Overview
Glowpoint,
Inc. ("Glowpoint" or "we" or "us"), a Delaware corporation, is a premiere
broadcast-quality, IP (Internet Protocol)-based managed video services provider.
We offer a vast array of managed video services, including video application
services, managed network services, IP and ISDN videoconferencing services,
multi-point conferencing (bridging), technology hosting and management, and
professional services. We provide these services to a wide variety of companies,
from large enterprises and governmental entities to small and medium-sized
businesses. Glowpoint is exclusively focused on high quality two-way video
communications and has been supporting millions of video calls since its launch
in 2000. We have bundled some of our managed services to offer video
communication solutions for broadcast/media content acquisition and for video
call center applications. Recently, with the advent of HD (High Definition)
Telepresence solutions, we have combined various components of our features
and
services into a comprehensive “white glove” service offering that can support
virtually any of the telepresence solutions on the market today.
Glowpoint’s
managed video services are hardware agnostic, supporting all recognized video
standards. As a result, we have become the global video interconnection point,
linking together “islands of video” across third party networks (e.g., AT&T,
SBC, Qwest and others), protocols (e.g., H320, H323, IP, SIP, and VoIP), and
devices (e.g., desktop, laptop, and mobile phone). Glowpoint’s services provide
users with a consistent experience - regardless of how they are connecting
or
where they are connecting from.
Glowpoint’s
managed video services involve two major components, the Glowpoint video
applications services and the Glowpoint network services. The video application
services are network agnostic and may be leveraged by customers on any QOS
(Quality of Service) network that supports two-way video transport. The
Glowpoint network services leverage the Glowpoint network, a multiple protocol
layer switching (MPLS) QOS network that is dedicated to high-quality two-way
video transport built and managed by Glowpoint. The Glowpoint network is
exclusively dedicated to IP-based video communications, which allows us to
optimize performance and routing of video and audio packets so as to offer
broadcast quality images with telephony-like reliability, features and
ease-of-use. The Glowpoint network spans 11 points of presence (POPs), with
POPs
in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. A unique feature
of the Glowpoint network is its sophisticated gatekeeper infrastructure and
configuration along with its patent-pending call control capabilities (see
“Intellectual Property” below), which enable customers to seamlessly connect to
nearly any standards-based video communications user, whether they are still
using ISDN or the internet, across the United States as well as to virtually
any
major city around the world. Since videoconferencing users typically can only
communicate to others on the same service, Glowpoint is bridging these isolated
islands of video and making video communications more ubiquitous.
In
late
2000, we launched our subscription service. From 2000 to 2003, we were a
division of Wire One Technologies Inc. (“Wire One”), a reseller of
videoconferencing equipment from leading manufacturers. Wire One was formed
in
May 2000 by the merger of All Communications Corporation and View Tech, Inc.
After steady growth of the IP-based video service business through early 2003,
we determined that separating the Glowpoint managed video services business
from
the Wire One equipment reselling business could create larger distribution
channels for Glowpoint, allow for more aggressive product development, and
provide us with the opportunity to develop business relationships based solely
on the objective of expanding our video service product offering and increasing
the size of our customer base.
On
September 23, 2003, we completed the sale of the equipment business and
officially changed our name from Wire One to Glowpoint in order to focus solely
on growing Glowpoint’s managed video services. Since 2003, we have been
exclusively focused on making video communications as reliable and as easy
to
use as the telephone - offering ten-digit dialing (as opposed to using IP
addresses), operator assistance, video mailboxes and many other features that
consumers have grown accustomed to with their telephone. We have also redefined
the two-way video communications marketplace by creating and offering unique
IP-based features that were integrated into the industry’s first “All You Can
See” subscription-calling plans, which are similar to Voice over IP (VoIP)
broadband-calling packages or unlimited mobile phone packages. Glowpoint’s
mission continues to be improving the ease-of-use, cost-effectiveness,
functionality, and quality of existing video communications in order to make
it
an integral and ubiquitous part of everyday business and personal
communications. We believe video communications should be as easy and
spontaneous to use as your telephone, but with the power of face-to-face
communication.
