Channel News February 2003

Posted: 2/2003

Channel News

RADVISION Debuts First Video
Conferencing Appliance

By Khali Henderson

RADVISION HAS RELEASED INVISION, the
first suite of video conferencing network appliances — plug-and-play devices
that are easily deployed into any enterprise network for turnkey video
conferencing over IP and ISDN. Like all RADVISION products, INVISION is sold
exclusively through channels.

INVISION features the functionality
of an IP/ISDN video conferencing infrastructure, from centralized management and
multipoint conferencing to gateway services and value-added applications, in an
integrated device.

The offering is in response to
customer and channel partners demands that video conferencing deployment no
longer be as complex as a "science project," says David Sokolic, vice
president of marketing for RADVISION.

"If you look at video
conferencing infrastructure, it’s sold as kits, not solutions," says
Sokolic, who explains they are open chassis requiring the addition of cards to
create the desired service. "That’s fine for early adopters [among
enterprises] and for service providers," he adds, but not as applicable to
mainstream users.

Sokolic says INVISION is a
preconfigured application that meets the needs of most customers and you don’t
need to be a video conferencing specialist to deploy or sell it. The INVISION
suite of off-the-shelf network devices simply plugs into the corporate LAN
either as a standalone solution or bundled with other IP-based solutions such as
voice over IP. Resellers must source endpoints from available vendors.

The INVISION family features two key
product lines, the INVISION 100, for the small and medium enterprise, and the
INVISION 410, which will be released in first quarter 2003, for the large
enterprise. Both feature IP and ISDN support and the integrated functionality of
a gateway, gatekeeper and multipoint conferencing bridge.

The INVISION 100 comes in either a
four BRI or one PRI configuration. The four BRI (INVISION 100/4b) supports a mix
of up to eight voice-only calls (at 64kbps), 12 multipoint sessions over IP and
ISDN, and one conferencing or gateway port (at 384kbps). The one PRI unit (INVISION
100/1p) supports 23 voice-only calls (at 64kbps), 12 multipoint over IP and
ISDN, and three conferencing or gateway ports (at 384kbps). The INVISION 410 has
four PRIs, supporting 92 voice-only calls (at 64kbps), 21 multipoint sessions
over IP and ISDN, and 14 conferencing or gateway ports (at 384kbps).

The INVISION product family also
includes an integrated network management system and end-user conference control
capability with intuitive, Web-based user interfaces. Finally, INVISION enables
a global view and control of the system, including IP bandwidth consumption,
ISDN use, current calls, ongoing conferences, and complete control over voice
and video traffic bandwidth management.

Resellers determine the street price
for the products, but RADVISION recommends $40,000 to $55,000 for the INVISION
100. The company would not reveal commission rates, but to say they are
competitive with industry standards.

Sokolic says the simplicity of the
system also can shorten the sales cycle for video conferencing systems, which he
claims ranges from six to 18 months. The only alternative to this system, he
explains, is a larger capacity bridge normally sold to telcos that runs more
than $80,000 or a high-end group systems, which start at $15,000 and can run as
high as $60,000. However, room systems, with their built-in bridging capacity,
only provide limited functionality. Using a room system as a company’s video
conferencing infrastructure platform means that all conferences have to run
through that location-specific end point, limiting the total number of users or
concurrent conferences and requiring the user to be in the end point’s location
to participate in a session. This is in contrast to a network-centered video
conferencing appliance like the INVISION which can support more than 50 end
points and multiple simultaneous multipoint video conferencing sessions and does
not require the conference user to use that specific location/end point.

VCON Establishes Software
Solutions Channel Program

By Khali Henderson

IN RESPONSE TO ITS CHANGING product
set, VCON, a developer of networked video over IP solutions, rolled out the
Software Solutions Channel Program in fall 2002. The company’s legacy is in
traditional video conferencing systems, but has augmented its product set in the
last few months with convergent software solutions that incorporate
collaboration and instant messaging, as well as video.

Gordon Daugherty, president of VCON
Inc., says the company always has used channel partners to sell its
hardware-based compact and group conferencing systems, but that this program is
focused on software-only solutions.

"For the first time, you can
get business-quality video conferencing in a software client because PCs are
fast enough," he explains.

The first product to be released
through this new channel is VCON’s IPNexus application server, which debuted in
September 2002, as a client application for VCON’s Media Xchange Manager (MXM).
The MXM is an integrated client/server architecture that combines video network
management, rich media applications and video telephony. IP Nexus combines
instant messaging, application sharing and file transfer capabilities. While in
a chat session, users can access the built-in capability to collaborate on
documents, drawings and presentations by adding voice or video to the message
session at the touch of a button.

