Posts Tagged ‘polycom’

UCIF – Unified Communications interoperability is finished

Actually, what I really want to say is “Unified Communications interoperability is f–ked.”

The latest partnership agreement between Polycom and Microsoft doesn’t sound encouraging to me in terms of interoperability in the UC space. Two founding members of UCIF scratching each other’s backs. I await with great anticipation the moment when HP, Juniper Networks, and Logitech hop into the hot tub for the fun, too. The UCIF membership page hasn’t changed much since May 2010 when the forum was established.

Glaring membership absences include Avaya, Cisco, and even IBM.

This is quickly becoming the Browser War or OS War taken to another battlefront. The UC War is once again, Microsoft versus The Rest, except this time the Redmond Giant has learned its lessons and publicized its peace offering. But seriously, it doesn’t really need alliances in UCIF. We all know that Microsoft can muscle its way to put Communications Server into your enterprise. Or sneak it in, since you’re already addicted to Windows, Exchange, and Office. And other vendors will go to Microsoft to make their products work with Communications Server anyway because their customers will request it.

I’m not knocking Communications Server, especially the latest incarnation, “14,” which is due out later this year. I have seen the impressive demo at VoiceCon Orlando. I believe it’s a good and ambitious enterprise product.

What concerns me is the lack of progress in UC inoperability as a whole. UCIF was announced to great fanfare. Now it’s more like a static website. Where’s the outreach? Where are the open letters? It’s starting to look like a Microsoft fraternity, disguised as an interoperability forum.

It appears that nobody is truly serious about UC interoperability judging by the lack of movement. Earlier this year during VoiceCon Orlando, interoperability was constantly mentioned during the keynotes, workshops, and panels. Interoperability — we need it, we want it, we will do it. But alas, I think company egos have eclipsed the desire to work with one another.

And that is a shame. Because interoperability will eventually happen, but now it’ll just take longer and cost more. For everyone.

Press release from Polycom:

PLEASANTON, Calif. – Aug 09, 2010 : Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) has signed a multi-year, strategic global agreement with Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) to deliver integrated end-to-end unified communications (UC) and to improve customers’ business productivity. Under the agreement, Polycom plans to develop and market standards-based UC solutions that span the enterprise, small-to-medium business, and government markets, that will encompass software, hardware, networking and services, and will enable customers to improve business productivity and reduce travel, telecom and IT operating costs.

Polycom and Microsoft share a vision for business productivity solutions built on standards-based platforms that work with the tools and applications people know and use today. The companies’ strategic agreement is a major step towards streamlining communications across messaging, video and voice with connected applications and devices.

“Microsoft and Polycom solutions play a critical role within our current and future unified communications strategy,” said Martin Smale, IT director at NDS, a News Corp. company. “We’re already benefiting from improved collaboration, increased productivity, and significant ROI based on our existing UC network, and we’re looking forward to leveraging the expanded offerings from two of our most valued vendors in the UC space.”

“Our research shows that nearly 70 percent of the companies considering a unified communications solution are thinking of deploying Microsoft Office Communications Server,” said Brent Kelly, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse Research. “These enterprises need seamless integration and interoperability between Office Communicator on the desktop and personal, group, and telepresence video solutions like those offered by Polycom for executive offices, meeting suites, and conference rooms. By working together, Microsoft and Polycom are making it easier for organizations to have a true end-to-end unified communications environment, which includes high definition video.”

Offering a broad portfolio of integrated solutions spanning voice, video and application integration for Microsoft UC, this agreement makes Polycom a member of Microsoft’s key strategic global alliance for the company’s UC business. As part of this long-term strategic agreement, each company is investing in product development, sales, and marketing. Through resources, investments, and strong field engagement, Polycom and Microsoft will deliver rich, compelling UC solutions, offering customers the flexibility to deploy the features that help them lower their costs, improve productivity and meet their unique business needs.

