Logitech Acquires Paradial and Addresses Major Hurdle in Enterprise Video Conferencing: Bypassing Secure Corporate Networks

Long considered an elusive dream, video communications finds itself at an inflection point with the proliferation of connected screens, the dramatic increase in IP bandwidth, the continuation of Moore’s law and the improvements in video compression technologies. I’m excited to be part of such a critical time in our industry and proud of the work Logitech is doing to execute on a vision to drive HD video communications as mainstream as a phone call, for anyone, anywhere.

We recently made several announcements to deliver on this promise and have placed at the center of our strategy the imperative to deliver the industry’s best image and audio quality at disruptive prices for consumers and corporations. To that end, we upgraded our entire lineup to high definition with lower CPU and bandwidth requirements.

But video communications is still too hard both for consumers and corporate customers alike. Connecting between sites within a corporation is hard enough, but the promise of connecting any site, in any company, anywhere, is still unfulfilled. An estimated 30 million people currently work from home at least one day a week in the US – imagine if they could easily connect to meetings via HD video.

The heart of the problem is the lack of seamless connectivity between teleworkers at home, road warriors on the go and at any desk, any meeting room in any company. Simply put, everyone cannot call anyone across IP networks. This lack of seamless connectivity is driven by the inability to bypass firewalls and network address translation (NAT) used by corporations and consumers to protect networks and computers against malicious viruses. Both NAT and firewalls make real-time video communications a difficult challenge.

Today we address this challenge by acquiring Paradial, one of the leading providers of firewall/NAT traversal technologies. Paradial’s RealTunnel solution enables real-time audio and video communications across network boundaries, including the Internet and corporate intranets. We already have a close existing relationship with Paradial – which supports SIP and H.323 client/server, ICE, STUN, TURN and RT – but by further integrating this technology into our future technology portfolio, we can more effectively address the complex challenge of enabling seamless connectivity, while preserving the network’s highest security.

Imagine establishing real-time video communications with all your suppliers and customers throughout the world and addressing issues and opportunities real time as they appear, or several teleworkers simultaneously video calling into a room in their company to join a meeting. Imagine being able to video chat from home with your financial advisor on the latest market trends, or with your doctor for the rash that appeared on your son’s face this morning. Imagine a world where video becomes as simple and seamless as a phone call where everyone can call anyone via video, regardless of whether at home, at a desk, in a meeting room, or on the go… across any company, anywhere.

Author

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Logitech for Business @EricKintz

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