Glowpoint
is recognized as one of the premier video-over-IP service providers in the
market today. Our track record and quality-of-service commitment of 99.99%
network uptime has earned us various awards and credits. We have been recognized
in the industry for focusing on providing an innovative customer experience
through our use of IP-based video functionality. We believe we have been a
leader in setting policy through our participation in standards boards,
including chairing a committee of the IMTC H.323 forum on International Dialing
Plans in 2004. Our industry awards include: receipt of Frost & Sullivan’s
Technical Innovations award in 2001; selection as one of the 14 most innovative
companies by “Telephony Magazine” in 2004; and selection of our Chief Technology
Officer as a finalist for 2005 New Jersey Technology Council’s “CIO/CTO of the
Year” for Glowpoint’s technology leadership in video communications. In February
2007, Glowpoint was named one of the best providers of always-on IP Networks
dedicated to videoconferencing in 2006 by Videoconferencing Insight Newsletter,
a newsletter on the videoconferencing industry reporting from a user perspective
for more than a decade (www.vcinsight.com).
Industry
Overview
The
videoconferencing industry has been transformed in recent years. When Glowpoint
was launched, videoconferencing was a niche industry with unproven technology
and questionable quality. We set out to change that. Today, video communications
is becoming more mainstream and reliable, with technology giants such as
Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems joining in and validating what we set out
to
accomplish. Currently, we view the video communications industry segregated
into
five categories, each of which is a potential partner and/or customer for
Glowpoint’s managed video services:
·
|
Videoconferencing
Equipment Manufacturers;
|
·
|
Videoconferencing
Equipment Resellers;
|
·
|
Videoconferencing
Services Providers (Multi-Point Conference Services);
and
|
·
|
Telepresence
and High Definition (HD).
|
Videoconferencing
Equipment Manufacturers.
Manufacturers
of videoconferencing equipment continue to focus on selling video infrastructure
equipment. With the introduction of HD and Telepresence, however, we believe
they are becoming increasingly aware that in order to sell complex solutions,
they must partner with service providers (such as Glowpoint) who make it easier
for customers to buy and use their products.
Videoconferencing
Equipment Resellers.
Video
equipment resellers and integrators are facing margin pressures as well as
increasingly complex solutions related to videoconferencing equipment sales.
Among their only options we believe is to attempt to reproduce the features,
experience and services provided by Glowpoint or to become resellers of
Glowpoint’s services. Many have chosen the latter and Glowpoint will continue to
nurture and grow its distribution channel.
There
are
some videoconferencing equipment resellers who have chosen to compete with
us
rather than resell our services (see “Competition” below). We believe that these
companies offer only a rudimentary subset of the features and services that
Glowpoint provides. To date, we know of no company that provides comparable
video communication services and, given our proprietary technology (see
“Intellectual Property” below), we believe it would difficult for any competitor
to match our comprehensive service offering.
Network
Providers.
Network
providers have always played a role in videoconferencing, because all equipment
requires some network for transporting the video communication. Historically,
this was done using ISDN services provided by major carriers around the world.
According to some estimates, there may still be as many as 500,000 to 1,000,000
videoconferencing systems still using ISDN. With the emergence of IP
videoconferencing, these network providers have been offering services that
include high quality virtual private networks (VPNs) on which customers may
support data, voice and video applications. This is often referred to as a
“converged network” or “convergence”. At this time, however, converged solutions
provided by network providers are bandwidth only and provide little or no
IP-based video communication applications services. This means that customers
are free to connect their video conferencing equipment to the converged network,
but must then figure out how to support the video application on their own.
This
amounts to “self service” videoconferencing where the customer is isolated on
the converged network with no video application services or support available.
Glowpoint
offers high quality and reliable “bandwidth” via the Glowpoint Network. At first
it may appear that any network provider is our competitor. However, many of
these network providers lack video expertise and do not offer IP video services
or support. They essentially only offer bandwidth and their video services,
if
any, are still focused on ISDN. Glowpoint has been able to leverage this
distinction by offering Glowpoint’s managed video application services over
third party networks (rather than the Glowpoint network). We call it
“Glowpoint-enabling” another network. This solution has permitted us to retain
some accounts when customers have sought the benefits of a converged solution,
has given us sales opportunities with large enterprises that already have
established network provider relationships, and has allowed us to partner,
rather than compete, with network providers on opportunities where we would
otherwise be considered competitors. With our Glowpoint enabled solution, we
have the potential to provide all or part of the video solution in almost every
opportunity we encounter.
Videoconferencing
Service Providers.
A number
of companies, including some equipment resellers, network providers and audio
conferencing service providers, offer videoconferencing services almost
exclusively focused on multi-point conferencing (bringing multiple locations
into one video call). These videoconferencing service providers, however, are
still heavily dependent on ISDN as the network transport for these multi-point
videoconferences and, we understand, as much as 80-90% of their customers are
still on ISDN. Glowpoint, on the other hand, not only offers multi-point
conferencing services, but has introduced a full range of managed video
solutions that are primarily IP-based. IP-based services offer more flexibility,
higher quality and, because there are no long distance charges, lower costs.
