today's polycom 8k

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=112660&p=irol-SECText&TEXT=aHR0cDovL2NjYm4uMTBrd2l6YXJkLmNvbS94bWwvZmlsaW5nLnhtbD9yZXBvPXRlbmsmaXBhZ2U9NjM1NTg5NyZhdHRhY2g9T04mc1hCUkw9MQ%3d%3d

Nothing overly interesting... just changes to stock compensation plan.

Its my blog and I can create rumors if I want to...

So, for those of you that paid attention to HP's annoucements last week:

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2009/090519xa.html

It does sound like a potentially good match and certainly a hot area for HP to be investing in.  MS has the software, but no hardware.  HP vice versa.  

The key part of what I got out of the press release (and the keynote at Interop) was that HP very briefly said "ip phones".  Now...they don't have any IP phones right now.  Sure..they have many PCs that could run the OCS client.  They also have their lines of PDA/cell phones that certain could run the client... but they don't have hardware based phones. Yes..those things that most companies prefer to put on the desks of their employees.  Should they build or buy?

For that matter... HP does have telepresence...but its proprietary.  They also have a partnership with Tandberg.  

But...if you're HP and you want to accelerate your strategy and you also want to create a business that is based in the US..and maybe even specifically in one or two states where you own a lot of real estate. (HP is big in TX and CA)... you might consider buying. Who would you buy?  Tandberg?  nope...too much complexity with them being out of Norway.  Lifesize?  No... they're mostly a video company and havent been overly successful with their one ip phone.  Sony, Aethra... no.  Which leads us to Polycom.  

Think of it.  They bring:  video endpoints, an open standards telepresence, and..the big one... ip phones.  They have offices in CA & TX.  They have good ties with MS...in fact they bought Roundtable from MS a few months ago.  And...as far as I know... Polycom wants badly to be sold.  Mike & Bob have been trying to sell the company for years...and even though I was never in the "know"... from what I heard was that every deal they had in front of them...they didn't feel like the deal was rich enough. Now...I think they're tired and they want to move on.  Polycom is a rollercoaster and I think its ran out of steam.  It needs to be bought and this is the right time and the right company.

Which brings me to the next rumor I'll start... that this buy will create a round of other buys.  CSCO will then turn and buy LS.  And then some telecom provider will go buy TAA.  Maybe Nokia, maybe Avaya, maybe Siemens.   Next rumor... Sony will do something different with their Spire Global experiment.   And... Aethra... who knows... maybe a merger for them. 

This is the right time for mass consolidation and for true UC to start.

Soundstation 2W problems

Hey,

I know this isnt video related...but I'm wondering how many of you have had SoundStation 2W systems that have stopped registering to the base.  I have (2) and I have heard of other people in the same boat.  

I wondering if this is a larger problem and if Polycom should address it. 

http://www.fixya.com/support/t405331-registration

if you've heard of anything...please let me know.

Q2 Updates & Reseller Consolidation?

Well... I'm getting a mixed picture from various folks I'm talking to abou the quarter. It seems that April was the low of the low for most a/v & vtc companies.   

I think its pretty clear that some companies have stopped buying... but there are other companies that are buying as they need to curb on travel costs.  All companies I talk to definitely mention little or no travel.  That is good for the industry.

As its been joked about in the financial press..   "flat" is the new growth.

So..which leads me to wonder.  Where will there be consolidation?  I'm thinking that its going to be on the reseller side.  Bigger resellers are more efficient. They're easy to put together and give immediate roi.  Could it be some of the regional players?  There are some that are good at covering say the west...but don't have the east...and other combinations. I wont name names...that would start a rumor.  I really haven't heard anything... but if I was reseller and could either pull off a merger of equals... or if I had the cash facilities, I'd  be buying.

Regus kicks out CSCO, puts in PLCM

You read it and make up your mind yourself...

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/050509-regus-picks-polycom-for-telepresence.html

I think this is one peice of news thats not worth me commenting on publicly
(I've had past experience with Regus and was involved years ago in convincing them to go PLCM)

TAA ships more EPs then PLCM

I think If I read the numbers correctly, TAA for the first time shipped more video endpoints than Polycom did in a quarter.

Should be interesting to see what happens this next quarter...