Interview of TAdviser with the product manager of Mind company Anton Timatkov

Anton Timatkov: In 2015 demand for solutions VIDEOCONFERENCING in quantitative expression did not change in comparison with previous year, at the same time market size in a dollar equivalent was reduced. It occurred owing to reduction of sales volumes of expensive hardware solutions of the western producers, such as Polycom, Cisco, Avaya, etc. Growth of currency rate and, as a result, growth of such solutions in the price, played not their advantage. Demand for solutions VIDEOCONFERENCING was reoriented towards more available software solutions, including the Russian producers. It is also possible to note expansion of presence in the market of Asian decision makers of VKS: Huawei, Yealink, Aver and others.

We observed the most active sales growth in segments of the financial sector, the power industry and the sphere of the higher education. Higher education institutions actively try to develop programs of distance learning.

At the same time the parity on acquisition web and SIP/H.323 of ports with a small trend of increase in a share of SIP/H.323 of ports remains. Increase in a share of SIP/H.323 of ports is caused by presence at customers of a large number of the foreign VIDEOCONFERENCING equipment which became expensive to service or it is impossible to update.

In comparison with Q1 2015 in Q1 2016 we see that demand for solutions VIDEOCONFERENCING grows. In 2016 it is possible to expect increase in demand in quantitative expression for 20-25% in relation to 2015, at the same time growth of the market in a ruble equivalent will be 5-10%.

Anton Timatkov: The aspiration of the companies to cost reduction and business process optimization led to growth of need for implementation of the systems of a video conferencing, and budgets on implementation of the VKS systems were reduced or left without changes. At the same time desire to receive functionality of the classical server of a multipoint video conferencing of bonus level of Polycom or Cisco remained, and possible to satisfy it in the current conditions analogs, only more available at the price. As a result - general requirements to products raised, to opportunities of administration and management of the VKS complex – "it is necessary that was as at the western MCU". A part of customers for the purpose of economy want to use already available server framework in virtualization environments that is possible only for software solutions.

Requirements to compatibility of solutions of different producers among themselves raised. It is connected with desire to save investments which are already made in infrastructure by VKS when scaling a system or unplanned replacement of its nodes. Desire of participation in actions using stationary or mobile phones in an audioconference communication format became the standard.

Also we observe growth of requests for integration of the VKS systems into platforms of unified communications, for example, Microsoft Skype for Business, the products Avaya, Cisco, Unify: joint video conferences, calls, message exchange and so forth.

Anton Timatkov: Until change of the legislation in the field of purchases for state bodies sharp change in the exchange rate of national currency became the main driver of import substitution: it led to significant rise in price of solutions of foreign producers therefore they remained available only to large private business and the state customers. Potential buyers from medium and small business were forced to be reoriented on more available solutions of domestic and Asian manufacturers, or on cloud model of use of service (SaaS).

After change of the legislation we observe further gain of a trend on import substitution – now when carrying out purchases for the state and municipal needs the requirement about inclusion of the software in the Unified register of the Russian software of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications is obligatory. As a result, the amount of requests increased by Russian software from federal and regional authorities and the competition between domestic manufacturers of program systems of VKS amplified. The register of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications gradually extends at the expense of new players in the field of VKS and areas, adjacent to it.

Anton Timatkov: In the last two years Asian suppliers became really more widely presented at the Russian market. It is connected with desire to occupy a niche of the western vendors and more flexible price policy.

At the same time, as shows the analysis of complete tenders, the considerable turn on the East did not occur. If the volume of the sold terminal equipment from Asian suppliers increased, then as a video conferencing complex basis customers continue to select or the checked western solutions, or more available Russian software products. It is caused by the fact that the most part manufactured in Russia by VKS are software solutions, but not the terminal equipment which is practically not manufactured in Russia.