“Microsoft and Polycom are committed to a roadmap that will deliver interoperable UC solutions with choice and innovation in video conferencing and customer devices that will help transform enterprise communications,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of Unified Communication at Microsoft. “By integrating video, voice, instant messaging and conferencing solutions, Microsoft and Polycom give customers the ability to be present, anytime, anywhere.”

“Polycom and Microsoft deliver a winning combination to our customers around the globe by delivering seamless, easy-to-use, high-definition communications at the click of a mouse,” said Andrew Miller, Polycom president and CEO. “Polycom is 100 percent committed to delivering best-in-breed, standards-based, fully interoperable UC solutions to market, and Microsoft is integral in helping us achieve this goal and meet the needs of our customers.”

Product Development
The roadmap entails Polycom developing a broad base of solutions for Microsoft Communications Server “14″ and beyond, including:

• New and next-generation Polycom CX series endpoints optimized for Microsoft UC, featuring Polycom’s market-leading HD video and voice technologies
• New, innovative room-based video systems designed specifically for enabling direct integration with Microsoft Communications Server “14″
• Additional interoperable solutions between Polycom’s existing and future video conferencing solutions

Global Polycom / Microsoft UC Go-to-Market Initiatives

• Sales resources and training
• Integrated marketing campaigns
• Collaboration to develop and support channel partners
• Polycom participation in multiple Microsoft Technology Centers around the globe, with active demos already available in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, London, and Paris
• Global governance and cadence around voice and video UC solutions
• Common messaging and industry presence to drive adoption of UC

To learn more about the agreement, watch this video of Gurdeep Singh Pall and Andy Miller discussing the news.

About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is a global leader in unified communications solutions with industry-leading telepresence, video, voice and infrastructure solutions built on open standards. Polycom powers smarter conversations, transforming lives and businesses worldwide. Please visit www.polycom.com for more information or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

© 2010 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.

Contacts

• Art Pettigrue
  Microsoft
  Tel: +1.425.538.0687
  artp@microsoft.com
• Robin Raulf-Sager
  Polycom, Inc.
  Tel: +1.303.583.5302
  robin.raulf-sager@polycom.com

Polycom ready to take on competition head-on with Microsoft’s help

The big event that’s happening this week is Microsoft’s WPC, or Wordwide Partner Conference, going on in the nation’s capitol. So far the Redmond Giant has unveiled its cloud strategy (Azure) and mobile devices (Windows 7 tablets and smartphones), but there are more goodies to come (for instance, about its gaming tech Xbox and Kinect).

What we’re most interested in is updates on Communications Server “14,” the next generation OCS which made plenty of headlines earlier this year at VoiceCon Orlando.

Well, nothing new about “14″ has come out of WPC, but partner Polycom did release news about new IP phones made specific for Communications Server “14.” Polycom’s new CX IP phones and telepresence solutions will work with “14″ and the usual Microsoft productivity and collaboration software like Exchange and SharePoint.

I can see Microsoft gaining a slight edge against its competition in the UC space. First, partnerships with companies like Polycom are very important to maintain a thriving UC ecosystem, and Microsoft knows how to win partners. The company is able to focus on what it does best — software innovation — while partners come up with the nifty hardware and accessories. Cisco, on the other hand, favors manufacturing its own fancy phones, UC servers, and whatever software to make them all work.

Then there’s the whole interoperability debate. No matter which side of the debate you’re on, Microsoft can soundly say that it is committed to interoperability with being a founding member (Polycom, too) of the UCIF. Although Cisco has made numerous announcements about committing to interoperability, it shows no interest in joining this industry forum. So Microsoft may have won, for now, the interop publicity battle.

Recently Polycom CEO Andrew Miller went on the record to say that the company is not looking to be bought out. Having Microsoft as a close ally certainly doesn’t hurt…

Official press release from Polycom:

PLEASANTON, Calif. and Washington D.C. – Jul 12, 2010 : As technology leaders convene in Washington D.C. for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2010, Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), a global leader in telepresence, video and voice communications, will profile for the first time several enhanced capabilities of its new CX IP phones before an audience of Microsoft partners. Via native integration with Microsoft Communications Server “14,” a business solution for presence, instant messaging, voice, video and web conferencing that connects people in new ways, anytime, anywhere, Polycom’s new CX IP phones deliver a more affordable, rich unified communications experience.

