Mikhail Markov: Development of the VKS direction – the expected logical step for telecom operators

TAdviser: Tell in more detail about service MegaFon and technologies of a video conferencing Mind.

Mikhail Markov: "Online conferences" is a service which allows to hold meetings, negotiations and the operational meetings with colleagues and partners online irrespective of the place of their stay. Users can participate in polls and votes, to communicate in a chat, to work jointly with documents and to write online actions. Thanks to Mind technologies video communication in ultrahigh quality is available to users of Online conferences up to 4K of Ultra HD.

Service is intended for the most different companies: from the enterprises of small and medium business to the large organizations having an extensive network of branches. Use of a video conferencing will allow our clients to increase management efficiency, to optimize business processes, to reduce travel costs and also to improve communications with partners and clients.

Project development began in 2013. During this time several stages – from search of the idea for new service and the choice of partners for its implementation before testing of the ready-made solution were passed in the Volga region branch "MegaFon". Direct preparation for start of service took place at the end of 2013 – the beginning of 2014 when we carried out final settings, trained managers and sellers. Now the project works also in Capital branch "MegaFon". These are two regions which are in the lead by the number of subscribers. We are going to expand geography of this project and to bring service to federal level until the end of 2014.

TAdviser: Why you decided to offer clients this new service – video conference online?

Mikhail Markov: MegaFon is provider of telecommunication services therefore development of the direction of a video conferencing is an expected and logical step for the telecom operator. On the other hand, there are real commercial premises for creation of product VIDEOCONFERENCING. We observe now growth of this market which main trend consists in failure of clients from deployment complex nonscalable and the VIDEOCONFERENCING expensive systems for benefit of cloud solutions.

In particular, in a public sector in the next years reduction of budgets on deployment of own VIDEOCONFERENCING systems is expected. Most likely, such customers will address telecom operators for receiving VKS as services (according to the SaaS model – Software as a Service, i.e. "software as service"). Besides, in MegaFon several years use of video of conference communication for the internal corporate purposes practices — in our company there is a developed culture of work with this tool. We use the saved-up examination and we want to apply our experience in solutions which we propose to the clients. Therefore we have big plans for development of corporate services of video of a conference of communication.

TAdviser: Why mobile operators begin to be engaged in services of a video conferencing?

Mikhail Markov: Modern realities are like that that for operators remains less traditional instruments of market promotion therefore we look towards development of hi-tech services. The video conferencing, in particular, belongs to such services. Despite high growth rates of the market of VKS in Russia, the culture of use of video conferences is in a formation stage so far. Therefore the output to the market of similar service is somewhat promoting of a video conferencing in Russia and cultural development of use of these technologies in general.

TAdviser: What clients are most of all interested in use of corporate solutions of VKS?

Mikhail Markov: As the service now only develops, it is difficult to us to speak about some statistics of demand of solutions VIDEOCONFERENCING in the different industries. By our estimates, target audience of corporate systems of VKS rather wide due to universality of the solution. It both the companies of a public sector, and clients from medium and large business. It is important that our service costs customers of any size much cheaper, than, for example, purchase of the VIDEOCONFERENCING hardware systems. If to speak about the current projects, then now, generally we work with large customers from a public sector and business. It, for example, Federal Treasury Department for the Tver region, Kalmgaz company. There are some more clients who test our service and with whom we conduct negotiations. Already now we see high demand on solutions VIDEOCONFERENCING from the regional companies.

Key advantages of Online conferences, according to our clients, are the quality and simplicity in work. It is extremely important as in practice the personnel of customers are so various that the end user is far from ideal from the point of view of IT. Advantage of the solution MegaFon based on Mind is just shown that even the normal staff of the customer companies which are not relating to the IT field has no difficulties when using our service.

TAdviser: Why for implementation of this project on providing to corporate clients MegaFon online conference communication you selected the product Mind?

Mikhail Markov: When choosing the supplier we considered process parameters of the solution and a condition of partnership. Key criteria for us were a possibility of the client to carry out video conference without the need for installation of additional programs and also simplicity of implementation and operation for the end user. In other words, that the solution could just be used on Plug & Play technology via the browser. Our service does not require installation of additional software or the expensive equipment. Only the webcam and the computer connected to the Internet are necessary for the VKS organization. On a decision instant only the product Mind completely conformed to all our requirements. Other solutions did not answer or to qualitative criteria or criteria of a usability.

Separately I want to tell about not so obvious factors of vendor interaction which are very important for us. It is flexibility and desire of the supplier to consider our requirements and wishes to development of a system that is extremely important, so far as concerns development of the innovation products focused on the end user. With Mind we have an opportunity to jointly develop a product as our wishes on development of service are implemented. We work on the White Label model which is optimal at start of new services, considerably reduces time of an output of a new product for the market (Time To Market) and reduces the cost of service for the end user.

TAdviser: In what direction you are going to develop services VIDEOCONFERENCING?

Mikhail Markov: The main direction of development is aspiration to the maximum scope of functional customer requirements to the VKS systems, i.e. towards universality. In the future we are going to start product VIDEOCONFERENCING with consolidation of browser, desktop and terminal solutions to give to our clients all range of opportunities of a video conferencing. Now we test such system Megafon inside. Such solutions will be suitable at the same time as for top managers of the companies which using VKS solve top-level strategic problems, and for employees of an average link who use the tool of video conferences for the solution of routine tasks.