https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

Leadership


Cisco TelePresence Heads for Small Business

  • Written by The VAR Guy 1
  • August 28, 2009
Question: How can Cisco Systems compete with lower-cost video conferencing systems while promoting TelePresence into small and midsize businesses? The VAR Guy got a few answers from Richard McLeod, senior director of worldwide channels at Cisco.

cisco_telepresence_500_smbQuestion: How can Cisco Systems compete with lower-cost video conferencing systems while promoting TelePresence into small and midsize businesses? The VAR Guy got a few answers from Richard McLeod, senior director of worldwide channels at Cisco.

The VAR Guy reached out to Cisco for two reasons. First, Channel Chief Keith Goodwin wrote a Tweet asking partners and media what questions they had for Cisco. Then, The VAR Guy started hearing more chatter about LifeSize Communications pushing video conferencing into small business.

Suddenly The VAR Guy had his question for Cisco’s channel: Does Cisco see TelePresence moving into the small business market? And if so how will the networking giant differentiate from lower-cost options like LifeSize?

Cisco’s McLeod made some solid points. For starters, he noted that Cisco has gradually introduced lower-cost TelePresence systems. Initial offerings like the Cisco TelePresence 3000 series targeted big enterprises with big wallets — often costing $300,000 or so per room. But more recently, Cisco has introduced the 1300 series ($89,000) and the personal 500 series (about $33,900). Clearly, Cisco is trying to reach broader markets with lower price points. Plus service providers are introducing shared TelePresence systems in hotels, which small businesses can pay an hourly fee to leverage.

Even so, challenges remain. While Cisco continues to evangelize TelePresence’s rather amazing sound and video quality, some customers seem to be opting for lower cost video conferencing options from LifeSize — where the LifeSize Express 200 products can cost from $5,999 to $6,999.

Admittedly, comparing selected Cisco TelePresence systems to the LifeSize Express 200 is somewhat akin to comparing a Lexus to a Toyota Corolla. But guess what: Plenty of people think LifeSize — an upscale Corolla of video conferencing — is pretty darn good. LifeSize’s sales rose 45 percent in the first half of 2009 vs. 2008.

TelePresence Differentiators

Still, Cisco sees plenty of areas where Cisco TelePresence continues to differentiate from traditional video conferencing.

McLeod points out that Lifesize is more of a kit-oriented model, where the company supplies the codecs, the video box and camera while the customer or partner buys a plasma or LCD screen and assembles it all together. In contrast, Cisco continues to promote the complete solution approach.

McLeod also points out Cisco’s continued work to integrate WebEx and other applications with TelePresence. Plus, McLeod offers clues about how TelePresence could evolve. For instance, imagine if a TelePresence system could take unstructured data — like spoken words — and organize the information into a structured database for easy search and retrieval. Hmmm. Pretty darn compelling.

“We believe the value of collaboration and TelePresence is not measured purely on price but instead on the benefit you get,” says McLeod. “We find that TelePresence utilization rates are two to three times the typical utilization rates of video conferencing” because video conferencing typically isn’t easy to use, among other reasons.

McLeod concedes the majority of Cisco TelePresence deployments remain at the enterprise level, though Cisco is starting to see mid-market customers adopt it. And yes, Cisco will ultimately march into small businesses and home offices.

With that thought in mind, The VAR Guy continues to believe Cisco TelePresence and Lifesize Communications are on a collision course in the high-def video conferencing markets.

Follow The VAR Guy via RSS; Facebook; Identi.ca; Twitter; and via his Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Leadership

Related


  • Woman Thumbs Up
    HPE, Synnex Channel Execs Look Forward to Former Intel CTO Returning as CEO
    One Intel partner calls Gelsinger an industry veteran and visionary.
  • Executive replacement
    VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger Replacing Bob Swan as Intel CEO
    Intel's new CEO began his career with and spent 30 years with the company.
  • Two people in a data center
    The Benefits of Co-Managed IT for Enterprises in the New Normal
    The need to conduct business from anywhere has made enterprises more technology-reliant. Enter co-managed IT.
  • Hacker looking at computer
    Fired Cybersecurity Chief Chris Krebs to Aid SolarWinds with Hack
    Chris Krebs was fired because he disputed Trump's claims of election fraud.