“The once clear lines between voice communications, video conferencing, telecom, and IT are disappearing, as these previously disparate technologies are unifying under groundbreaking platforms like Microsoft Communications Server ’14,’” said Garry Reichert, vice president of Strategic Partners at Polycom. “Microsoft is an important partner in the Polycom Open Collaboration Network, and with the CX series IP phones profiled at WPC 2010, we are offering real-world solutions for channel partners who are looking to break out of fast-disappearing niches and succeed in a world increasingly defined by end-to-end UC solutions that are complete, compelling and interoperable.”

Polycom Solutions Optimized for Microsoft Unified Communications
The Polycom CX series includes two new network-based IP desktop phones (CX500 and CX600) and the industry’s first and only IP conference phone (CX3000) designed for Communications Server “14.” The three new phones offer one of the most robust feature sets available for Microsoft Communications Server “14,” including Polycom HD Voice™ sound quality and the legendary ease of use of Polycom’s renowned hardware and ergonomic design.

Polycom will also demonstrate additional UC solutions that deliver a richer experience with Communications Server “14″ including the CX700 IP phone, CX5000 Unified Conference Station and Polycom HDX personal and room-based HD telepresence solutions. In addition, Polycom will show its integration with Microsoft in other areas including Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server to simplify the scheduling, joining, recording, streaming and rich content sharing for voice and video meetings. Polycom offers a comprehensive portfolio of integrated solutions spanning voice, video and application integration for Microsoft unified communications.

“At WPC, Microsoft partners from around the world will see how Polycom solutions maximize the reach of Communications Server ’14,’ while offering one of the highest-quality voice communications experiences delivered from Polycom HD Voice technology,” said Kirk Gregersen, senior director of Unified Communications at Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft has worked with Polycom to deliver exceptional voice and video experiences within a unified Microsoft environment. As our partners are learning this week, the CX series is an important part of that portfolio.”

CX IP Phones Features
All three new CX IP phones seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Communications Server “14,” independent of a PC, to provide enhanced unified communications to a broader set of use cases and environments. Some of the new enhancements include:

• Photo-enabled contact information for easier recognition
• Visual voicemail enables users to easily select only the voicemails they want to hear
• Viewable calendar information on phone and join meetings easily with one-click
• Automatic synchronization of call logs between both the phone and the Communicator “14″ PC client, saving users time by reducing the number of look-ups
• Simplified pin authentication for easy sign-in on any device
• “Better together” USB connectivity (CX600 and CX3000) to an associated PC, enabling single sign-in, click-to-dial from a PC and audio coordination between phone and PC.

Partner Opportunities
For WPC 2010 attendees, Polycom will spotlight how its CX series phones enable information workers to access the productivity-enhancing features of Communications Server “14,” delivering a personalized phone experience that makes telephony a more effective part of business communications. Polycom also plans to outline the opportunities the CX series offers to Microsoft and Polycom channel partners. For Microsoft partners new to Polycom, the CX line and Polycom’s video conferencing and telepresence solutions offer an opportunity to enhance the revenue potential of Microsoft UC sales through a comprehensive hardware, software and services solution. For Polycom partners, the CX series offers a way to solve customers’ UC application needs with a unique Polycom solution and benefit from the momentum and new user capabilities surrounding Microsoft Communications Server “14.”

Pricing and Availability
Polycom CX series phones are affordably priced from MSRP U.S. $199 for the CX500 IP phone, designed for use in public areas; $299 for the CX600 IP desktop phone; and $849 for the CX3000 IP conference phone. The new phones will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010. To see a demo of the new phones, visit Polycom at WPC booth no. 339.

About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is a 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.

© 2010 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.

