed carrier in South Africa. In early 2008, the group was renamed Tata Communications Limited.
Public/Private: Public: Bombay Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange of India, ADRs trade as NYSE: TCL.

Company Details
Industry Categories: Network services, Managed services provided including telepresence, hosting, data centers, security, enterprise voice, SaaS and CDN.

Company Executives:
Srinath Narasimhan, Managing Director & CEO
Vinod Kumar, President and COO
Michel Guyot, President Global Voice Solutions
David Wirt, SVP, Global Managed Services, Tata Communications.
Peter Quinlan, Senior Director, Managed Telepresence Services
Charlotte Sturman, Manager, Telepresence Marketing

Key Customers:

Partners: BT, Telefonica, Cisco, Dimension Data, Glowpoint, Starwood Hotels, Rendezvous Hotel Group, PLDT, Neotel, CII, Taj Hotels,

Resellers: Carlson Wagonlit, AMEX Travel, Sabre GetThere, Travelforce, Whygo Videoconferencing

Company Mission:
Tata Communications is a leading global provider of IP, telepresence and wholesale communications services. 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.

Tata Communications Network:
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 Interactive Network Map

Tata Communications Telepresence Services:
Tata announced the launch of its Telepresence service on July 1, 2008, which encompassed both public room services and private telepresence managed services. Prior to launch, the private managed service had been tested through its own implementation of Cisco TelePresence in support of its global communications business, and its peer companies in The Tata Group operating in various geographies.

The telepresence managed service includes pre-deployment support, network design, site surveys, resale, installation, configuration and support of Cisco TelePresence equipment, centralized shared infrastructure such as CTMS, CUCM, CTM and scheduling servers that are owned operated and managed by Tata, network engineering and bandwidth and a telepresence concierge service enabling service monitoring, meeting management, help desk professionals that can act as the service single-point of contact, real-time troubleshooting, reservation and directory operation.

Tata's Publicly Available TelePresence Locations

Inter-company services are available for enabling telepresence sessions between Tata customers and other companies with Cisco TelePresence equipment through three exchanges deployed in India, US and UK. The inter-company exchange architecture was first demonstrated at Cisco Live 2009 where Tata and two other carrier managed service providers connected the San Francisco Cisco Live site with five other locations in the US and the UK. Tata Communications has since signed Interconnection agreements with BT and Telefonica, with more agreements in the works.

Tata's unique position in the telepresence market is as the first carrier to offer public telepresence rooms for rent. Tata Communications began public room service in India with public rooms in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. That was quickly followed by international public rooms in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa with their community of partners including hospitality companies Starwood Hotel and Resorts, Taj Hotels and Rendezvous; as well as telcos like PLDT in the Philippines and Neotel in South Africa.

Tata Communications currently (Aug 2010) has 30 public rooms on their network with an additional 25 planned for 2010 enabling broader access to Telepresence for businesses. Together with their Telepresence Exchange service, Tata greatly expands B2B Telepresence calling and global reach for any organisation's business ecosystem of customers, suppliers and partners.

Additional, Tata Communications has expanded their vision to include the broadest spectrum of visual collaboration endpoints, offering interoperability between Telepresence and any standards based video-conferencing devices on a managed service basis.

Vidyo Company Profile

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:37:37 -0500

Vidyo Company Profile:

Website: http://www.vidyo.com
Headquarters: Hackensack, NJ
Founded: 2005
Public/Private: Private, venture-backed

Company Details

Industry Categories: HD video communications infrastructure and endpoints ranging from PC/Mac soft clients to telepresence room systems and interoperability with H.323 and SIP end points.

Key Customers:
Ammex, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, John Deere, Kyoto Bank, Northwestern University, Webhelp, and others .

Partners:
Google, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, ShoreTel, Teliris and others

Resellers:
Comiris Group, Comm3, CoroWare, First Connections, Ltd., HS Digital, ID Solutions, OmniPresence, Videocall, Videra Oy, Videre Conferencing, Visionality and others.

Vidyo as a service: Connexus, Tempura Communications, Comiris CSP, Soltrite and others.

Company Mission:
Vidyo pioneered 'personal telepresence' by being the first to enable multi-party video conferences with natural, HD-quality interactions over general purpose IP networks using commodity desktop, laptop, and smartphone systems as endpoints. VidyoConferencing uses patented technology which leverages the H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) standard and is recognized for delivering very low latency and error resiliency.

Vidyo Products:
At the heart of the Vidyo implementation is the VidyoRouter which manages up to 100 concurrent HD multi-point VidyoLine connections in real time. The VidyoRouter doesn't transcode video streams like traditional MCUs of competitive solutions but, instead, intelligently routes video streams to individual endpoints based upon its current bandwidth, processing power, and requested resolution dynamically throughout the call. This revolutionary approach to multi-point video conferencing enables Vidyo to deliver dynamic rate and resolution matching as well as error localization so that endpoints with a range of capabilities and varying quality network connections can be connected in the same conference with each performing up to its maximum capability. Additionally, since all of the encode and decode functions are performed at the endpoints, individuals can control their video layout independently of all other users in the conference. Since routing is a substantially less processing intensive than transcoding, the VidyoRouter also eliminates the delay in the video stream that has traditionally hindered natural collaborative experiences in MCU-based solutions.