Also available for resale under the
program is vPoint, the company’s new software-only videoconferencing client for
MXM. Released in October 2002, vPoint allows users to participate in real-time
videoconferences directly from their desktops that include IP data rates of up
to 1.5Mbps and up to 30 frames per second.

Software licenses are sold by the
number of concurrent users. A 25-user license for IPNexus, for example, is
$80,000 retail, including one year of maintenance. Upgrades are available by
subscription for 25 percent of the original license, or on a standalone basis.
Resellers get a 30 to 45 percent discount off list price, but can expect to reap
20 to 30 percent margins under normal client discounting schemes, says
Daugherty.

The software applications are
available prepackaged with a server for partners that want to sell a turnkey
solution. VARs or systems integrators also have the option of sourcing their own
servers (and keeping the accompanying margin) and installing the software
themselves on behalf of their clients. Integrators are certified during two days
of training.

The first two VCON software
solutions partners are existing VCON VARs, VX Distributing in Denver and CygCom
in Toronto. Daugherty expected to have four more partners new to the company’s
channel signed by the end of 2002.

Conference Group Creates
Private-branded Web Tool for Agents

By Khali Henderson

The Conference Group Inc. has
developed a Web site that agents can brand and integrate into their own Web
sites to serve their customers’ conference calling needs.

The "Conference Information
Center," which is scheduled for rollout in the first quarter, allows end
users to learn about service options, request an account via the Web, and even
schedule a conference on a bridge in real time (for those customers who still
prefer to set up their calls, rather than set up a reservationless account).

Agents have access to the unbranded
site with the ability to "wrap" the content in their own frames,
creating an integrated conference-calling center within their own Web presence.
A unique identifier assigned to each agent ensures accurate tracking of all
account activity.

The Conference Group’s agent program
manager, Greg Plum, says the Conference Information Center lets agents avoid
manually setting up accounts. "This is a truly turnkey solution," he
says. "This tool is especially powerful for those agents who have focused
on building an Internet marketing and fulfillment model."

ReadyTalk Debuts Low-cost
Integrated Audio, Web Conferencing

In response to increasing demand
from its channel partners to compete for both audio and Web conferencing,
ReadyTalk is introducing an integrated audio and Web conferencing service that
is priced at audio-only service rates.

ReadyTalk Audio with Web rates start
at 24 cents per minute and go down to 12 cents per minute with volume
commitments.

"Our channel partners have
chosen ReadyTalk as a high-quality alternative to pricier audio and Web
conferencing solutions," says ReadyTalk CEO Dan King, "and we’re
pleased to announce the addition of integrated Web conferencing at our already
competitive audio rates. Our customers get the benefit of 99.999 percent service
availability, standard 94-participant conferences, international toll-free
access and now, an easy-to-use Web conferencing service all at a price that is
typically less than they are currently paying for audio-only conferencing."

From a Web interface, users can
control all aspects of an audio conference (mute/unmute, lock/unlock, roll call
and more); dial out to domestic and international participants; control who
participates and when (dial out, mute/unmute, disconnect); upload and present
slides in real time, share desktop applications, including documents and
spreadsheets; initiate and control the recording of a conference (audio is
automatically synchronized with a presentation); and manage existing recordings
using ReadyTalk’s archive controls (e-mail to colleagues, playback using media
players or delete).

"ReadyTalk’s ease-of-use
enables us to upload a new PowerPoint in just a few minutes and immediately
begin presenting it online," says customer Kent Wilson, director of product
marketing at Plasmon Inc. "We also can record the conference so that
attendees, or those who could not attend, can later click on a slide and
automatically hear the audio that was originally presented with that slide.
"

ReadyTalk’s integrated audio and Web
conferencing service is available for sale through agents, who receive a 15
percent commission. Private-branded options also are available to resellers.
ReadyTalk offers customized support in the areas of billing, marketing,
technical support, dedicated account management and branding.

PlaceWare Launches Ready

By Tara Seals

PlaceWare Inc. has released
ReadyPlace, a reservationless service that combines Web and audio conferencing
with a personal online meeting place.

While PlaceWare’s Web conferencing
will integrate with any audio conferencing service, the company is reselling
audio conferencing from Premiere Conferencing and Worldcom Inc., and bundling it
with its own Web collaboration technology for the ReadyPlace offering.

"By taking an approach to
integrate audio from leading teleconference providers into PlaceWare’s Web
conferencing platform and offer them a virtual place to conduct their meetings,
our customers now have the convenient choice to purchase both audio and Web
conferencing directly from PlaceWare," says Dustin Grosse, vice president
of strategy and worldwide marketing at PlaceWare.