Contacts

• Kevin Young
  Polycom, Inc.
  +1.303.408.9711
  kyoung@polycom.com

Polycom wants to eat, not be eaten

Andrew Miller, Polycom’s fairly new CEO, aimed to dispel any buyout rumors by going on record to say that the company is not in any talks with buyers. Instead, Miller sees Polycom being the buyer in the (near?) future:

Andrew Miller, who was named CEO last month, said the company was interested in buying companies with niche, cloud computing or mobile technology that would contribute to Polycom’s videoconferencing products.

“We’re going to become more active in M&A,” he said, adding that Polycom was in a strong financial position. The company ended last quarter with $470 million in cash and investments and no debt.

Interesting talk coming from a company with about $3 billion market capitalization while its biggest competitor, Cisco, commands 40x of that. Granted, Cisco has its hand in a lot of other sectors of the data networking business, but the fact that it doesn’t hesitate to buy out companies like WebEx and TANDBERG shows how serious it is in the video conferencing and telepresence space.

I’m not sure if it makes a lot of sense for Polycom to aggressively look for acquisitions. There’s no way it can out-buy Cisco. What Polycom needs to do is hit Cisco where it hurts: interoperability, mass adoption, and quick innovation.

Start partnering with other similar vendors to make each other’s solutions interoperable. In other words, be the most popular jock in the video crowd. Make Cisco jealous.

These partnerships should also encourage more adoption of Polycom and its partners’ products. It would be great if it can find a partner who’s already “voted most likely to disrupt telecom.” Hint: Skype.

And innovate, or find friends who are good at innovation. Have you heard of the new iPhone 4 and its FaceTime video call feature? I heard Apple’s looking to open it up to others to lure more people onto the bandwagon. Just sayin’.

Disclosure: I own Polycom stock in my retirement account.

One step closer to UC interoperability

The state of unified communications (UC) is anything but. Vendors have reasons not to offer interoperability, but often at the risk of losing customers because it is one issue that’s on top of many customers’ minds. Some major vendors are taking the first step to ease this pain by founding the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF). Kudos to the founding members for initiating this: Microsoft, HP, Juniper Networks, Polycom, and Logitech (LifeSize). The organization aims to model after the WiFi Alliance in terms of establishing interoperability guidelines and certifications based on existing UC technology standards. The Forum doesn’t intend to create standards.

This is a step in the right direction for UC faithfuls. Obviously, the news would’ve been even better if Cisco was already a member. As of now, one cannot help but think this as a defense play against Cisco’s dominance, perhaps to eventually force Cisco to join the interoperability wagon. That depends highly on how well the Forum conducts its business because if it turns out that nobody cares for the “UCIF Certified” sticker, then there’s nothing to be gained for vendors to test their products for interoperability.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Cisco’s Competitors Team Up, Form Unified Communication Interoperability Alliance (gigaom.com)
• Unified comms interoperability alliance launches – minus Cisco (computing.co.uk)

Guest post: Interview with Scott Wharton, CEO Vidtel

John Stepp, the President of Free Tech Consultants authored a recent blog post on videoconferencing interoperability that has created a lot of reaction. Here is a follow-up to the piece, an interview with Vidtel CEO, Scott Wharton. Vidtel is an inter-enterprise videoconferencing service located in Mountain View, California. This wide ranging discussion between John and Scott touches on the future of videoconferencing and the necessary directions the industry must take to achieve ubiquitous deployment and enjoyment for everyone.

John Stepp: Vidtel claims to be the first open videoconferencing network to allow HD videoconferencing between disparate networks. Which systems can you connect today?

Scott Wharton: We can connect to almost all the main standards based high-definition systems. Those include Polycom, Tandberg, LifeSize, Sony, and CounterPath on the soft client side. We are adding more every day that support largely the SIP standard.

JS: My recent blog post advocated the necessity of videoconference providers to include Skype connectivity to foster B2C videoconferencing. This to me is the key to growing their business and truly helping enterprises to communicate with their customers. What are your plans to connect Skype users to the Enterprise and how might it work?