Anton Timatkov: In 2015 the MegaFon operator started service " video.Layt " in which Mind is a technology partner. Service is provided on the terms of a daily subscription for subscribers MegaFon and allows to carry out online of a conference and webinars to HD quality. In the spring of 2016 the service of a video conferencing was added to a packet "A corporate unlimited tariff". Further development of service is planned - the connectivity to cloud conferences of hardware codecs and meeting rooms will be added.

Implementation of support of the SIP/BFCP and H.323/H.239 protocols allowed such companies as UK "Alpha Capital", "Gazprom bureniye", "Sberbank Leasing", "Formula of Cinema" and to others to select Mind as MCU - bases of a system of a video conferencing.

In UK "Alpha Capital" hardware VIDEOCONFERENCING terminals of third-party producers were connected to Mind and integration into the server of Polycom of RMX 4000 in Alfa-Bank was carried out that provided a possibility of carrying out video conferences between the staff of the companies. The case of synchronous translation of foreign participants in conferences was solved. For independent maintenance of a complex training and certification of engineers of UK "Alpha Capital" was provided.

In Gazprom bureniye company Mind showed full compatibility with the available equipment of third-party producers: congress systems for conference rooms from Televic and Sennheiser companies, Tandberg video codecs, the PBX based on the Cisco and Cisco CUCM phones. Considerably demand from educational institutions grew in 2015. The Northern (Arctic) federal university, Siberian Federal University, the Siberian state university of telecommunications and information science, the Stavropol edge institute and others became clients of Mind. For the purpose of promoting of modern technologies of video conference in Mind and School of New Technologies educational institutions (the joint project of Department of Education and Moscow Department of Information Technology) held the competition "Use of a Video Conferencing in School Education".

The Central bank of the Russian Federation, Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, Gazfond, Federal State Unitary Enterprise Main Center of Special Communication became the largest users of the cloud version of Mind in 2015.

Anton Timatkov: The average request for us makes about 30-100 competitive ports depending on the size of the company.

Anton Timatkov: For the purpose of business expansion our company in 2015 placed emphasis at work with distributors and integrators. The training program and certifications of engineers according to the results of which the number of the partners having the examination in VKS of Mind increased several times was started and exceeded 30 companies. The largest of them are IT distributors "Landata", "Treolan", RRC and also integrators "CROC", "Lanit", Polymedia and "Systematics".

Development of technology partnership with equipment manufacturers became one more important step for the purpose of providing the complete solution to the customer. We cooperate with producers of terminal VIDEOCONFERENCING devices - Yealink, Aver, Panasonic and also with the producer of the server hardware - STSS company.

Besides, we expand the customer base in partnership on the VaaS model with telecommunication operators - Megafon, MTS, Uzbektelekom, Kazakhtelecom.

We constantly develop a product under market demands and big customers: we improve compatibility of Mind with hardware and software solutions of third-party producers, we develop API, we implement technology innovations, such as: SSVC, H265 HEVC, 3D Video and 360 ° Video.

Besides, we move in the new directions, such as audioconference communication, audio-and video calls from the websites, implementation of components of unified communications. In the following release of our product which will leave in July, 2016, for example, there will be a functionality of the chat which is not tied to conferences.

We also reduce costs for implementation and maintenance of a product due to development of instruments of independent administration of a product and above the mentioned training program and certification of engineers of customers.

Anton Timatkov: The main trend of the last years is failure from hardware MCU for benefit of software solutions. With respect thereto at customers the need for use of means of virtualization increases more and more.

Other trend – growth of need for full participation in conferences from mobile devices thanks to development of mobile networks of data transmission. Users of already insufficiently simple communication, to them need complete functionality: demonstration of applications and documents, electronic board, chat and others.

It is also possible to carry to a trend also a possibility of cross-platform management of conferences with free switching between devices. For example, the user begins a conference with the mobile device, and continues it in the meeting room or on the working computer. Clients see such technologies at visit of a demo zones of foreign producers and are interested in existence of such technologies in the Russian solutions. It is quite possible to implement all this, I think that it is only a matter of time.