Telepresence
and HD.
Telepresence is creating a “buzz” in the video conferencing industry. In
reality, it is a term that represents what Glowpoint has been providing since
soon after its launch in 2000 -- high quality, easy to use video communications
where the technology does not interfere with the purpose for the meeting. The
most popular representation of the telepresence concept is a specially designed
room configured to support a “true to life” meeting environment. Everything from
multiple monitors, special furniture, strategic camera placement and sound
panels are deployed to create an immersive experience so participants feel
as
though they are all sitting in the same physical room even though they may
be
continents apart. Entrance into the telepresence market by Hewlett-Packard
and
Cisco Systems has brought new competition to the traditional videoconferencing
equipment leaders (e.g., Polycom and Tandberg); more importantly for Glowpoint,
however, we believe their telepresence offering and vision have validated our
business plan and brought new life and interest to the video communication
industry.
As
manufacturers and resellers attempt to garner a share of the “telepresence”
market, they are quickly facing the realization that the High Definition (HD)
equipment used in telepresence rooms has an extremely high demand for bandwidth.
In many cases, they also require dedicated network and “white glove” video
application services.
We
believe Glowpoint is uniquely positioned to address all of these new
developments. We have been focused exclusively on providing IP-based managed
video services since our launch in 2000 and our patented and patent pending
technology is tailored to support any available HD equipment. Our proprietary
managed video service provides HD video communication with as little as 2 Mbps
of bandwidth per call, while other network providers typically require at least
6 Mbps, and as much as 45 Mbps, of bandwidth for HD video communications.
Regardless of the equipment used or bandwidth required, we believe that
Glowpoint can be an excellent partner with any of the providers of telepresence
solutions.
Market
Need
.
Despite
the fact that many enterprises may already have private networks, a relatively
small percentage can actually support video communications. According to a
recent announcement by Cisco Systems (as reported in the Wall Street Journal),
only 10-15% of Cisco’s customers can support quality videoconferencing on their
networks. Even if a customer network can support videoconferencing, many are
reluctant to run a video application over the same network that supports their
enterprise data and other applications. Among other concerns, the video
communications applications would be required to share bandwidth with data
applications (e.g., CRM applications, financial applications, e-mail and file
transfers) on a common network. Allocating enough bandwidth in a corporate
local
area network or Intranet to handle real-time transmission of audio and images,
in addition to data applications, can be difficult and can significantly impede
overall network performance. In addition, most businesses already find it
difficult to effectively maintain and manage existing applications because
of
the shortage of information technology and network personnel. As a result,
businesses increasingly require a solution employing a network dedicated to
video, which enables them to manage video communications, isolating it from
other applications and existing communications infrastructure. An effective
video network must also be easily scalable in much the same way that a company
can simply add more phone lines as its employee base and operations grow.
Moreover, widespread adoption by both enterprise and consumer users requires
a
video communications solution that provides the same reliability as public
telephone service. We believe that there exists a significant market opportunity
to provide an IP-based video communications solution that is as scalable,
dependable and, ultimately, as commonplace as voice telephony.
The
recent surge in deployment of Voice over IP (VoIP) is an example of a technology
that has been technically feasible for years, but did not gain popularity until
the full feature and services people were accustomed to with their traditional
telephones became available. Features like publicly-available phone numbers,
operator services, voicemail and the ability to seamlessly call to phones off
of
a company’s private IP phone network were the critical application components
that facilitated adoption of VoIP phones. Because most companies would not
provide those features on their own, VoIP service providers developed them
and
now companies simply “plug” their VoIP networks into traditional telephony
companies for these application services and off-net transport.
Glowpoint
is the “video” telephony company offering video application services largely
unavailable from anyone else at this time and difficult (or possibly even
impossible) for customers to build on their own (see “Intellectual Property”
below). Glowpoint provides ten-digit dialing video phone numbers automatically
routed to IP video systems, video operator services, video mailboxes, seamless
video calling to off-net locations anywhere in the world and other video
application services, all of which permit customers to “plug” in their VidOIP
(video over IP) networks.
Telepresence
and HD video solutions require a very high amount of bandwidth, which we believe
has caused a number of companies to be concerned about the feasibility of
supporting video on their own networks. We believe there is a significant market
for service providers, such as Glowpoint, who can support this new
technology.