SW: We definitely agree with that. When we look at the videoconferencing market we see a lot of islands for people doing HD conferencing. Part of the challenge is that people sometimes on the other island are able to talk to each other but more often than not as you know, people don’t have high definition video. I think the ability to easily bring in someone else and use a client like Skype that is on everyone’s desktop is a great idea. So part of what we’re doing at Vidtel is we’re building some technology to allow Skype users to be able to call high definition video users and vice-versa so that you can have a company internally that has lots of people on high definition systems but then anyone else whether they are internal or external should be able to at least call through with the lowest common denominator which is Skype today. And then give people a choice whether they want to use basic connectivity or something higher end. But first and foremost we think that Skype is kind of the de facto standard for anybody being able to make the call on a PC or cell phone and be part of the video discussion.

JS: I read a blog last week from a typically forward thinking telecom/call center manufacturer. The net-net of the article is that video is being forced down customers throats and that it is uncomfortable for people in general. Yet the kids in my sandwich shop texting away on their smart phones consider it easy, second nature and mainstream. How do we bridge the gap?

SW: Well, I think like anything in the technology world, when people get excited about technology there are certain places where you find that it is useful and sometimes people get carried away and they suggest that you can use things everywhere even where it is inappropriate. Part of the way I look at it is that videoconferencing is something that is part of a continuum of the way people communicate. So they communicate text, IM or voice and we get together in person and I think there is a huge gap in the middle where people want to see each other to get more information than they get from voice or text but don’t necessarily want to be encumbered with having to visit someone in person. Now you can’t necessarily share a beer or be able to see family or spend really quality time with people over video all the time. But certainly for a lot of the day to day interactions videoconferencing can be a great solution for almost anyone. So I think kind of the in between is we have to find places that it is appropriate for doing video and it would be in many cases, but not all and not try to push people into situations where they don’t want to use it. I think you and I know that with the younger generation, they are just growing up with videoconferencing and it is something that you always do just like we grew with TV and it is something we always do and maybe your grandparents only thought of radio and TV came later. So part of it will be a generational shift. I think that part of it is making sure that we apply videoconferencing in the right places and not try to force it down people’s throats where it is not appropriate.

JS: Your answer gives me another idea; perhaps beer over videoconferencing might be a market to research. Your answer is also a good lead in for the next question. I see a need to create a DVD on how to feel comfortable in a videoconference environment. I see so much push back on the need for video from people that would have no qualms having a face-to-face meeting or a telephone conversation. How can we make video second nature for everyone?

SW: Well, I think part of it is the quality of the experience. If you look at the adoption for videoconferencing and then some of the studies that were done on how end users rated it. In the early days when the quality was not quite as good, the end users reported that they were tired and that they did not find that it added as much value as was promised. Today because the quality is so much better, it’s a lot easier and a lot more natural for people to have a conversation. So my experience especially in the last couple of years at Vidtel is that the best way to get people used to video is using it and seeing a demonstration of it. I find that in a lot of cases unless people are familiar with what they can get from a quality point of view, they do not know what they are missing. The good news is in the last two years, Skype has changed the question from “why do I need video?’ to Skype is big and they compare everything to Skype. But I think if you compare it to quality as similar to TV, then people would use it more. I think the second thing is maybe some simple tips on etiquette and using videoconferencing. There are some things like etiquette lighting and other things like where to sit with the camera and make sure you are not slamming your hands into the table when you are wearing ring and things like that. But I think a lot of it is similar to etiquette of how you work with people and most of it is just using it and getting the hang of it. I think the combination of those two will really help.

JS: I often get funny comments about my company name Free Tech Consultants. Vidtel is one of those free technologies offering free connectivity for enterprises. There is also a company called Google that has been fairly successful. What is your plan to grow Vidtel into a company that offers some free services while creating profits?

