SAN JOSE - Videoconferencing-over-IP networks last week got a big boost as Polycom, one of the leaders in videoconferencing technology, announced a new IP strategy and released its first IP-only video end point.
Polycom has been one of the leaders in the ISDN videoconferencing space for a couple of years, but now it is starting to shift more toward the IP-based conferencing arena with its IPriority initiative. IPriority calls for building IP-centric voice and data end points, adding quality-of-service functionality and enhancing support for customers with broadband digital subscriber line (DSL) connections.
"In the last six months, there has been more demand for IP-based videoconferencing," says Craig Milloy, general manager of Polycom's enterprise networking group. "We've been doing IP for a while, but now we're making it more of a priority."
To show that it's IPriority initiative is not just slideware, the company released the new ViewStation FX H.323, an IP-only videoconferencing end point that sells for $14,999. The high-end unit comes with improved tools for network management for monitoring and adjusting bandwidth usage on the corporate LAN. Polycom has also added support for IP precedence and packet control to smooth the flow of data across congested networks.
Suprisingly, Polycom decided to release a high-end IP-only product, rather than at the low end where most IP products tend to exist. However, Milloy says that Polycom should have an IP-only system aimed at smaller groups available sometime this year.
"For the market leader in the ISDN [videoconferencing] world to come out represents strong support for IP," says Andrew Davis, managing partner at Wainhouse Consulting Group in Brookline, Mass. "A lot of people, myself included, think IP is where mainstream videoconferencing happens to be going."
Also part of the IPriority initiative is enhancing support for DSL customers and equipment. Polycom recently purchased Atlas Communication Engines which makes DSL routers and aggregators. Milloy says Polycom hopes to build a "cost-effective digital platform" by combining its DSL technology with its video and audio end points.
Ironically, the company Polycom originally purchased to get into the video space was focusing on videoconferencing over IP. "I started ViaVideo because I wanted to do IP-only video devices," Milloy says. However, there was not much customer demand for IP videoconferencing, so the company focused on the more lucrative ISDN market.
Now they are coming full circle back to IP.
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