Unified Communications (UC) tools are moving out of the board room and into the realm of higher education. In a great post on the UC Strategies blog, Blair Pleasant discusses a variety of areas that universities could use UC to streamline communications between faculty, staff, students, and others.

All UC vendors today are trying to find ways to differentiate themselves from one another and to stand out from the crowd. I generally recommend that they focus on professional services and/or applications, especially vertical applications. One vendor that has been successfully building UC applications and solutions based on its vertical expertise is NEC, which is working with its partners to understand the business challenges and business processes in the areas of health care, hospitality, higher education, and government.

For the full text of the blog post, click here.

For more information about UC products and services from AVI-SPL, click here.

In looking back, the news of an impending Cisco-TANDBERG acquisition broke on October 1, immediately shaking up the landscape of the video communications industry. After a little more than two months of negotiations, 91% of TANDBERG shareholders have now accepted Cisco’s offer, exceeding the 90% condition outlined for the deal to go through.

When the initial proposition was made, only 30% of shareholders were in favor of the $3B offer, with percentages jumping to 40% when the figures increased to approximately $3.4B in late November.

As the second largest producer of video conferencing equipment, TANDBERG has reported an increase in momentum since October, introducing new endpoints and infrastructure products. With the acquisition, Cisco will now have the leverage to successfully sell lower-cost products to a wide range of markets.

Among the industry feedback:

• “Tandberg has very strong sales partners in videoconferencing that Cisco will benefit from.” – Wainhouse Research
• “The merger of the two companies will likely create an unstoppable force…This acquisition validates that video communications is well on its way to becoming a key enterprise communications application all the way from desktop to telepresence.”  - Frost & Sullivan
• This development continues to validate that video communications is quickly becoming a critical application for companies, and is a key component of any enterprise’s Unified Communications strategy.  – Michael Brandofino, Executive Vice President of Video Communications and Unified Collaboration, AVI-SPL

What are your thoughts on the acquisition?

View AVI-SPL’s videoconferencing and audio conferencing solutions »

The financial badminton match between Cisco and TANDBERG seems to be drawing to a close. Cisco has once again revised its offer (which is now up to around $3.4B) to purchase the videoconferencing leader, placing the birdie back in TANDBERG shareholders’ court. In addition to increasing the cash offer, Cisco has also offered to increase the interest payable on the offer price to a rate of 3.00% from its previous offer of 1.75%. According to a news release by Cisco, “this revised offer represents Cisco’s final price for this transaction.”

A total of more than 30% of shareholders have pre-accepted this offer based on the new price. These, combined with the previously announced acceptances, push the total to more than 40% acceptance of the sale. The rest of TANDBERG’s shareholders have until Dec. 1 to make a final decision.

Like many others in the AV industry, we’ll be watching from the sidelines, waiting for the birdie to fall.

To read Cisco’s full release, click here.

Comments from AVI-SPL’s Mike Brandofino, executive vice president of VTC and unified collaborations:

The video industry received another jolt today with the announcement that LifeSize® is being acquired by Logitech®. The interesting thing about this move is that Logitech is traditionally viewed as a consumer products provider, issuing a clear indication that many in the business world feel video communications is nearing the tipping point for wide-scale adoption. LifeSize recently announced it added connectivity to Skype , which is a clear tie into the low-end consumer market. It isn’t too far reaching to see Logitech try to expand its offerings, moving upstream into the SMB space to provide consumers and businesses with a natural progression from low-end, low quality PC-based video to a full line of LifeSize products. Stay tuned, Polycom is the lone independent player in the space , it will be interesting to see for how long. >Click here, to read more about the acquisition. »

What are your thoughts on the Logitech-LifeSize deal?

Click here to learn more about videoconferencing from AVI-SPL. »

As the cost-saving reputation of videoconferencing (VTC) technology grows, more organizations are curious to know if they’re receiving the maximum benefit. Noted business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan addresses concerns with a new informational video, especially designed to help you make the most of your videoconferencing investment.

The online resource breaks down the 5 assessment steps you need to take. Be sure to check out the video and ask yourself the following key questions:

• Are you measuring the current adoption rate within your organization?
• Have you determined how and when your employees are using VTC technology?
• Has your organization successfully overcome user resistance?
• Have you promoted the use of unified collaboration technology through your corporate messaging?
• What steps have you taken to expand your collaborative technology reach?

To view the video, click here ».