SW: Part of what we are doing, referring to your previous question about getting people to experience video and getting them expertise working with a company like Vidtel, is we are offering free connectivity services for videoconferencing. So if you have a high end device and you want to be able to use it to get through your firewall and call through to people outside your company, we’re offering a free service for you to do that today, both to get that experience and to see how good it can be. And to be able to have people be comfortable with Vidtel, to be able to show we’re a quality company and that we know how to deliver high quality video calls to almost everyone. Part of our strategy is to employ somewhat of a freemium model where we want to have some basic product that’s always free to allow people to test or have very low commitment and then for customers who are using our product more who are really getting value out of it to make money by charging them an appropriate amount of money for using it. But do it in a way that’s less costly than the current solutions and a lot better than some of the free lower quality support solutions offered today. We really see a huge void in the middle where there are a lot of businesses who would pay a reasonable amount of money to get something high quality with support and quite frankly no one is really servicing that market well today. So we’ll use a combination of a free trial service with a paid-for service and we think people will really like it.

JS: What lessons from your successful tenure at BroadSoft are you bringing to Vidtel?

SW: I think one of the first things I learned at BroadSoft, and before that I was with the first voice VOIP company called VocalTec, is that whenever you have new technology a lot of people have trouble envisioning how it will work or how it will be applied or coming up with the best use cases. I think an example is the iPad. Before you actually see something and experience it they’re going to be a lot of naysayers saying “Why do I need that? I’ve got a cell phone and I’ve got a laptop. What’s the need for this thing that’s new?” My experience at VocalTeh, BroadSoft and Vidtel is similar in that you have people who are viewing something new and a lot of people who can’t envision it, so part of what we’re trying to do is a couple things. One is get technology out and into people’s hands so they can experience it for themselves to change their minds. Secondly is try to take some thought leadership in the industry to explain to people if you’re a small to medium business, what could you do with videoconferencing and what would the solution look like and how could you deploy it. Not only providing a service but also providing some ideas and thoughts about what would be appropriate use cases, the right equipment, etc. And sell people on technology choices that go well beyond the scope of Vidtel. So we can break down a lot of the barriers that are not just in the service room but in all the questions that you brought up on etiquette, what device do I use, why do I need it and so on. That way we can make videoconferencing more main stream to the mid market.

JS: What do you make of the recent consolidation in the videoconferencing market?

SW: Well, I think it’s a great validation of the space. If you think about it, it’s been 20 years for the videoconferencing sector slowly growing every year into multi-billion dollar market. I think the fact that these bigger players like Logitech and Cisco have these big bets that does two things. One, they think that these companies see video not as niche markets but as huge main stream markets and that they need to use their sales channels to get video out to a boarder market. I think the second thing that it says is that there’s room for innovation so that these big companies consolidate and offer things that are end to end. I think they also provide some opportunity for people coming in and from different angles to add more value. I think the bottom line is anytime you have multi-billion dollar companies coming in and spending billions of dollars in acquisitions it mean that it’s a real market and that it’s going to get bigger. It’s great news for the industry and good validation that it’s doing what we all think it is going to do which is about to take off.

JS: Can interoperability through the cloud create the environment for true wide spread adoption of videoconferencing in the call center?

SW: I think the key thing in the call center is there is a chicken and the egg problem between someone that’s in the call center with capabilities and the end user themselves. People are focused a lot on providing technology to the call center but not necessarily providing the right experience to the end user. I think one thing the cloud can do is link the consumers in this market in such a way that regardless of what device or system that people are using, they can connect in a standards based way to people in call centers. I’m definitely a big proponent of using video as a customer service tool. I think we all know that when you’re in person or talking to someone with video, you have a much better feeling than when you talk to them on the phone being frustrated. I think one of the things that the cloud provider can do is instead of having people use proprietary systems for every call center, to have something that can be more standards based to link the two of them together.

JS: What impact on customer service do you feel B2C videoconferencing can bring to a company looking for a leg up on their competitors?

