Collaborative: Channel News

Posted: 5/2003

Raindance Tests Next-Gen Platform

By Khali Henderson

K2, the code name for Raindance Communications Inc.'s new multimedia platform, is the same as that given to the second highest peak in the world. While the company's senior vice president of sales and marketing, Carolyn Bradfield, says Raindance engineers won't confirm the correlation, the endeavor certainly represents a pinnacle for the company's technology thus far.

A preview version of the platform was expected to be available to select enterprises beginning April 1. Their input will be gathered throughout second quarter and will influence the final features and functions. Beta testing will begin in third quarter with a commercial launch planned for later in the year. Bradfield says, like all Raindance offers, K2 will be made available for sale through its resellers and agents.

Like scaling K2 the mountain, creating K2 the platform is an exercise in focus and control over the task at hand. In announcing the platform's impending release, Raindance President and CEO Paul Berberian said in February its mission was to "drive out the complexity of the entire remote meeting experience" and "give customers more control over their conferencing environment."

Raindance developed K2 to improve four key aspects of every remote meeting: planning, accessing, conducting and managing -- areas the company claims define the ideal meeting experience.

"When we looked at our offering, we felt like we were only dealing with one of the four elements of a successful meeting -- that was the actual meeting itself," says Bradfield. "So we looked at what could we do to improve or address all of those areas."

In the "planning" area, for example, she says adding Microsoft Outlook integration was key to automatically inviting participants to join meetings. In addition, K2 automatically follows up with participants via e-mail to remind them about the meeting because, as Bradfield puts it, "a meeting is not successful unless all the participants are there."

Similarly, in the "accessing" area, K2 includes one click-through access to the Web component of the meeting directly from the e-mail invitation. And, Bradfield says K2 addresses the participation problem yet again by reaching out to participants via instant message or e-mail to bring them into the call without the moderator having to disengage from the conference call. Raindance has the capability to outdial, but is waiting for feedback from its preview users on including that function, Bradfield says.

In the "conducting" area, Raindance's research found Web conferencing technology generally is more difficult to use than it needs to be. One way K2 simplifies the process is by allowing users to customize the desktop to display only the features they use. "That follows along with a lot of software philosophy that is out there currently in the market," says Bradfield. "For example, if I use Microsoft Word, it doesn't display every single thing that Microsoft Word does. I have to double-click the drop-down menu to get it all. It only displays the things I most commonly use. That's the philosophy that we have taken."

In addition, Raindance is trading a hierarchical approach to meeting management for an egalitarian one. "Our philosophy is egalitarian, meaning that everybody has a wide variety of controls in their hands. So, if I want to show a page of my PowerPoint presentation and you want to show a page of yours, we both have the ability to do that. That's very, very different than in the past," says Bradfield, who adds the moderator always has the option to take control, if necessary.

Other changes are that presentations reside on the customer's server -- not Raindance's -- and presentations can be in other software applications, such as Microsoft Word or Excel.

Finally, in the "managing" area, K2 attempts to return more control to the customer. To that end, the technology will be available for installation behind the customer's firewall as well as in the hosted model the company currently uses.

Bradfield notes the current version of K2 is meant for a workgroup environment. Presentation and training versions will be released at a later date. Customers seeking two or more versions would have a migration path. Similarly, ASP customers will be able to migrate to the licensed version.

The licensed version also will be available for sale by the company's indirect channel, Bradfield says. She adds pricing and commission schedules for the service and software versions has not yet been determined.

Telex Enters Teleconferencing System Business with Channel Strategy

By Khali Henderson

In mid-February Telex Communications Inc. announced a bid to compete against vendors serving the business conferencing market with the introduction of its Nexus Platinum, a full-featured system that the maker is positioning as a "an affordable high-feature, high-quality teleconferencing alternative." The company will be using a two-pronged channel strategy to distribute the new system.

Suggested retail price is $699.99 for the expandable system, featuring full-duplex communications, multifunction LCD, 10-number memory, noise-canceling microphones, voice-tracking, digital signal processing and more. A bundled product that includes two satellite microphones retails for $799.99. This compares to $1,299 to $1,599 for equivalent systems (Polycom Soundstation Premier EX and satellite microphones) from market leader Polycom Worldwide Inc.