TANDBERG ’s shareholders thought $3 billion was too low of a bid to purchase the videoconferencing technology leader. It was originally reported that Cisco purchased TANDBERG in early October. Some analysts are saying Cisco has funds to increase the offer. Maybe Cisco will just purchase a smaller share? How does this affect Polycom and other TANDBERG competitors?

Click here to read more »

Looking for proof that advanced Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) technology is a worthy investment for your company? Just turn to the latest report from business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Sponsored by Verizon and Cisco, “Meetings Around the World II: Charting the Course of Advanced Collaboration,” introduces the industry’s first quantitative model for a return on collaboration investment.

Excerpts from the study:

• Businesses and government agencies deploying VoIP soft phones, immersive video and fixed mobile convergence received an average return of four times their investment in deploying collaboration technologies in terms of improvement across business-critical areas.
• The majority of organizations deploying (UC&C) are more successful than their peers compared to those not deploying UC&C (70 percent versus 47 percent).
• Of organizations deploying UC&C, 40 percent plan to increase spending.
• More than 80 percent of organizations that have not yet deployed UC&C tools plan to deploy some form in the next two to three years.

Based on this research, are you interested in developing a UC & C integration for your organization? If not, what are the key factors holding you back?

For more on the study, click here.

By Michael Brandofino
Executive Vice President of Video Communications and Unified Collaboration
AVI-SPL

And then there were two. Today’s news about Cisco’s acquisition of TANDBERG should come as no surprise to those familiar with the video communications industry. Cisco’s leap into the video space with the launch of its Telepresence platform a few years ago was a clear statement that video communications was the target of future growth for Cisco. However, it was clear that while Cisco introduced a competitive high-end system, they lacked a full range of products to compete effectively against Polycom and TANDBERG . This acquisition effectively leaves two major players who make up approximately 90% of the market with a handful of others making up the rest.

This development continues to validate that video communications is quickly becoming a critical application for companies and is a key component of any enterprise’s Unified Communications strategy. AVI-SPL is positioned well to capitalize on these developments, as we have strong relationships with both Cisco, TANDBERG and Polycom. We continue to invest in training and certifications so we can be at the forefront of technology and will help our customer navigate through the changes in the market, and the potential changes in technology stemming from the acquisition of TANDBERG by Cisco.

Click here to read more on this $3 billion acquisition. »

For featured TANDBERG products, click here. »

>For more information on videoconferencing services, click here. »

Alert! It has come to our attention that there is a computer virus named Green AV (“Green AntiVirus”) circulating on the internet. AVI-SPL in not affiliated with or affected by the Green AV hoax. All references to Green AV on any of AVI-SPL’s websites is relevant to the Green Audio Visual industry.

In his article, “Videoconferencing helps companies cut travel costs,” USA Today reporter Roger Yu profiles the cost savings being brought to law firm Lathrop & Gage. With 11 offices and 300 attorneys, Chief Information Officer Ben Weinberger estimates that he’ll only need to travel once this year to each office, versus the typical 25 times a year. He’s now relying on the six dedicated videoconference rooms set up in the main headquarters, with HD cameras, monitors and software provided by Polycom.

Substantial industry growth:

In 2008, the global videoconferencing market grew 24% to $2.4 billion, according to Roopam Jain, a technology analyst at Frost & Sullivan. The firm forecasts the market will more than double, to reach $5.7 billion by 2013.

Commentary by unified collaboration leaders TANDBERG and Polycom:

Recent tech breakthroughs have helped to loosen business customers’ purse strings, says Rick Snyder, president of TANDBERG ’s Americas operation. Internet bandwidth is more plentiful and affordable. HD cameras can cost less than $200. More sophisticated chips can compress HD images with crisper resolution. Some vendors can help clients better manage internal computer networks so that video gets priority. “The movement to HD has raised the bar,” Snyder says.

With costs falling, smaller businesses are being courted with systems that cost less than $10,000. Polycom and TANDBERG have introduced products featuring 32- to 52-inch monitors and HD cameras that can be installed in boardrooms or on PCs.

Click here to read the complete article. »

By Margaret Cashill | Tampa Bay Business Journal

Published on December 5, 2008

If you have only seen video teleconferencing technology in the movies, chances are you will see your image on a monitor sooner than you think.

As the economy contracts, businesses and government agencies are curtailing travel. AVI-SPL Inc. facilitates face-to-face interaction between associates in different cities by designing, installing and servicing video teleconferencing equipment and other collaborative technologies.

Click here for the complete article »