3 comments

  1. Avatar Bob Olwig August 28, 2009 @ 11:17 pm
    Reply

    VAR Guy, timely post and good outreach to Richard at Cisco. From what I read, Lifesize makes a good product. I believe Cisco’s strength will continue to be in its architecture and their design principles based on ease of use and ease of collaboration. We had one of our Telepresence meetings yesterday and it was truly “one-touch” to initiate the meeting. We also used WebEx to bring in far flung participants and, while it wasn’t yet seamless, you can envision where Cisco will be going with Telepresence in the future.

  2. Avatar The VAR Guy August 29, 2009 @ 12:19 am
    Reply

    Bob: Thanks for the Friday Evening comment. The VAR Guy appreciates the after-hours readership and feedback. Our resident blogger has sat in multiple TelePresence sessions and was blown away. Still, The VAR Guy also participated in a recent LifeSize video conference. Not quite the same experience… but definitely a far lower cost solution and most small business users would be very, very impressed by what LifeSize’s solution.

    Thanks again for reading, Bob.

  3. Avatar Mike B August 31, 2009 @ 2:14 am
    Reply

    VAR Guy,

    With offerings from the SPs that are providing intercompany/B2B Cisco Telepresence meeting services also allowing for completely hosted and managed Telepresence solutions based on both CAPEX or OPEX models, providing Telepresence to customers outside of what we would normally consider to be “big enterprise” without that initial price tag just got much easier.

    You’re going to see a lot of very interesting announcements in the Telepresence world in the coming months.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Alteryx Chooses Palo Alto Networks Vet to Lead Go-to-Market Plan
  • MSP 501 Profile: Monroy IT Services with a Minority's Perspective on the Channel
  • MSP 501 Profile: Middleground Technologies Reaps Cloud Benefits
  • Top Gun 51 Profile: Alyssa Fitzpatrick on Expanding Co-Sell Through Microsoft Partner Center Rollout

Galleries

View all

New, Changing Partner Programs: AWS, Tech Data, Avaya, Verizon

January 11, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

The Right Data Migration Tool Helps Schools Move to Cloud During COVID Crisis

January 19, 2021

Cloud-Based CRM: What SMBs Need to Know about Backup and Recovery

January 19, 2021

Cybersecurity: What to Expect in 2021

January 19, 2021

Webinars

View all

Blueprint for a Scalable MSSP Practice in 2021

January 21, 2021

Who’s Behind the Mask? Hacker Personas Explained

January 26, 2021

Your Network Perimeter Has Changed

February 18, 2021

White Papers

View all

Why Subscription Business Model

January 15, 2021

The Ultimate MSP Guide to Sales Efficiency

January 14, 2021

Eight Reasons Why MSPs Need IT Industry-Specific Sales Tools

January 14, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@solarwinds hackers target @Malwarebytes, impacting internal emails. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RqzkZp https://t.co/aWqLjCCW9y

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@citrix $2.25 deal to acquire @wrike expands @CitrixPartners network into collaborative work management.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Carbonite Migrate uses real-time replication to move workloads to #cloud with minimal risk and near-zero downtime… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 20, 2021
ChannelFutures

Backup and recovery is essential for #cloud-based CRMs @ConnectWise #SaaS #dataprotection #cloudbackup #databackup… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

You an #MSSP looking to avoid a #SolarWinds-type breach? @Asigra, @Barracuda, @CynetSystems give advice. Don’t blam… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

What to expect in 2021 @Webroot #cybersecurity #MSP #remoteworkforce #remoteworking #Carbonite… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

From #itautomation to #workfromhome, a look at 2021 trends from @BitTitan. dlvr.it/RqwFZg https://t.co/EkCeJVNAPo

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

Are you helping your clients with #cloudgovernance? Now is the time. @CloudSphereAI @fortanix @MontyCloudInc… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 19, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X