VideoServer Signs Keylink Systems to Distribute Networked Conferencing
Solutions
VideoServer IP, ISDN and E-Commerce Enabled Products Penetrate New Markets
Through Partnership With Leading, Global Distributor
BURLINGTON, Mass., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- VideoServer, Inc.
(Nasdaq: VSVR), the global leader of networked conferencing, today announced
that it has signed a distribution agreement with KeyLink Systems, Pioneer-
Standard's (Nasdaq: PIOS) two-tier distribution arm, to distribute
VideoServer's entire product line through KeyLink's global network of 1,200
value-added resellers (VARs). In addition to distributing VideoServer's
Encounter(TM) family of IP-based conferencing products and its Series 2000
line of circuit-switched network conferencing products, KeyLink will offer the
VideoServer/IBM "GetSmart" solution, which is a complete, end-to-end solution
for e-commerce-enabled distance learning. As part of this agreement,
VideoServer products will also be sold through Pioneer's corporate accounts
group for direct sales opportunities.
"Market leaders are companies who drive industry growth both through their
product innovation as well as by their choice of partners who can best provide
the necessary customer support as the industry matures," said Khoa D. Nguyen,
President and CEO of VideoServer. "Today's announcement is another example of
VideoServer choosing the right partner to help fulfill the deployment and
support needs of the growing list of companies that want to implement the most
advanced networked conferencing and distance learning solutions on the market,
regardless of their choice of network."
Networked conferencing represents the evolution of videoconferencing
toward the real-time communications of audio, video and data between multiple
sites using different types of networks. VideoServer's broad product line
provides the most robust, reliable and fully interoperable networked
conferencing components available today across IP and circuit-switched
environments. VideoServer products allow both ISVs and channel partners to
build and deliver scalable, comprehensive solutions based on unique customer
needs in the emerging networked conferencing and distance learning markets.
"This agreement positions KeyLink Systems as a major player in both the
networked conferencing and distance learning markets," said Bob Bailey, senior
vice president of Pioneer-Standard's Computer Systems Division.
"VideoServer's breadth of products and commitment to innovation, coupled with
Pioneer's comprehensive solution offerings, gives us a competitive edge in
establishing a leading presence in these two spaces."
VideoServer Products Provide Best-of-Breed, Networked Conferencing
Solutions
VideoServer's entire product line provides the industry's leading
networked conferencing solutions. The VideoServer product line includes the
Encounter(TM) family of IP conferencing products, the VideoServer/IBM GetSmart
solution, and the market-leading Series 2000 family of circuit-switched,
multimedia conferencing products.
-- Encounter NetServer -- an H.323 Multimedia Conference Server (MCS),
which enables users on IP networks to create and participate in
multipoint, multimedia conferences from diverse endpoints, including IP
audio, video, and data, as well as POTS audio.
-- Encounter Gatekeeper -- a policy manager, software application for
networked conferencing, allowing for centralized control and management
of all conferences and endpoints.
-- Encounter NetGate -- a gateway product that integrates IP conferences
with H.320 endpoints, bringing data, video and audio communications to
both inter-company and intra-company communications.
-- Encounter NetServer ADX 1000 -- the first integrated audio and data
conferencing server to accommodate both traditional phone (POTS) users
and IP telephony (Voice-over-IP) users for multiparty conferencing with
an easy upgrade path to video.
-- GetSmart Solution -- Using intranet and switched digital networks, the
VideoServer/IBM GetSmart solution delivers live, interactive
collaboration of audio, video and data. GetSmart enables providers of
distance learning materials to create, manage, and track networked
conferencing sessions. GetSmart offers charge-back functionality, not
found in traditional conferencing solutions, which enables service
providers to charge conference participant a fee per session.
-- Series 2000 Family of Multimedia Conference Servers (MCS) --
VideoServer's full-featured, scalable Series 2000 family of servers
provides the optimal solution for companies that rely on their
conferencing servers to deliver real-time audio, video, and data
communications for circuit-switched networks, such as ISDN and ATM, to
users worldwide. According to a recent report from Telespan,
VideoServer continues to lead the server-based videoconferencing market
with 68 percent marketshare.
About KeyLink Systems
KeyLink Systems, a Pioneer-Standard Company, headquartered in Cleveland,
is a distributor of computer systems, software, peripherals and services.
KeyLink Systems is dedicated exclusively to value added resellers (VARs),
providing service and support to extend their reach and enable growth.
KeyLink Systems' expertise is built on a firm understanding and relationships
with leading hardware and software providers. Additional information about
KeyLink Systems can be found on the World Wide Web at
keylink.pios.com.
Pioneer-Standard Electronics, also with headquarters in Cleveland, is an
international distributor of a broad range of computer products and electronic
components with reported revenues of $1.7 billion for the fiscal year that
ended March 31, 1998. On March 31, 1998, Pioneer-Standard completed the
acquisition of Dickens Data Systems, which had fiscal 1997 revenues of $346
million, making Pioneer-Standard a $2 billion company. Pioneer-Standard has
operations throughout North America, and provides access to all major Asian
markets through its equity investment in World Peace Industrial Co., Ltd.
(WPI), headquartered in Taiwan, and to the European markets through its equity
investment in Eurodis electron PLC, headquartered in England. WPI's fiscal
1997 revenues were approximately $350 million, while Eurodis' 1997 revenues
were approximately $500 million. Additional information about Pioneer and its
global operations can be found on the World Wide Web at pios.com.
About VideoServer
VideoServer, Inc., is the leading global provider of networked
conferencing, which enables people in multiple locations to communicate
together, using any combination of audio, video and data. VideoServer
connects employees, customers, and partners, reliably to each other by
providing seamless integration of networked conferencing over LANs, WANs, and
any IP-based network. The Company's Multimedia Conference Servers (MCS) and
other products provide multipoint conferencing, gateway services, and
conference control network management and bandwidth management.
VideoServer sells its products worldwide through leading resellers and
integrators, as well as remarketers of videoconferencing and networking
solutions. VideoServer also sells directly to providers of conferencing
services, including Internet Service Providers, telecommunication carriers,
Regional Bell Operating Companies and global PTTs.
Note: The VideoServer logo is a registered trademark of VideoServer, Inc.
Encounter and Velocity are trademarks of VideoServer Inc. Additional
information on VideoServer and its products is available at
videoserver.com. All other trademarks are property of their
respective companies.
SOURCE VideoServer, Inc.
-0- 03/03/99
/CONTACT: Carrie A. Marino of Lois Paul & Partners, 781-238-5734,
carriemarino@lpp.com, or Kathy Beaulieu of VideoServer, Inc., 781-505-2230,
kbeaulieu@videoserver.com/
/Web site: pios.com
/Web site: pios.com |
