The Wainhouse Research Bulletin
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Volume 13 Issue #06 12-Mar-12 News & Views on Unified Communications & Collaboration Citrix Brings HDFaces to the iPad Alan Greenberg, [email protected] Timing it well, Citrix announced on “New iPad Day” 7th of March that it is now delivering video to the iPad, upgrading its GoToMeeting app with HDFaces. GoToMeeting for the iPad and iPhone (together) have had more than 500,000 Apple Apps Store downloads since the iPad app was first announced in 2010. The iPad app uses front or rear iPad camera, typical for all videoconferencing apps, but includes two methods of viewing video: what Citrix calls “active speaker video,” (aka voice-activated switching in other circles) whereby one sees only one video window of whomever is speaking in a PIP window over the data presentation, and continuous presence-style with up to six video windows. When in continuous presence mode, the content window and video windows can be resized in HDFaces with Content Emphasized direct proportion using a tab located in the middle grey bar (pictured here): make the video content larger and content becomes smaller, and make the content larger and video windows get smaller. Meetings can be joined from the iPad with a three-field user interface option that requires meeting number, name and email address, or can be launched from a URL contained in an email or calendar that will recognize that it’s on the iPad and launch the app. Text chat capabilities are the same as before: meeting attendees can chat with all meeting attendees, organizers, or individual meeting attendees. What Alan Thinks: Citrix isn’t the first vendor to bring video to the iPad, nor will it be the last. But there’s something very compelling about the execution here. Video quality is excellent even at 15 frames per second. The active speaker detection feature is new for the iPad HDFaces with Video Emphasized app and not available in GoToMeeting for the desktop. It’s nice. The app joined an existing meeting quickly preference. Most vendors limit specific video capabilities and easily. But what is most compelling is the ability either to keep video quality to an acceptable level to dynamically size content or video based on user and minimize bandwidth requirements or to simply PAGE 1 lock down a UI. Citrix has done this one right, and other vendors could take a lesson or two from the UI. PGi Alliance with Deutsche (WR has just published a research note on mobility as handled by the entire collaboration vendor community Telekom Brings iMeet to in our WR On Demand Germany education and e-Learning Most compelling Marc Beattie, [email protected] subscription service; my in GoToMeeting theory is that those who PGi and Deutsche Telekom announced on March 5th have focused on utility at for the iPad is a strategic alliance that positions DT — Germany’s the mobile device, such the ability to leading telecommunications company — as the sole as web conferencing dynamically size reseller of PGi’s videoconferencing solution, iMeet, and streaming / lecture in the country. As part of this multi-million dollar capture vendors, have content or video agreement, Deutsche Telekom will host iMeet in its taken a lead in creating based on user data centers in Germany, and it will soon make iMeet the ideal user experience.) available to subscribers in the Business Marketplace in preference. the Deutsche Telekom Cloud Center. DT plans to initially As usual Citrix was not offer iMeet to Germany’s small business community first to market with mobile video, but it certainly has beginning summer 2012 and will expand to the cracked the code for making it useful. And though German enterprise and consumer markets later this the iPad app is free, it’s an automatic means of driving year. Launched in 2011, iMeet is PGi’s next-generation, revenues because, put simply, the ability to reach more web-based videoconferencing service that enables people means more usage for a service provider. The up to 15 people to meet face-to-face online from their client itself is meaningless without someone having a desktop, tablet or mobile device. subscription. But though the meeting host is paying for the service, the What Marc Thinks: For the past five iPad app adds to This alliance creates a years, Germany has the viral nature of tremendous opportunity rejected a host of web conferencing. for enabling substantial web collaboration What’s missing? I’d growth for personal web- services that lacked like to be able to based collaboration in the accessibility and launch and host an German market during usability, and ad hoc or schedule 2012 and beyond. For the that provided an a GoToMeeting past five years, the German experience felt to session from my marketplace has been be subpar. We think Citrix HDFaces iPad app, which ripe for a cloud-based the new relationship is a feature I hope collaboration service that