The Vendor Profiles module
provides a brief overview of each of the vendors included in the various
collaboration database comparisons and lists the various types of equipment and
services offered by each vendor along with current information on the vendors
revenues and net income (or loss), where available.
The various attributes listed
within this module, along with a brief definition of each, follows:
Company Name: Provides the name of the videoconferencing product
vendor
Global Headquarters Location: Lists the city and country where the vendor’s
global/worldwide headquarters are
located
U.S. Headquarters Location: Lists the city and state where the vendor’s U.S.
headquarters are located
Main Telephone Number: The primary telephone number at the vendor’s U.S.
headquarters location
Internet Address: The vendor’s web site address
Annual Revenues: Provides current information on the vendor’s annual
(or most recent) revenues overall (note that this information is generally not
available for privately held companies)
Annual Net Income (Loss): Provides information on the vendor’s annual (or most
recent) net income or loss figures overall (note that this information is
generally not available for privately held companies)
Geographic Coverage: (North America,
Central and Latin America, Europe, Africa and Middle East, Asia-Pacific): Lists the parts of the world where coverage is
provided by the vendor (either directly or via its distribution/partner
channels)
Products/Services Offered: Lists the various collaboration related
products/systems and services that the vendor offers, including the following—
Desktop/Personal Videoconferencing
Systems (which refers to products
used to provide desktop/personal, or executive type videoconferencing systems)
Room/Group Videoconferencing Systems (which refers to products used to provide larger
room/group type videoconferencing systems)
Video Telepresence Systems (which refers to high end products used to provide
life size, full immersion type video telepresence facilities)
Videoconferencing Multipoint Control
Units (MCUs) (which refers to the
standalone bridging systems used to support multipoint videoconferencing; note
that some vendors offer videoconferencing systems with embedded multipoint
capabilities and some vendors offer both embedded and external bridging
systems; this field is used to indicate that the vendor offers the specialized
external standalone MCU products)
Audioconferencing Systems: (which refers to specialized, standalone systems used
to support multi participant audioconferencing; this type of equipment could be
deployed in an enterprise to enable them to host and support their own
audioconferencing services as opposed to utilizing the offerings of an
audioconferencing services provider)
Audioconferencing Services: (which refers to audioconferencing services offered to
allow users to conduct audio meetings among multiple participants)
Webconferencing Services: (which refers to webconferencing services offered to
allow users to conduct web-based meetings among multiple participants to share
data files and presentations for example, and which often may include audio
and/or video capabilities)
Videoconferencing Services: (which refers to videoconferencing services offered to
allow users to conduct videoconferences among multiple participants; these
services could include multipoint bridging capabilities, IP/ISDN gateway
facilities, meeting scheduling and support functions, and a host of other
services; some vendors also offer public video room/suite rentals as a part of
their service; and some vendors offer a set of fully managed service offerings
as well)
Network Services: (which refers to a vendor’s offering of complete
network facilities along with their equipment and/or services offering; some
vendors require users to also purchase their network services to ensure
bandwidth availability and proper level/quality of service, while other vendors
offer but do not require the use of their network facilities, and still other
vendors let the customer utilize their own network facilities)
Managed Services: (which refers to the vendor’s offering of a fully
managed service for their product/service solutions, that would typically
include training, support, maintenance and monitoring of all offerings)