Unlike competitive solutions that require dedicated appliances for NAT and firewall traversal, VidyoProxy is a software solution embedded in the VidyoDesktop client and VidyoRouter, making firewall traversal for remote users automatic and at no additional cost. When set to auto-detection, VidyoProxy will autonomously negotiate the VidyoLine through which connection is established to the VidyoRouter. VidyoProxy also offers flexibility in deployment topology and can be implemented on a separate server in the DMZ if desired.

The VidyoGateway provides interoperability with H.323 and SIP based endpoints and MCUs. The VidyoGateway is implemented as an edge device of the Vidyo network so that the SVC enabled endpoints continue to benefit from the VidyoRouter architecture while the H.323 and SIP participants receive the transcoded video that they need. When deployed on the same LAN as the H.323/ SIP device, the VidyoGateway can be used to provide superior error resiliency not normally available to H.323/ SIP endpoints, thus eliminating the need for expensive QoS networks.

VidyoPortal is a web-based application that provides access, authentication and administration to users and administrators alike. Accessible via URL, the portal allows administrators to configure and enable user privileges and set policies across the organization. Users visit the portal to login to their account and initiate or join a conference in progress. The portal includes an intelligent directory and personal speed-dial capability. A plug-in for the Microsoft Office Communicator is available for Windows user that engages the video service directly from within the Microsoft Office Communicator contact list.

VidyoRoom is a portfolio of three codecs:

The HD-50/100 can encode and decode up to 720P at 30 frames per second. It supports dual monitors to display conference participants on one monitor and shared applications on the other, with a maximum bandwidth rated at 2 Mbps. The HD-100 has an HDMI input for the camera while the HD-50 enables USB cameras.

The HD-220 encodes and decodes either 1080p at 30 frames per second or 720p at 60 frames per second. Dual monitors and a maximum bandwidth of 6 Mbps are supported.

Users connect an off-the-shelf, Vidyo-certified, HD video camera and USB connected speaker phone to complete the system.

VidyoDesktop is the Macintosh, Windows, or Linux client that is downloaded and installed automatically the first time a user attempts to login at the VidyoPortal, either as a registered user or as a guest. The VidyoDesktop turns off-the-shelf computers with webcams into personal telepresence endpoints capable of encoding 720p30 and decoding 1080p30.

Vidyo Technology
The cornerstone of the Vidyo portfolio is the VidyoRouter architecture, which leverages Scalable Video Coding (SVC) technology, and permeates both the company's products and its partners' services, forming the basis for its technology licenses.SVC was standardized in 2007 as Annex G of the H.264 video compression standard. It defines four optional modalities that seek to deliver the highest quality user experience in spite of packet loss and variable bit rates typical with modern IP networks. These four modalities are:

Frame rate scalability enables complete pictures to be dropped from the bitstream, instead of random packets.

Picture size scalability codes the presentation at multiple resolutions. Here the data of lower resolutions are used to predict data of higher resolutions, consuming less bit rate to deliver the higher resolutions.

Quality scalability encodes a single spatial resolution at different qualities. The data of lower qualities can be used to predict data or samples of higher qualities in order to reduce the bit rate to code the higher qualities.

Combination of the three modalities.

Vidyo achieves delivery of an HD quality experience with PC, room system and legacy equipment while avoiding the need for specialized QoS such as MPLS network services.

Vidyo-as-a-Service
Several service providers have implemented Vidyo-as-a-service where they use the VidyoRouter, VidyoPortal and other Vidyo products, enabling PC and room-based HD video conferencing in a secure and professional setting, without the administrative overhead of actually licensing, deploying and operating the VidyoConferencing infrastructure. These service providers focus on addressing the needs of business users in specific territories, select industries and small businesses all over the Internet, LTE, 3G or 4G networks.

VidyoHealth

The VidyoHealth product family was designed to provide a reliable, unified, high-definition, multi-platform video conferencing environment specifically geared toward facilitating real-time, face-to-face interaction between and among care providers and patients from anywhere, to anywhere, over low-cost general purpose IP networks, including the public Internet. Utilizing a variety of endpoints ranging from laptop computers to telepresence room systems and the patented VidyoRouter architecture, VidyoHealth is designed to scale from tens to hundreds of thousands of users. The system is designed to support both individual practitioners and service providers or telemedicine organizations, which provide services to hospitals, clinics and government healthcare and human development organizations.

VidyoCampus

The VidyoCampus program simplifies buying a VidyoConferencing system for large scale university deployments by offering a single site license that represents a bundle of VidyoRouter appliances, VidyoRouter multipoint conferencing VidyoLine software licenses, VidyoPortal seat software appliance and VidyoDesktop client downloads. VidyoCampus site licenses are priced to be affordable in any school's budget and are tiered by the total number of students enrolled in the university. If the system needs to be expanded beyond the VidyoCampus site license, additional components may be purchased as needed. You can also add room systems with VidyoRooms that are HD as well.