Market
Size.
According
to some industry leaders, only about 5-8% of conference rooms in United States
businesses have videoconferencing equipment. We believe the industry still
has
not begun to realize the potential deployment of video to individual desktops
or
in consumer environments. As a result, we believe there is still a large
untapped potential market for video communications. Major technology companies
such as Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard have publicly announced that they
feel
the telepresence market alone can become a billion dollar industry in the coming
years. According to some industry analysts, the services side of the
videoconferencing industry that is currently dominated by network providers
and
managed services like multi-point conferencing is anticipated to grow globally
to more than four billion dollars over the next few years. Therefore, we believe
that Glowpoint’s aggregate potential addressable market is significant, though
we can give no assurance as to what our market share will be in the coming
years.
Glowpoint
Services and Features
Glowpoint
offers a vast array of managed video services, including video application
services, managed network services, IP and ISDN videoconferencing services,
multi-point conferencing (bridging), technology hosting and management, and
professional services. We are focused exclusively on high quality two-way video
communications and have been supporting millions of video calls since we
launched our service in late 2000. We believe our experience, expertise,
video-centric focus, unique features and services, and world class support
are
unrivaled and a key differentiator in the industry. We have bundled some of
our
managed services to offer video communication solutions for broadcast/media
content acquisition and for video call center applications and recently, with
the advent of HD (High Definition) telepresence solutions, we offered a
comprehensive “white glove” solution that can support any of the telepresence
solutions on the market today (see “Market Solutions” below).
Video
Application Services and Managed Network Services; Glowpoint Subscription
Services
Glowpoint’s
core managed video service offering bundles our proprietary video application
communications features and services with our Quality-of-Service (QOS) managed
network offering. This bundled offering gives customers a single point of
contact for their high quality video communication needs and we believe makes
video as easy and spontaneous as using the telephone - but with the power of
face-to-face communications. Our subscription plans are priced according to
the
video call requirements of a location. The amount and type of bandwidth ordered
depends on the number of video endpoints and is generally billed on a monthly
recurring basis per location. We have established packages to accommodate the
most popular requirements, with the basic bundled solution currently starting
at
$499 per month for video calls up to 512 Kbps. Typically, we begin providing
service within 30 days following the customer’s order. We also routinely offer
custom video communications solutions with individual customer-requested terms
and conditions.
Regardless
of the subscription plan, all offerings include our proprietary video
application services and features and provide for unlimited IP-based video
communication usage on the Glowpoint video network. Our video application
services include:
·
|
“All
You Can See” unlimited video calling
plans
|
Customers
can make and receive unlimited calls to video systems on the Glowpoint video
network or the public Internet for one fixed price (there are no additional
usage charges).
·
|
10-Digit
Direct Dialing for IP Video Calls
|
We
are
the only service provider to provide IP-based video systems with real phone
numbers. Typically, IP-based video callers must use an IP address, which, we
believe, is unfamiliar, difficult to use, and impedes adoption of video
communications.
·
|
“000”
Live Video Operator Assistance
|
With
our
patented live video operator support, customers obtain live, face-to-face
assistance simply by dialing “000” from any Glowpoint subscribed endpoint.
Whatever the need, Glowpoint operators are there to help.
·
|
“Lisa”,
Glowpoint’s Video Call
Assistant
|
When
a
video call is not answered, fails to connect, or the recipient is busy, callers
are greeted by “Lisa”, Glowpoint’s video call assistant, explaining why the call
did not complete and providing the caller with an interactive menu to select
options, including a connection to a live operator by selecting the option
on
the menu. We developed this feature to simplify video communications.
Non-Glowpoint videoconferencing users typically are met with a blank screen,
a
cryptic technical error message or worse, and have no idea why a call was not
completed. Our error-handling feature is user-friendly and removes much of
the
guesswork, which simplifies the video calling experience and promotes further
adoption and use of video communications.
Glowpoint
has brought voicemail to the video communications world. If a Glowpoint customer
receives a video call and is not available or his video system is turned off,
the call is automatically re-routed to a VideoMailbox where the caller is
greeted with an outgoing video personally recorded by the Glowpoint customer.
The caller may then leave his/her own video message in the VideoMailbox. The
Glowpoint customer then receives a message which is stored on his VideoMailbox
and receives an email alert with an image of the caller and associated
information. Our customer may then view the message as a media file either
through the online portal or checking messages from his/her video endpoint.
