Avistar launches 1st standards-based and VDI enabled desktop videoconferencing solution for Microsoft Lync

This week, we're demonstrating our latest solution, Avistar C3 UnifiedTM for Microsoft Lync, at ISE 2011 at the Amsterdam RAI booth #10K146.

Here are a couple of significant aspects to the latest solution:

• It follows the announcement earlier this week at Lotusphere of three new solutions designed for IBM Sametime.

• It shows expanded depth of support for Microsoft, and reinforces Avistar's position of uniquely being able to support major platforms like Citrix and HP in addition to IBM Sametime and Microsoft.

• This solution enables Microsoft Lync users to enjoy a feature-rich desktop visual experience that supports industry standards and leverages and extends UC features found within Microsoft Lync, while promoting greater UC adoption.

Avistar C3 UnifiedTM for Microsoft Lync increases communication and productivity by connecting all videoconferencing assets, and extends the videoconferencing reach of Microsoft Lync to room-based solutions. It also supports VDI implementations of Microsoft Lync while being fully video-enabled, and extends advanced bandwidth management capabilities over the corporate network.

If you're at ISE, please stop by booth #10K146.

Avistar Announces New Solutions at Lotusphere 2011

We're launching three new solutions at Lotusphere that deliver virtual and HD videoconferencing on the IBM Lotus Sametime platform.

At our booth, #808, Lotusphere attendees can see videoconferencing that enables IBM Sametime to work in a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment as well as an HD desktop videoconferencing endpoint that is interoperable with both SIP and H.323 rooms.

They can also see an all-software MCU running in an IBM Sametime environment, providing continuous presence multiparty videoconferencing at fraction of the cost of a hardware-based MCU.

Our new solutions for IBM Sametime include:

• Avistar C3 Conference™ for IBM Lotus Sametime
• Avistar C3 Unified™ for IBM Lotus Sametime
• Avistar C3 Integrator™

Avistar C3 Conference™ for IBM Lotus Sametime enables users to conduct continuous presence multiparty videoconferences and connect with standards-based third-party room systems at a fraction of the cost of traditional hardware-based MCU solutions. The solution is integrated via IBM’s TCSPI interface and was developed in cooperation with ilink, an experienced integrator of IBM Lotus solutions.

Avistar C3 Unified™ for IBM Lotus Sametime delivers an advanced HD-capable videoconferencing experience that is fully interoperable with both SIP- and H.323-based room conferencing systems.

Avistar C3 Integrator™ enables the Avistar C3 Unified™ for IBM Lotus Sametime solution to work seamlessly within VDI or on thin terminals without affecting network performance and/or server scalability.

Our IBM Sametime portfolio now includes three unique solutions that use software standards and creativity to unify and extend the desktop videoconferencing experience for IBM Sametime users.

Avistar to speak at 3 different events on behalf of 3 different organizations at ISE 2011

In a validation of Avistar's position in the industry, three different organizations – InfoComm, Wainhouse Research and IMCCA – have selected Avistar to speak at separate events co-located with this year's Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Europe's #1 show for AV and electronic systems integration.

John Dye, Senior Product Manager at Avistar will speak on the following topics:

· Trends in Videoconferencing, which will examine three of the issues likely to impact on the design and implementation of videoconferencing systems: Bandwidth management; how interoperability and standards-based technology plays (or doesn't play well) in the industry in both B2B and C2B applications; and integrating conferencing into web conferencing.

o Drop by Monday, Jan. 31 at 2:30 p.m.
o InfoComm Future Trends Summit

· Desktop Video: Why Now, which will examine the state of videoconferencing and the factors that are driving interest and adoption. Andrew Davis, Senior Partner at Wainhouse told us, “At our summit, Avistar will be among the select group of industry luminaries that will debate the future of enterprise-level visual communications.”

o Drop by Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m.
o Wainhouse Research’s Visual Communications Summit

· Telepresence & HD Realities, which will examine the realities of how telepresence & HD are used today and where the technologies are heading, including integration into our daily workflow and the issues and opportunities presented to IT to support business owners. The discussion will investigate some of the key directions the major manufacturers are taking and reactions from end-users as they explore the impact on their business.

o Drop by Wednesday, February 2 at 2 p.m.
o IMCCA Educational Sessions

If you're at ISE, please stop by to see us at booth #10K146. And please listen to John's three presentations.

Avistar will be at ISE 2011

On the heels of Lotusphere, Avistar will attend Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Europe's #1 show for AV and electronic systems integration. The show is scheduled for Feb. 1-3 in the Amsterdam RAI. Our booth will be #10K146.

It's our first time at the show, and we're looking forward to it.

We're participating as part of our commitment to supporting our European customers and partners. Though we're based in San Mateo, in Silicon Valley, Avistar has had a strong global presence for years with customers, partners and resellers in more than 40 countries.

If you're in Amsterdam next week at ISE 2011, please drop by our booth #10K146. We’d love to meet with you.

Avistar to exhibit at Lotusphere

As we have for the past several years, Avistar will be attending Lotusphere, IBM's annual conference that showcases the latest technology for IBM Sametime and other platforms. This year's Lotusphere is scheduled for Jan. 30-Feb. 3 at the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort.

Lotusphere is a great venue for Avistar to showcase our scalable and standards-based all-software solutions that unify the desktop visual communications experience. We're seeing continued interest among IBM customers for virtual infrastructures, and attendees who visit our booth, #808, will be able to see our latest solutions that deliver videoconferencing on traditional as well as virtual environments.

Lotusphere has been a terrific show for Avistar. In 2009, we won Best Unified Communications and Collaboration Solution at the 15th annual IBM Lotus Awards.