A personal, fixed Web meeting place
also is part of the package. The Web site can hold presentation and
collaboration documents, allowing users access to "always on"
conferencing. The archived materials and information are always ready to go.
Customers also get a personalized ReadyPlace wallet card with entrance key
information, the access telephone number and passcodes, for fingertip access to
all the information required to start a Web and audio conference. The solution
is available on a per-minute, shared-seat or named-user basis.

Telverse Adds Conferencing to
Wholesale IP Platform Suite

Wholesaler Telverse Communications
Inc. has added its "Meeting Spot" Web-enabled conferencing to the
Business Tone suite of services available on its carrier-grade platform for
service providers.

Meeting Spot gives subscribers the
ability to create and/or coordinate scheduled conferences, customize standing
conferences with special features or use a personal on-demand conference option
for quick, ad hoc conference needs. Each conference can include any of the
following features: E-mail notification to all participants, individualized
login and password, roll call, advanced moderator controls, presentation
sharing, subconferencing on the fly, text or voice chatting and more. Meeting
Spot services have no reservation, cancellation, setup or additional monthly
subscription fees.

Implemented using the IP Unity
Corp.’s media server technology, Meeting Spot can support enterprises of any
size; it allows up to 48 active and 400 listen-only attendees in a single
conference call, and it can handle tens of thousands of continuous conference
calls.

In addition to conferencing,
Business Tone services include IP-based Class 5 phone services, unified
communications, a self-managed provisioning system, customizable billing systems
and a carrier-class operations center.

TelePacific Unveils Free
Conferencing

By Tara Seals

Visitors to TelePacific
Communications’ Web site now can access a free telephone conference call
solution, thanks to a resale agreement with Integrated Data Concepts Inc. (IDC).
Users can schedule in advance or use reservationless conferencing, and the only
costs are regular local or long-distance rates for the phone call itself. There
is no need for special equipment, or for disclosing credit card or billing
information.

Created via the co-branded
relationship with IDC, TelePacific Connect is a free, secure online source for
scheduling, initiating and managing audio conference calls. Any business,
organization or individual can use it.

"As a service provider, we’re
delighted to offer this value-added benefit of conference calling service to our
customers and our Web site visitors," says Dick Jalkut, president and CEO
for TelePacific. "It is important for TelePacific to serve as a one-stop
shop for our customers and prospective customers; adding the TelePacific Connect
service to our lineup is another example of how we are a total solutions
provider."

Users can schedule telephone
conferences days in advance over the Web, on any computer. The service also
features a suite of conference call management tools, such as automated
conference invitations with RSVP functionality, and automatic calendaring with
Outlook and Lotus personal information managers. Depending on the location of
each participant, the call may be local or long distance.

For the reservationless service,
TelePacific.com users simply call the same dial-in number and enter the chosen
participant access code.

Security options are available to
the call moderators for either of the conference methods, including: Locking the
call; playing a chime when callers come in or go out of the call; reporting the
number of persons on the call; and muting.

"There is finally an
alternative to conference call services that are either inexpensive but
featureless, or those that are feature-rich but overpriced," says Warren
Jason, IDC’s president. "We’re proud to provide TelePacific with a service
that is unmatched in its ease of use and advanced technology."

This summer, IDC announced the
release of TeleConnection.com, the basis for TelePacific Connect.

Offered free on a permanent basis,
TeleConnection.com’s all-digital conference bridges are accessible worldwide.
The Web site offers detailed online help as well as prompt technical support.
TeleConnection.com’s Web-scheduled service guarantees reservations of
conferences with up to 32 callers. The reservationless service accommodates up
to 96 callers and lasts as long as six hours.

Linktivity Adds Hosted Web
Collaboration for Channel Partners

By Khali Henderson

Linktivity announced in December
2002 it would offer a hosted Web conferencing and collaboration solution through
its direct and indirect sales force. WebDemo Lite Hosted targets small to
midsized companies.

WebDemo Lite Hosted offers keyboard
chat, allowing users to engage in individual or group discussions. This software
also offers small businesses a choice of additional features, including showing
any desktop application, remote control, transferring host capabilities,
annotation tools, Microsoft Outlook e-mail integration and changing the
presentation on the fly from 256 colors to 16- or 24-bit colors.

Linktivity, a division of SpartaCom
Technologies Inc., has a legacy of server-based collaboration software products,
Web Demo and WebDemo Lite, used throughout the United States and Europe.

The company has a base of about 100
value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors of its premise-based software
around the world. It also works with OEM partners to integrate its software into
their hardware or software solutions.

CEO Scott S. Moule says the company
also will make its hosted service available to channels. Agents or distributors,
for example, earn a 5 percent to 20 percent monthly recurring commission on
referrals. Associate resellers receive a 20 percent discount and certified
resellers get a 30 percent discount.