While Telex is a newcomer to the conferencing space, it is not new to many of the technologies, such as noise-canceling microphones, voice-tracking and digital signal processing, required to make them work.

Telex, a private company majority owned by CitiGroup's Greenwich Street Capital, has designed and manufactured broadcast control room communications systems for every major broadcast network, installed cockpit communications systems in thousands of commercial airliners and manufactured advanced tactical communications systems for the U.S. military. Research and technology from these endeavors were utilized in the development of Nexus Platinum.

"Business teleconferencing was a natural extension of expertise that we have been developing for decades here at Telex," says Greg Wright, general manager of the Nexus Platinum product line for Telex, noting that some of the other products the company builds also interface to telecom networks.

Wright says the company also can utilize existing channel relationships to distribute its new product since many of its VARs already sell audio technologies, such as public address systems, amplifiers, speakers and other gear, required to outfit boardrooms and conference centers.

Channel partners can sell the Nexus Platinum direct from Telex or through its major distributors, Ingram Micro Inc., CDW Computer Centers Inc. and D&H Distributing. Already, about 100 D&H resellers are carrying the product, Wright notes in an early March interview.

Resellers are margin-based and can earn from 20 percent to 40 percent on the system. In addition, Telex provides Web-based tech support and marketing programs for its resellers. It also offers a demonstration program wherein a reseller can get a system on approved credit for use in sales calls. The system can be returned -- no questions asked -- before the invoice comes due.

Netspoke Re-emphasizes Agent, Reseller Programs

By Khali Henderson

Netspoke is redoubling its efforts to develop channel programs for its proprietary integrated Web and audio conferencing services.

Scott D'Entremont, president and CEO, says the company has a strong direct sales force of 32 people, but its future growth will depend on contributions from growing its indirect channel of agents and resellers.

The company's agent program is targeted to traditional telecom service agents, interconnects and BLECs, which D'Entremont says are looking for reasons to go back into their embedded base to sell them more services. The company has 50 independent agents and five master agents in its program, and is seeking to double that over the next 12 months, he says.

The private-label program already includes two companies -- one unnamed U.S. provider and Delphi Solutions Corp., Canada's largest independent provider of telecommunications systems and associated services to businesses. Netspoke has been providing Delphi On Demand, a reservationless phone conferencing service, to 20,000 Delphi customers across Canada for more than a year. D'Entremont says Netspoke presently is most interested in seeking out cobranded resellers of its services.

Netspoke Conferencing includes an integrated conferencing portal that allows users to plan, execute and evaluate phone and Web conferences from one central location. Advanced management features enable complete control over every aspect of the conference. For example, users can monitor audio conference activity and settings and control security and participant features from an in-conference interface. Netspoke also offers instant access to real-time reporting and the ability to track the usage of individual subscribers.

Retail pricing is per minute, per participant for both audio and Web conferencing. Subscription pricing for the Web conferencing is available on a per-seat, per-month basis.

The agent program is margin-based at between 25 percent and 40 percent. It is supported by two channel managers each with two support staff. In addition, Netspoke offers training using its own tools, collateral, sales assistance and marketing help.

Margins on the private-label or cobranded offer ranges from 35 percent to 50 percent depending on the division of responsibility as well as the ultimate retail price charged to the end user. Netspoke provides three ties of customer support -- technical, engineering and customer -- to it resellers. In addition, it offers marketing support, including product and program launch and design.

Citizens Conferencing Launches New Web Conferencing Service

Citizens Conferencing has launched WebXchange, a proprietary Web conferencing tool for sale by agents.

WebXchange offers application sharing, presentations and a whiteboard application. The service is accessible to anyone with a PC and an Internet connection. WebXchange is available on a per-minute basis or as a seat license. For a one-time fee, sites also can be specifically branded.

"The power of collaboration will allow companies from all industries to more effectively react to the increasingly competitive business environment," says Cheryl George, director of sales and marketing for Citizens.

WebXchange is an addition to the company's Web conferencing product line, which includes Web View, a data collaboration tool, and VoiceCast, a Web streaming service. "As Web conferencing continues to grow, we are positioned to offer our customers the most robust line of services available. This coupled with our top-of-the-line customer service, we are ready for the future of conferencing," says George.