Avistar 2011 Desktop Videoconferencing Predictions

· Videoconferencing will be virtually everywhere - Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) will continue to gain momentum as businesses work to control costs while delivering software tools that employees need to do their jobs effectively. Desktop videoconferencing, for example, has emerged as a must-have solution for business people at offices or on the go, as it provides ubiquitous visual communications – anywhere, anytime, anyplace. All-software solutions will be preferred because of their cost-efficiency and high quality.

· What’s old is new again - Interoperability will be a big issue as proprietary communications solutions limit connections to other systems. The industry will again need to tackle the interoperability issue. Will customers accept being forced to bridge standards, media processing and signaling at their own cost?

· Videoconferencing on the go will increase - Videoconferencing has moved from the conference room to the desktop, and from the desktop to the laptop. With more tablet devices set to hit the market and the further roll-out of 4G networks, along with the popularity of video-enabled smartphones, true mobile videoconferencing for business is on the horizon, as employees who use mobile videoconferencing in their personal lives will push for the same capability at work.

· Thin will still be in - As Avistar predicted last year, thin terminals and desktops continues to be in. We’ll see more thin devices next year and expanded functionality on those devices. This convergence will be seen with videoconferencing popping up as a function in non-traditional devices, such as smart whiteboards and a variety of new and innovative devices, so that people can communicate and collaborate regardless of device, location and/or network capacity.

· It's all about the network - As demand and usage surge, companies will face pressure to provide increased videoconferencing services without expanding the cost and complexity of their corporate networks, while also ensuring that critical business applications are not adversely affected by communications solutions such as desktop videoconferencing. Companies will select communications solutions that provide robust bandwidth management, call admission control, user policy support, threshold and utilization modeling, in addition to extensive report and forecasting capabilities.

10 Questions Businesses Should Ask Themselves

As part of the continued need to reduce costs while boosting productivity, many are considering desktop videoconferencing. Expensive room-size telepresence systems, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to deploy, are out of reach for many businesses, but the price of business-class desktop videoconferencing can be deployed for the price of a smart phone.

Based on its pioneering 15-plus-year history of providing videoconferencing solutions to business, Avistar has developed the 10 questions companies should ask themselves when considering whether or which kind of desktop videoconferencing is right for them. We'll address the first five in this article and follow-up with the second five in a separate article.

1. Why are you considering videoconferencing? Is it to reduce travel expenses? Improve customer or employee relationships? Deliver training materials or access new markets? Understanding a company’s goal for videoconferencing can help determine system requirements.

2. What sort of meetings do you plan to videoconference? Will they be large meetings with a dozen or more people? Will they be smaller meetings, usually two to four people? Meetings involving large groups may require hybrid systems to combine room size and desktops systems. Companies should consider systems that enable both simple point-to-point and multiparty communications from the desktop, and that are fully interoperable with other communications solutions they may have.

3. What does the system cost to deploy? Room-size telepresence systems, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to deploy, may be fine if most meetings entail large groups of people. On the other hand, desktop videoconferencing can be quick, reliable and cost effective to deploy.

4. What will the impact of videoconferencing have on your network? Free video chat services sound great – “free” seems cost effective. But if employees conduct too many chats simultaneously on your network, the demand for bandwidth could crash network applications, could cripple your network capacity, and lose valuable data. Instead, look for solutions that offer bandwidth management controls to manage network stress.

5. Will the videoconferences most likely be in the same time zone or vastly different time zones? Conferences between New York City and Los Angeles are easier to schedule than Boston and Singapore based on when both parties are in the office. If meetings typically take place after business hours in one location, desktop videoconferencing provides more flexibility than a room size system that would require the employee to be in the office.
 
6. What kind of user experience do we need? Some services involve several steps to set up a videoconference. Business users should look for providers that offer single click, point to point and multiparty video calling without complications or hassles. The calls should offer crystal clear audio and world-class video to enable informed decision-making, speed of execution and superior results – not distract users with jerky movement and audio that doesn’t match the person speaking. One click call capability makes it simple to create videoconference calls – which means it’s more likely that employees will use the system.

7. What sort of investment will you need to make? Businesses need to leverage existing infrastructure when selecting a videoconferencing provider. In the face of any type of firewall, network configuration, multivendor hardware or varying security policies, what businesses need is a solution that transparently determines the best way to connect videoconference calls among users spread far and wide. Additionally, find out how easy is it to install, deploy and make videoconferencing calls. Ease of use is an important consideration – especially for businesses that may not have dedicated IT staffs. Complicated systems that could require tech support to use reduces the likelihood that people who had scheduled a videoconference call will do so a second time.

8. Will people using videoconferences generally be in the same location each time? For example, for regular update calls between a company and its outsource vendor, videoconferences are likely to be held in the same conference rooms each time whereas monthly calls with the sales force might find some participants in a different location each time. You should select a system that can be available at desk, in conference room or on the road.

9. Will your corporate culture have to change in order to embrace videoconferencing? Some organizations prefer large meetings and are likely to prefer a telepresence approach. Others, which prefer ad hoc meetings, are likely to prefer a desktop videoconference solution.

10. What regulations or security needs does your company need to address? Security is a top priority, so look for a solution that ensures that critical network data and communications ports are protected. That’s why many have policies that prohibit the introduction of consumer technology into the workplace. Companies need a provider whose technology offers external video call access without compromised security, including seamless, secure connection through firewalls.

Desktop videoconferencing can be a great way to reduce travel costs, shorten sales cycle, generate revenue and boost productivity. Businesses need to make sure they’re asking the right questions before they buy to make sure they’re getting the right system for their needs, culture and budgets.

Happy Holidays,

The Avistar Team