between PGi and Citrix adds for account holders someday. You cannot is simple, personal and Deutsche Telekom schedule from the browser on your iPad because mobile. And In contrast may finally provide currently, scheduling or launching meetings is done to some of its European the answer. from a resident client on one’s PC or Mac. This also neighbors, Germany has means that you cannot present content from your iPad; consistently lagged behind users are participants only and can only share video. in the widespread adoption of new technology and When Citrix adds greater participant functionality, i.e., collaboration services. By and large, the German scheduling, launching, and sharing content, you’ll truly business community has not accepted personal be able to meet and collaborate with others from the collaboration solutions due to lack of market awareness beach, coffee shop, car, or back deck of your home with and poor user experience, particularly in the small your iPad. Meanwhile, many of the videoconferencing and medium business market. In 2011, WR estimated and streaming / lecture capture vendors are delivering the total addressable market for audio, web and video mobile apps. Mobility seems to be everywhere. services in Germany was $696.2 million — far higher than our actual achieved market of $236.2 million. Volume 13 Issue #06 12 Mar-12 PAGE 2 While there is always a gap between opportunity and D. Greenberg will join a webinar panel that includes the actual market penetration, the question has always University of Utah, the Mississippi Community College been how to narrow this gap and, specifically in Board, and Holmes Community College to discuss the Germany’s case, how to capitalize on the estimated topic on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 2 PM Eastern Time. $460 million opportunity. For Germany, it will require Those interested can pre-register at the Blackboard greater awareness, a superior service offering and a Collaborate home page. strong incumbent that the local market trusts. PGi’s iMeet is the embodiment of everything the German business market values in technology: 2011 SpotCheck: high quality, seamless execution and simplicity. And Deutsche Telekom, the incumbent and trusted Videoconferencing Report communications leader in Germany, now has an Now Available industry-leading partner in PGi that shares its core values of offering well-executed, robust, intuitive and Now available to WR On Demand group reliable collaboration solutions. Expect that DT is in the videoconferencing subscribers is our report on best position to drive market awareness of any service 2011 endpoint and infrastructure sales of group provider in Germany. videoconferencing systems. The industry crossed the $2 billion dollar mark for the first time ever. As you can tell, We’re keeping our fingers crossed on this one for revenues are up, units are up, and the march towards the German market. The combination of iMeet and conference room domination continues. DT offers a set of critical success factors that could lead to widespread adoption in the German market. Deutsche Telekom holds the trust of millions of German Endpoint Revenues knowledge workers. This looks like a sure thing. $2,500 $2,000 New White Paper on $1,500 Collaboration in Education: $1,000 $500 Integrating LMS- $0 Collaboration Platforms Y97Y 98 Y99Y 00 Y01Y 02 Y03Y 04 Y05Y 06 Y07Y 08 Y09Y 10 Y11 Annualized Group System Revenues 1997-2011 The approaches to integration vary by both Endpoint Units real-time collaboration 350,000 vendors and those who 300,000 make asynchronous 250,000 Learning Management 200,000 Systems. Based on interviews with colleges 150,000 and universities, this free 100,000 paper — sponsored by 50,000 Blackboard — explores 0 benefits of integration, Y97Y 98 Y99Y 00 Y01Y 02 Y03Y 04 Y05Y 06 Y07Y 08 Y09Y 10 Y11 how deep and / or Annualized Group System Unit Sales 1997-2011 wide an integration can be, and what to look for in implementing an integrated solution. WR analysts Andy Nilssen and Alan Volume 13 Issue #06 12 Mar-12 PAGE 3 mobility and federation capabilities and improving News in Brief public and private cloud capabilities. The new OpenScape UC Suite can now provide a single UC • Ready for your cocktail Skype’s milestone user experience for Presence, messaging, contacts party trivia from the and directories in large multi-site, multi-vendor WR Bulletin? Skype occurred just one organizations. Siemens also reports that a study achieved a milestone: week after the it commissioned determined that 80 percent of 35 million concurrent user endpoints are now users of its audio and Microsoft-owned outside of corporate Siemens also videoconferencing service hit the 34 headquarters. This is no reports that a study services. This occurred surprise to us, but further it commissioned just one week after million concurrent affirms the trend toward determined that the Microsoft-owned user milestone.