Interoute strengthens cloud offering with acquisition of video conferencing company
Managed video conferencing service added to Interoute’s Unified Communications portfolio
London on 9 March 2011
Interoute Communications Ltd, owner operator of Europe’s largest next-generation network, has acquired the Visual Conference Group (VCG), the leading provider of managed telepresence services in Scandinavia. This acquisition adds fully managed video conferencing and telepresence services to Interoute’s Unified ICT portfolio, complete with high capacity low latency connectivity from Interoute’s pan-European next–generation network.
With nine years experience of delivering video conferencing to organisations in over fifty countries, VCG’s expertise lies in helping multi-national organisations set up high-definition Video Conference and telepresence meetings, including services such as virtual video conference receptions. By adding VCG’s video conferencing services to Interoute’s Unified Communications portfolio, organisations that had previously been deterred from video conferencing by the challenge of having to self-manage them, can now realise the full benefits that video conferencing brings.
Gareth Williams, Interoute CEO, commented, “The addition of a high quality managed video conferencing service is a very exciting addition to our portfolio, as it supports our ongoing strategy to make more and more enterprise services available from within the cloud. As organisations look for ways to benefit from new technologies to enhance their competitive edge and drive flexibility, we are committed to taking the technology pain out of these decisions by providing them with the option to push large parts of their IT infrastructure into our private cloud.”
Interoute’s Unified ICT Strategy is focused on creating and managing all enterprise ICT infrastructure-as-a-service; delivered from a secure networking platform and integrated for optimal cost, performance and efficiency. VCG’s video conferencing services will be added to Interoute’s Unified Communication portfolio enabling organisations to purchase them on a video-as-as-service model.
Commenting on the deal, VCG’s CEO, Patrik Christiansen said: “We are at the tipping point in the adoption of video conferencing, as enterprises are looking for ways to improve communication, speed up decision making, reduce travel costs and CO2 emissions. Now that telepresence is entering the mainstream adoption phase, it made sense for us accelerate the expansion of our services across Europe. Joining forces with Interoute was a perfect fit for our video conferencing services, as its network scale and expertise provide us with the required high capacity, low latency to ensure a high quality high definition experience across Europe.”
About Visual Conference Group
Visual Conference Group (VCG, known as Videokonferensbolaget in Sweden) was founded in 2002 by former TANDBERG employees and from its eight offices throughout Scandinavia it provides visual communication all over the world with customer installations, including local services and support, in fifty countries.
About Interoute
Interoute is the owner/operator of Europe’s most advanced and densely connected voice and data network, encompassing over 60,000 km of lit fibre, 8 Data Centres, 32 purpose-built colocation centres and on-net to another 150 partner Data Centres across the European footprint. Interoute’s full-service next generation network serves international enterprises from a broad range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, finance, pharmaceutical and retail, plus every major European incumbent, as well as the major operators of North America, East and South Asia, governments, universities and research agencies. These organisations find Interoute the ideal partner for hosting content, providing wholesale bandwidth and transit services, corporate connectivity or creating new services. With established operations throughout mainland Europe, in North America and Dubai, Interoute also owns and operates dense city networks throughout Europe’s major business centres. Providing service and support in 15 European languages, Interoute is a key part of Europe’s Digital Supply Chain. The network is future-proofed, endowed with Europe’s largest fibre and duct reserve, and is a leader in the deployment of advanced network technologies, from the ground to the Cloud. www.interoute.com
