Telepresence at Every Starbucks?

We admit: The headline is quite an exaggeration. But as the telepresence market continues to evolve, it's increasingly clear that next-generation video conferencing solutions are going mainstream. In hotels. In airports. In retail locations. And soon, in the home. Here's a look at where MSPs may fit in the telepresence market.

First, a quick recap on the latest telepresence industry moves:

We admit: The headline is quite an exaggeration. But as the telepresence market continues to evolve, it’s increasingly clear that next-generation video conferencing solutions are going mainstream. In hotels. In airports. In retail locations. And soon, in the home. Here’s a look at where MSPs may fit in the telepresence market.

First, a quick recap on the latest telepresence industry moves:

Cisco has upped its bid for Tandberg, perhaps suggesting that future telepresence buyouts will require a higher market premium.
Logitech is buying LifeSize Communications, which specializes in lower-cost telepresence systems.
And commercial telepresence applications are taking hold. One recent example: Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a business travel consulting firm and managed travel provider, will offer its clients access to Tata Communication‘s public Cisco-powered telepresence facilities.

CWT Telepresence, as they’re calling the joint venture, will advise clients on whether or not a virtual meeting will do the trick, book the time in one of the facilities, and report back on the savings the business is accumulating by not getting on a plane every time they need to have employees talk to each other.

The deal extends to Tata’s public facilities, which means you’re limited to spaces where they have an existing space set up. They currently have ten: five in India and one each in South Africa, the Philippines, London, Boston, and Santa Clara.

But where do MSPs fit into the telepresence market? No doubt, many small MSPs aren’t equipped to sell $300,000 telepresence meeting rooms to Global 2000 businesses. But the low-end telepresence industry seems to be growing fast. LifeSize, for one, works with a growing range of VARs and solutions providers to promote telepresence into small and midsize businesses. And rivals like HP are working on even lower cost personalized video conferencing systems.

Telepresence, it seems, is no longer limited to the executive boardroom. After several false starts it’s going mainstream.

Additional reporting by Joe Panettieri. Follow MSPmentor via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; and Twitter. And sign up for our Enewsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center. Plus, check out more MSP voices at www.MSPtweet.com.

2 comments

David Deans November 17, 2009 @ 2:26 pm

Reply

Joe,

I share your enthusiasm for further TelePresence market development. The growth in 2010 will likely be driven by additional shared rooms croping up around the globe.

This is one of those technologies where you have to see it to fully appreciate the experience — and then contemplate the direct benefits to your organization (just-in-time collaboration, travel cost reduction, etc).

David
Joe Panettieri November 17, 2009 @ 5:49 pm

Reply

David: No doubt, sitting in a telepresence room transforms skeptics into instant believers. And I think the shared room approach — basically, rooms available by the hour for rent — will take this market to mainstream users in 2010.