HP

LifeSize Acquisition Moves Logitech into Video-Conferencing

Logitech is a name that most people are familiar with. It is a virtual household word when it comes to things like keyboards, mice, PC game controllers, and webcam equipment. Logitech is not a name, however, typically associated with enterprise-class video-conferencing. That is about to change.

Logitech announced the purchase of LifeSize Communications for $405 million. LifeSize has an established presence providing high-definition equipment for corporate video-conferencing systems. With 9,000 customers spanning 80 countries, LifeSize is not a newcomer to the field.

The move pits Logitech against major players in this market like Cisco and HP. Logitech can take LifeSize and do battle against Cisco and HP on its own, or it could conceivably pair up with Microsoft. A symbiotic relationship between Microsoft’s unified communications and conferencing software and the Logitech / LifeSize hardware could be a win-win for both parties and create a whole greater than the sum of its parts for facing off against Cisco and HP.

Microsoft and HP Form Unified Communications Alliance

Microsoft has established itself as a leader in the unified communications market, but their focus on the software side of things means that they don’t have an end-to-end solution. The up side for customers is that Microsoft does not lock you into using specific or proprietary hardware. That is what allows Microsoft to run marketing campaigns like “VoIP As You Are”.

The down side is that Microsoft does not provide the desk phones and other related hardware so they have to make sure they are forging alliances with companies that do to ensure that there are quality hardware products that are designed for and certified compatible with Microsoft Office Communications Server and the Microsoft Unified Communications platform.

According to this article from InformationWeek, Microsoft and HP announced a partnership to merge their resources in an effort to build an end-to-end unified communications solution and continue to battle Cisco and IBM for UC market share.

Aastra Joins HP ProCurve Alliance

Aastra, a global provider of communications equipment, and one of the three vendors supplying hardware for Microsoft’s ResponsePoint communications system, announced that they have joined HP’s ProCurve Alliance. According to an article from mysolutioninfo.com, “partners joining the HP ProCurve Alliance go through a rigorous process that includes technology certification to ensure solution interoperability, simplified deployment and optimised performance. End users can enjoy the confidence that they will be served by a trained, competent and certified channel.”