Glowpoint Expands Telepresence and Video Services

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To address the growing interest in telepresence and video conferencing among businesses of all sizes, Glowpoint, Inc. (OTCBB: GLOW - News), a leading provider of advanced video communications solutions, today announced that it has expanded its managed service offering for telepresence and high-definition (HD) video environments. The service, called “VNOC Select,” expands Glowpoint’s current managed service portfolio and offers more flexible choices for a broader range of customers, while supporting the end user-operated and unified communications capabilities found with the latest telepresence technologies on the market today.

The large enterprise community is rapidly adopting both telepresence and videoconferencing, and is increasingly outsourcing its management by engaging a partner that can ensure success and contain costs. Glowpoint’s VNOC managed service offerings are designed to help organizations leverage their investments in telepresence and video technologies by enabling greater user adoption, faster decision making, and better collaboration among dispersed workgroups, while reducing travel and controlling their total cost of ownership.

“Customers want flexibility and choice for visual communication, both in terms of systems and services, to help meet their specific needs,” said Geno Alissi, senior vice president and general manager of Polycom Service division. “Working with Glowpoint, customers have access to the broadest range of fully interoperable, standards-based telepresence and visual communication solutions from Polycom, as well as a range of services from a fully managed hosted VNOC to supporting services for organizations with more in-house resources. The combination gives customers solutions to meet their unique applications and budget and service requirements, as well as complementing their specific IT infrastructure and resource needs.”

According to Telepresence Options founder Howard Lichtman, the Global 5000 are driving an estimated 90 percent of telepresence sales, with more than 60 percent of those sales attributable to the Fortune 500. In the U.S., SMBs drive approximately 50 percent of video conferencing sales. Glowpoint’s existing high-touch, white-glove offering, known as “VNOC Premier,” offers a fully managed service that continues to be an ideal option for organizations seeking a full-service, outsourced video operations partner. Glowpoint’s newly-introduced VNOC Select service provides a more automated business-class service for telepresence and video users who may desire monitoring and support services, but not the full conference scheduling and production services offered through VNOC Premier. Additionally, as businesses continue to look to leverage their telepresence and video technologies to communicate with other businesses, all VNOC customers gain instant access to Glowpoint’s Telepresence interExchange Network (TEN), a secure business-to-business video communications service that provides access to a global community of business video users.

“Managed services, combined with business-to-business capabilities, continue to be the key components to successful user community adoption of immersive telepresence and video technologies,” added Joe Laezza, Glowpoint’s president and co-CEO. “We are at the dawn of a new era of video adoption for business survival in unprecedented economic conditions. Businesses of all types and sizes are, or will be, seeking unique means to connect to the global business community. As with any technological investment, the consideration of the total cost of ownership, in addition to increased productivity and environmentally-friendly solutions, is essential. Engaging with the right managed service partner has never been more important. I am truly pleased that Glowpoint has been steadily adapting its services for the newest demands of business communications.”

Visit www.glowpoint.com to learn more about Glowpoint’s managed services and how they may also be purchased through resale and wholesale partners, who include some of the largest integrators, carriers, manufacturers, and service providers in the world.