Accutel Rolls Out Agents-only Subsidiary

By Khali Henderson

Chicago-based Accutel, a conferencing service provider, launched in late March a subsidiary, RTC Real Time Conferencing, that will distribute services exclusively through agents.

Accutel has developed a national presence over the past five years. The decision to start an "agents-only" program under a separate brand and entity was to ensure a clear separation between the sales channels, says Jim Nicolaou, vice president of sales for RTC.

"This is their own brand. We felt that this would help differentiate us," he says.

While Nicolaou says his team will leverage Accutel's name and brand to recruit agents, it won't be a focal point of agents' sales to end users except to reinforce the stability of RTC's underlying services provider. RTC has a dedicated agent support team backed by the resources of its parent company staff and systems.

Peter Van, director of agent sales for RTC, says the startup is working to establish relationships with master agents, independent agents, distributors, long-distance carriers and interconnect dealers as agents of conferencing services. RTC offers automated, operator-assisted and event-based audio conferencing as well as collaborative and presentation-based Web conferencing. Additional services include digital playback, IP streaming, transcription and Web moderation.

The services are priced on a per-minute basis with no minimums or contracts required. Discounts are available for bundled audio and Web conferencing service. Commissions are paid monthly with an additional "new business" bonus paid quarterly.

RTC offers a lead-generation program to distribute sales leads generated by the company's inside sales group outbound telemarketing efforts. In addition, RTC offers Web-based training certification programs for its products as well as dedicated sales support; free agent/customer demos, sales presentation kits; advertising and other marketing support.

WebConference.com Adds Microsoft Productivity Tools

By Tara Seals

WebConference.com has incorporated Microsoft PowerPoint and Outlook integration into its Web conferencing solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises, which are available through resellers and direct channels.

The Los Angeles-based firm's WebConference Suite includes teleconferencing, VoIP, text chat, whiteboard, file transfer and group Web tours.

The PowerPoint Presentation Tool selects a PowerPoint file and stores it in an online account for real-time meetings. Each WebConference.com account holds presentations for sharing with up to 100 participants. The presenter selects the slide to be displayed that is then shown to guests. The presentations remain available and ready on-demand after the conference. Audio communication is included with the service using telephone conferencing, and voice over Internet also is available.

The Outlook WebConference Manager schedules or starts a meeting from Outlook. Inviting Outlook contacts or adding new ones is done with a few mouse clicks. Invited guests are sent password-protected e-mail invitations. The software also automatically synchronizes the scheduled conferences into Outlook's calendar with a reminder notice.

"For people who do many PowerPoint presentations over the Web and use Outlook to send e-mail and schedule these conferences, there will be a dramatic savings of time and energy," explains Frank Morrison, Webconference.com's CTO.

"Many corporate customers requested these additional features. With the release of these productivity tools, we are directly increasing our value to our customers," explains Morrison.

Israeli Firm Seeks U.S. Conference Companies to Sell No-strings Presentation Service

By Khali Henderson

In March, startup company Easy Online Meetings rolled out a service that lets anyone show Microsoft Corp. PowerPoint presentations while using their existing point-to-point telecom service or multipoint conferencing bridge equipment or service. In addition to a planned mass-marketing campaign, the company is seeking distribution partnerships with companies that already sell teleconferencing services.

The Easy Online Meetings service is based on proprietary technology developed by the Israeli-based firm, but requires no software installation and is available to retail customers at www.easyonlinemeetings.com.

"What seemed to be missing in the market was something very simple," explains Dr. Bruce Krulwich, cofounder of Easy Online Meetings. "People want to be able to use their own phone lines. They don't want to use anything fancy on the Internet or anything like that. All they want to be able to do is show their PowerPoint presentation while they are on a phone call. That's what Easy Online Meetings enables."

Using Easy Online Meetings, anyone planning a teleconference or phone call can submit their PowerPoint presentation and invite via e-mail as many participants as they want to view it. During the call, the presenter controls the PowerPoint presentation, advancing slides, showing hidden slides and so on. The presenter and the participants need only a Web browser.

