Alexey Korolev: Software solutions of VKS will extend to increasing number of users

TAdviser:  In what status the market of VKS, and what forecasts is now you can give about its development in the nearest future?

Alexey Korolev: Despite the general deceleration of growth rates of economy, the market of a video conferencing in Russia continues to show steady growth. Now business aims at optimization of the processes and economy of resources. Therefore in the Russian market the trend connected with search of new means of increase in business performance is very strong. Such situation even more often forces the Russian companies to think of modern technologies which allow to save significantly. Funds of VKS are just allocated for minimization of corporate expenses of the company and increase in employee performance. At deceleration of growth of economy such tools are very demanded therefore the trend of growth of the market of VKS will proceed.

One more important trend is a change of a ratio of software and hardware solutions in the market. A few years ago we could not speak about any competition between these segments of VKS. Now demand for hardware solutions gradually falls — and it is a trend universal, not only Russian. It occurs owing to the fact that software solutions reached quite high level of development. Today they can provide excellent image quality and a sound and to compete with hardware solutions. At the same time the cost of unit program VKS is significantly lower. We assume that in volume the market program VKS will increase as demand for them in quantitative expression will be much higher, than on hardware solutions. The cumulative annual average growth rate in Russia in 2013-2017 will be, according to our forecasts, about 8% in the market of hardware solutions of a video conferencing and significantly more — about 30% — in the market program VKS. In the world these indicators will be-4% and 6.4% respectively.

TAdviser:  And whether has any influence on the market of VKS in Russia the developed political situation?

Alexey Korolev: It is quite possible that in connection with the changing relations between Russia and the West the nature of deliveries and purchases of solutions of the western vendors will change. As a result, the public sector can change preferences and look at the East and towards domestic manufacturers. Anyway we are not going to stake on it, and we will continue to compete at the quality level with market leaders.

TAdviser:  The direction of mobile VKS is how developed now? As far as it is demanded from the Russian customers?

Alexey Korolev: Now mobile corporate technologies, including mobile VKS, only gain steam. However we already see that the interest of customers in them increases. In our opinion, shortly demand for them will increase as clients will realize more and more benefits from their use. Today modern technologies allow to create very qualitative mobile products. Such VKS applications provide the ultrahigh quality of audio-and video conference comparable to communication quality of hardware solutions.

TAdviser:  May you designate some features of use of mobile VKS in business?

Alexey Korolev: Today most often for meetings of managers of the top and average management which are in remote premises VKS are used hardware. At all conferees similar hardware solutions should be deployed. If someone is absent in the conference venue, i.e. has no physical access to the device VIDEOCONFERENCING, it "drops out" of communication. Such is the specifics of use of hardware VKS characteristic both for business, and for state companies. The maximum "conditional" mobility available in this situation, is transfer of the device VIDEOCONFERENCING from one premises in another.

As we already told, the mobile technologies of a video conferencing based on software solutions of VKS gain steam, they will become available to employees of all levels of the company soon. The video conferencing will be tied out of place holding meetings, and to the mobile device of participants. Devices can be a little: the home personal computer, the tablet, office notebook and the smartphone – from any of them it is possible to join a conference. In fact this embodiment of the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) — "Bring the own device".

Technologies program VKS on which the VIDEOCONFERENCING mobile solutions are developed are much cheaper than the hardware analogs. Despite lower cost of these solutions, the size of the market of VKS will not decrease as software solutions will extend to the bigger number of users — to cover non-management employees of the companies.