Vidtel Channel Program Expands Opportunities in Video Conferencing for VARs and SMEs

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), implementing video conferencing typically means spending six figures for executive-grade endpoints and infrastructure, or making do with consumer-class solutions such as Skype – until now.

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Vidtel's new channel program supports the sales of MeetMe, the any-to-any video conferencing service that provides SMEs with a flexible, cost-effective and high-quality middle ground. Now value-added resellers (VARs), such as video conferencing and AV integrators, can offer a cloud-based solution that supports interoperability across virtually every type of platform and endpoint.

With Vidtel's MeetMe Video Conferencing Service, AV integrators, VoIP providers, managed service providers and other VARs can begin offering cost-efficient and predictably priced hosted, any-to-any videoconferencing services that work with room-based systems, desktop platforms, PCs, tablets and smartphones. MeetMe is also compatible and interoperable with services such as Google Talk and Skype, enabling their users to participate in multi-party video conferences with other users who are utilizing room-based video conferencing systems and executive-suite desktop platforms manufactured by Tandberg/Cisco, LifeSize and Polycom.

The MeetMe channel program benefits VARs by:

• Expanding their pool of potential customers. As a cloud-based offering, MeetMe eliminates one of SMEs' biggest barriers to adoption: the steep upfront cost of video conferencing infrastructure. Because it's compatible with a wide variety of platforms and devices – from Skype on PCs to SIP- and H.323-based endpoints from LifeSize, Polycom, InFocus, Sony and Tandberg – MeetMe enables SMEs to leverage their existing investments to cost-effectively implement video throughout their organizations.
• Enabling upsale opportunities among customers that own room-based and executive-desktop video conferencing systems. VARs can offer MeetMe as a way to extend those investments by enabling video conferencing with employees, business partners and customers that use what otherwise would be incompatible platforms. MeetMe frees those customers from being locked into a single vendor's ecosystem and ensures that their video conferencing investments aren't limited to fancy intercom systems.
• Driving more equipment sales and LAN/MAN upgrades. MeetMe's device-, vendor- and platform-agnostic architecture, along with its cloud-based design and multiple pricing options, provide SMEs with a combination of flexibility, affordability and predictability that encourages wide-scale video conferencing deployments. The savings free up capital for investments in other areas, such as LAN/MAN upgrades and additional endpoints.

The MeetMe channel program initially is available in North America, with expansion planned for EMEA and APAC. The program's initial VARs include CMIT Solutions, an Austin, Texas-based provider of IT services and solutions to SMEs, with 125 locally owned and operated U.S. locations.

"Our channel program enables AV integrators and other VARs to stay relevant, offer more and grow their profitability as the video conferencing market rapidly expands beyond boardrooms and executive suites," said Scott Wharton, Vidtel CEO. "With MeetMe, VARs now can target a wide variety of emerging opportunities, including price-sensitive SMEs that want to leverage their existing endpoints, PCs, tablets and smartphones for enterprise-quality video conferencing. Vidtel's channel program is a win-win for VARs and their SME customers."

"MeetMe democratizes video conferencing by providing SMEs with a cost-effective solution that has no tradeoffs in quality and interoperability," said Frank Picarello, CMIT Solutions COO. "Vidtel's solution fills a big void in the marketplace. By giving CMIT a powerful new solution set to offer to our SME clients, MeetMe enables us to target new opportunities as the video conferencing market grows beyond the boardrooms of large enterprises."

"When people make a call, they want to connect," said Elliot Gold, President of TeleSpan Publishing Corp. "They don't want to dig through a manual to see if the other person has the same equipment, is on the same network, or worse, if the bits match. They simply want to call and see them. That's what this service is all about, and is welcomed in the ever-growing videoconferencing marketplace."

For more information about Vidtel's channel program, visit www.vidtel.com/vidtel-partnerships.html.

About Vidtel

Vidtel is an innovative cloud video conferencing provider.  Its any-to-any service provides compatibility between a diverse set of business-grade and consumer-grade video endpoints.  Vidtel enables small and medium enterprises to affordably experience the productivity of high-quality video conferencing between dispersed employees, partners and customers. Vidtel is located in the heart of Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, Calif.  Find more information at http://www.vidtel.com.

Contact:
Mariette Johnson Wharton
[email protected]
(650) 273-4104

SOURCE Vidtel