Vidyo's Expansion Veers Mobile
Last week, Vidyo confirmed VidyoMobile, a mobile device application that allows mobile users with Apple iOS- or Google Android-based devices to join multipoint videoconferences with desktop and conference room users.
Like other Vidyo instances, it uses the company's Adaptive Video Layering (AVL) architecture to optimize video quality for each participant's environment, and Vidyo claims the cost of running over a user's 3G/4G or Wi-Fi network is similar to making a phone call.
"If your videoconferencing solution can't support the mobile devices your workers carry with them, your solution is outdated before you deploy," said Ashish Gupta, Vidyo's chief marketing officer and senior vice president, corporate development. "With VidyoMobile, mobile operators can deploy value-added services for visual communication and collaboration that will deliver higher [average revenue per user]."
VidyoMobile will be available starting in July for use with the enterprise-centric VidyoConferencing suite. It follows other recent Vidyo technology expansions like Vidyo Router Cloud Edition, which allows Vidyo conference users to span multiple networked Vidyo routers and enable as many concurrent multipoint connections as there are routers deployed.
Vidyo's channel routes to market are also expanding. Gupta, who joined Vidyo from Microsoft earlier this year, is leading the charge on Vidyo's training and certification programs for solution providers. Vidyo also has entered into a growing number of agreements with telecom service providers around the world, including, in the past few months, BCS Global, Chunghwa Telecom, KDDI and Elisa.
"Look at market segmentation," Gupta said. "Our strategy to talk to IT and tele-VARs is important, and with service providers, the whole idea is we can reach millions of SMB businesses with them and their affiliate networks."
Service providers see the appeal in adding video-based services like Vidyo, Gupta said, because it allows them to sell "fat minutes" -- value-added capabilities to the minute-by-minute cost of services, even as the price per regular telecom audio minute goes down over time.
"We have a blue ocean strategy," Gupta said. "Think about what our platform enables vs. the legacy players: ours is huge, uncharted water vs. a swimming pool with little swim lanes. There's a lot that can be done and more we'll be doing with our software. Service providers are a key part of our strategy."