While other teleconference services require upfront licensing fees of thousands of dollars, or alternatively charge per-minute and per-viewer fees, Easy Online Meetings charges a flat fee of $20, which covers an unlimited number of participants and an unlimited length meeting.

"We are trying to avoid a lot of the complications a lot of other services have because we want to have something that the mass market can use," Krulwich says.

While the company is based in Israel, the service is targeted to U.S. executives and those doing business with U.S. executives who work abroad, says Krulwich, who used to live in Chicago before moving to Israel several years ago.

The company is planning to build and maintain its own brand in order to sell to the executives that are making point-to-point calls, using three-way calling or using internal company technology for their teleconferences.

"This is a service that any executive could decide to use. We don't need to go through their IT shop. We are trying to reach out to those people," Krulwich says, noting that the company is evaluating advertising channels for its mass marketing campaign.

In April, he says, the company plans to recruit channel partners and is looking at teleconferencing service providers as a primary avenue. The company initially expects to offer a commission-based agent program, but is considering a rebranded, margin-based offer as well.

Polycom Unleashes Wave of New Products, Upgrades

By Tara Seals

Polycom Inc. gave its entire product line a boost this spring by launching a raft of new products and enhancements in virtually every aspect of its portfolio, including voice, video, data and Web conferencing, and collaboration solutions, all available from Polycom's channel partners.

New developments include unified conferencing, an entry-level multipoint control unit (MCU), a midrange video conferencing system, four new integrated video systems for high-end environments; a wideband conference phone; an extensive multivendor scheduling and management solution, and a global enterprise support program for end-to-end collaboration solutions.

The goal of the new initiatives, announced in late February, is to bolster collaboration technology adoption.

"Customers demand conferencing and collaboration solutions that have a significant impact on their critical business priorities," says Robert Hagerty, Polycom's chairman and CEO. "They want solutions that help them reduce product development time cycles, improve the pace of innovation and enable more effective communication and collaboration throughout their organization. Those solutions need to be high quality, simple to use, adaptable to their specific needs, and work well within their network environment."

In the video arena, Polycom launched video system and MCU support for H.264, a technology that gives better video quality over lower bandwidths. Polycom also introduced the ViewStation EX, a feature-rich midrange video conferencing system. For the high end, the company took the wraps off the "Executive Collection" -- four new integrated systems available in installed-room and freestanding designs that focus on performance and aesthetics together.

Other video portfolio advancements include "People+Content," which enables all conference participants to simultaneously view both people and high-resolution content, and conference-on-demand integration. For the desktop video iPower endpoint, Polycom now offers embedded streaming, conference call recording and a new Bluetooth wireless tablet.

Meanwhile, Polycom Unified Conferencing is full-featured, integrated voice and video in the same conference and on the same platform. One platform for both voice and video conferencing lowers customers' cost of ownership by sharing system network and feature resources. Clients also use the same interactive keypad controls to manage the voice and video aspects of the conference, and there is only one number to dial.

The unified approach also means one scheduling and management solution for voice and video conferencing, which increase productivity and reduces training for network administrators, operators and end users, says the company.

Polycom also announced the Phase II launch of its Video MCU, its flagship multipoint, multinetwork conferencing bridge, now called Polycom VideoPlus. It includes support for the unified conferencing suite and H.264. It also offers personal layouts and visual effects providing speaker indications, site names, borders and background colors. Click&View is another new functionality -- video conferencing participants can use their remote control and a visual interface to change continuous presence layouts and connect to the operator for assistance. It also has People+Content support and integrated Web collaboration with Polycom WebOffice.

As far as conference phones, Polycom announced the SoundStation VTX 1000, a wideband product. It delivers high-fidelity voice conferencing on normal analog telephone lines.

Polycom also rolled out the Conference Suite, a multivendor scheduling and management system. The new product includes scheduling through Microsoft Outlook, network bandwidth reservation, complete management capability for products from all major conferencing equipment and MCU providers and control over both the network and the physical room environment.

Finally, the Enterprise Support program is a new service package for enterprisewide support for planning, implementing and maintaining a collaboration environment. The program includes a full evaluation and optimization of a company's collaborative environment, global maintenance and dedicated support from area experts.