The service retails for about $30 to
$40 per concurrent user. A three-user subscription is $129 per month, and a
10-user license is $299 per month. In contrast, a perpetual license for the
three-user version of the software is $799.

Partners also can integrate the
collaboration product into their own ASP service using Linktivity’s API toolkit.
In this scenario, either Linktivity or the partner can host the application;
both companies share in the revenue.

eDial Releases Next Generation of
Audio/Web Conferencing Appliance

By Khali Henderson

eDial Inc. rolled out eDial
AudioPresenter 4.0, the newest version of its audio conferencing appliance, with
integrated Web presentation capabilities. The new unit is available for sale
through margin-based resellers, commissioned sales reps and referral partners.

The eDial AudioPresenter appliance
installs into a company’s existing telephone and data networks to effect
real-time communications via a Web browser and a telephone, eliminating the need
to install any plug-ins or software downloads prior to the meeting.

eDial has enhanced the
AudioPresenter to include:

The company has resellers that sell
and install the appliance. They buy at a 35 percent markdown. The company also
is using independent sales representatives that receive a 20 percent commission
on each sale, while eDial takes care of the support and installation. Affiliates
can earn 5 percent commission for referring business.

Verizon to Resell Raindance Web
Conferencing Service

_{By Khali Henderson}

In a deal two years in the making,
Verizon Communications Inc. announced in December that it signed an agreement to
resell Web conferencing services from Raindance Communications Inc. as an
addition to its existing voice conferencing offering.

The service, which will be private
labeled for Verizon, will be available to Verizon business customers this month.
The ILEC will roll it out first to internal divisions and subsidiaries.

The contract has the potential to be
one of the largest for Raindance, which attributes 17 percent of its revenue to
channels and has other resellers ranging from Bell Canada to smaller independent
conferencing marketers, says Carolyn Bradfield, senior vice president of sales
and marketing for the conferencing vendor. Bradfield’s former company, InterAct
Conferencing, was one of Raindance’s largest resellers, before Raindance
acquired it in April 2002.

Bradfield says Verizon chose to
rebrand the Raindance service to allow it the flexibility to scale the service
and to grow the functionality more easily than with a static software license,
given the pace of change in Web technology.

Once of the key selling points for
the Raindance offer is the integrated audio conferencing — a feature not all
Web conferencing products have, Bradfield says. She also hints at new
developments to debut this spring that will "redefine the conferencing
experience."

She says, "We have taken the
user experience and analyzed how we can improve it," noting that new
services will address four primary elements of conferencing: Planning and
notification; introducing participants to the call; the look and feel of the
interface; and management.

Polycom Enhances Video
Conferencing

By Tara Seals

Polycom Inc. has beefed up its video
conferencing line, available through indirect channel partners, with a new
encryption solution and the launch of the iPower 9000 series of multimedia
conferencing solutions for audio and video collaboration with IP functionality.

The new iPower 9000 endpoints,
available directly to enterprises and via systems integrators and VARs, have
optional embedded 12-port multipoint control units (MCUs) to bridge 12 locations
in a call over IP, without cascading links between multiple MCUs.

"Our new iPower 9000 series
offers the industry’s most advanced multimedia conferencing system, with the
highest audio and video quality available," says Craig Malloy, senior vice
president and general manager of video communications for Polycom. "These
products address the expanding needs of high-end enterprise customers and
provide the most powerful and flexible codec for systems integrators and value
added resellers."

iPower 9000 series includes two
models: The stand-alone iPower 9000 codec for systems integrators and VARs; and
the iPower 9800 Multimedia Conferencing System, a workstation for demanding
enterprise applications.

The iPower 9800 Multimedia
Conferencing System and iPower 9000 prices start at $17,999 and $13,999,
respectively. The 12-port IP MCU software option will be available for $6,999,
and will be introduced for the iPower 900 and 600 series systems in the first
quarter.

The encryption for interactive video
communications, through strategic partnerships with two security companies,
Biodata Systems GmbH and Promptus InfoCrypt Inc., applies to its iPower and
ViewStation interactive video communications systems and its MGC MCU and Gateway
platform. Called Babylon, it works between public and private networks and is
available in 1-4 ISDN BRI interfaces or a single PRI interface. The flexible
configurations fit a range of business environments, from small office/home
office users to large government, enterprise and telemedicine installations.

"For pre-existing video
conferencing networks or installations of new ones, network administrators and
systems integrators can deploy these solutions with confidence, knowing that the
information and material transmitted during their video conferencing sessions is
secure from potential unauthorized access or intrusion," says Michael
Smith, president and CEO of Promptus InfoCrypt.