SW: Customer service these days can be extremely frustrating. On the end user side, they feel that they are being shuffled off to an IVR or potentially to some other country where the people may not be as skilled. Also, the ability to up sell is improved with video. I think there’s been a lot of market research that shows that when you’re having a real human interaction, not only are you happier on the customer service side in terms of resolving a problem but maybe you are more inclined to do work with a business or buy more things. I think there’s a whole new business where you have distributed customer service. So think about McDonald’s as a drive-thru store where people can come into a place and there may not be the appropriate people to answer a question or maybe people call in sick. You have the ability to supplement that with the some centralized help or call centers so that people can go to McDonald’s and there’s no reason why the call has to go in to that store maybe the call goes into Iowa or India and you actually see the person. You may be able to lessen the mistakes and misunderstandings by simply talking with those people. So I think there’s this whole new market that can be created as well as saving people money, but not forcing you to have a dedicated resource right there in front of somebody.

JS: That’s a good point maybe people would be nicer to their customer service representatives over video, too.

SW: Well it’s vice versa, when you don’t see someone or you’re on the internet doing text or blogging it’s much easier to find someone because it’s anonymous. Whereas I think when you can bring in the human element, whatever the context is, I think people tend to rise up and act a little better when you’re looking someone it the eye. I think videoconferencing can not only make people behave better but also improve the human interactions that we have personally and professionally. The reality is when you’re getting that information from talking to someone, there’s 90% of the information that’s coming that’s visual. When you don’t have that visual interaction, you lose that 90%. If you want to be more effective at communicating in your personal or business life, video is going to be an instrumental tool in order to do that. Just like when we went from the radio age when people said, ”I don’t understand why those young people need moving pictures; I can perfectly envision it being on the radio.” I think the same thing will happen with TV and videoconferencing where people will say, “Well of course you’re going to use video. Why would you do just voice? Why would you just listen to the radio unless you had to?” We’ll laugh about it and our kids will too. I’ll give you an example. We’ve been using videoconferencing since our kids were very young with all of our family around the world. One of my sons who is now six, a couple of years ago tried calling his grandmother with video and she wasn’t there. So I said to him, “Hey, how about we call her cell phone?” He looked at me with a dead pan look and he goes, “Nah, daddy if there’s no video there’s no point.”

JS: Do you see new technologies for video in the consumer space that could make it easier for everyone to communicate via video?

SW: Well, I think one of the things that has been missing, similar to the early days of voice; video is tethered to a fixed device like a laptop or a screen. One thing I’m really excited about is mobile video. I think you’ll see some similar trade-offs though. The video quality won’t quite be as good as the video you have on a fixed device with dedicated systems. But the reality is that if you can move around and be able to make video calls from your cell phone you will be more productive. For example, if you are going shopping and you want to show your wife, “Hey, should I buy this suit?” and she says, “No of course not, idiot, it looks stupid.” I think the ability to take your videoconferencing with you is going to be a huge boon. Probably just like the cell phone, the computers and the smart phones, it will move into the main stream. I think that having mobile video, not from a quality point of view, but from a usage point of view will do the same thing.

JS: What are your suggestions for people and companies in the videoconferencing space to be successful in the future?

SW: Part of it I think there’s still ways too much complexity in rolling out video. The current solutions today for companies assume that you’ve got a large department of people who can figure out all the complexities in rolling out video. I think that works okay for a large enterprise, but if you want to get the system to mainstream it won’t work. I think that there is still an attitude in the videoconferencing market that video is a niche market with very expensive gold plated solutions and big fat margins. I like to see more of a consumer electronics approach where people try to drive this to mass market with lower prices and higher quality. There’s no reason if you look at a video phone for example or a device, it basically is a computer. So there’s no reason why video appliances can’t be as ubiquitous as an iPod. I think that some people do video on their computers, but I think if you really want to make the quality better and the cost reasonable you can have a very low cost appliance that people will buy with a quality trade off. I think the third thing is the interoperability. If I can only call one other person in my company, it’s not very useful. To the extent that I go from making calls within my company to calling anyone in any business, that is going to be the lighter fluid that makes this whole thing take off. So if you can solve the complexity cost and the interop questions, there is no doubt in my mind that ten years from now everybody will have video and everyone will use it. Maybe it’s sooner than that. I think and I hope it will be. I think it’s just a matter of time before the problems get solved and Vidtel is trying to do their part to solve them as well.