·
|
IP-to-ISDN
and/or Internet Gateway
Access
|
By
combining one of the most sophisticated gatekeeper infrastructures that we
believe has ever been deployed with patent pending call control technology,
Glowpoint has created a seamless transition between ISDN and IP technologies.
Glowpoint’s ability to provide real telephone numbers to customer video
endpoints allows our customers to place video calls off of the Glowpoint network
to ISDN or Internet connected systems seamlessly across the United States and
to
virtually any major city around the world. Glowpoint customers may also receive
incoming calls from virtually any ISDN video system or voice phone in the world.
This is one of the ways we are accomplishing our goal of connecting the various
“islands” of video.
·
|
Reduced
Rate International Calling
|
Much
of
the world continues to utilize ISDN as a means for video communications and
the
cost of placing video calls overseas can cost hundreds of dollars per hour.
Glowpoint offers customers significantly reduced rates for ISDN calling by
utilizing our least cost routing capabilities driven by our routing techniques
through points of presence around the globe. We route video calls to the most
cost effective point, where the call is then handed off the network to the
in-region ISDN network, thereby eliminating or reducing long distance charges.
In
an
increasingly popular world of convergence, many businesses seek to leverage
their own networks for video transport, but increasingly face the challenge
of
placing video calls outside of their own network which becomes its own “island
of video”. In these situations Glowpoint becomes the video “telephony” company
with solutions that provide firewall traversal, effectively allowing customers
to get off of their private networks and connect to any other means, while
taking advantage of all the other Glowpoint services.
·
|
Reservation-Less,
Multi-Person Video Calls
|
This
“bridging on demand” service permits multiple users to see and communicate
simultaneously on one screen. The “Brady Bunch” effect (also known as
“continuous presence”) allows all parties to see each other at the same time in
a collaborative conference session. This spontaneous service feature is a great
alternative to pre-scheduled managed multi-point calls. This offers traditional
conference set up and activation customary of audio teleconferencing with a
pin
number for all participants to use for inclusion in multi-point video calls
at
an extremely cost effective rate. We also recently announced our high definition
version of this service, which is the first of its kind.
·
|
Video
Endpoint Management
|
Many
customers enjoy the option of having a single point of contact for all of their
video communication needs. Therefore, we offer remote video endpoint management
services and can provide proactive monitoring and support, along with
maintenance of video endpoints (such as providing required software updates),
to
ensure our customer’s video endpoints are always ready and reliably
available.
These
proprietary video application services are the subject of patented and
patent-pending technology (see “Intellectual Property” below) and were developed
by Glowpoint over years of focusing exclusively on video communications. While
not an application
per
se
,
Glowpoint customers have access to video communications support and expertise
that we do not believe is available anywhere else. Our Network Operations Center
(NOC) provides solutions and support for the physical network as well as the
video experience and unique programs that businesses may support with video.
We
do not just monitor and trouble-shoot the network and leave customers to their
own devices to support video communications. We are our customers’ video
communications partner and provide support to ensure a high-quality, easy-to-use
and reliable video experience.
Our
managed network services includes “last mile” (or local loop) connectivity,
which is the network connection between Glowpoint’s network backbone and the
customer’s location to which our service is delivered. The price of the managed
network service component is typically based on the amount of bandwidth required
to support the number of video endpoints at each customer locations. In late
2006, we formed GP Communications, LLC (“GP Comm”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Glowpoint, Inc., to provide the last mile connection. Among other things, the
creation of GP Comm had the benefit of repositioning our managed video service
offering to unbundle (or separate) the video application services from the
managed network offering. We believe this has permitted us to compete more
effectively in the marketplace (see “Competition” below) and has created sales
opportunities for “Glowpoint-enabling” other networks. A key differentiator for
our managed network services is our 99.99% service level availability (SLA)
and
QoS commitment, and the fact that our network was designed exclusively for
two-way video communications, which we believe is the industry’s highest quality
and reliable network service offering.
Customers
wishing to use their own network or one provided by another network provider
may
still enjoy the benefits of Glowpoint’s video application services. We market
this as our “Glowpoint Connect” service and refer to it as “Glowpoint-enabling”
another network. This is a “bring-your-own-access” (“BYOA”) offering and permits
customers to leverage their existing internal IP networks or VPNs (virtual
private networks), as an alternative to using the Glowpoint managed network.
Customers simply register their video endpoints with Glowpoint to take advantage
of our video application services. Since Glowpoint Connect does not use our
managed network service, the Glowpoint Connect fee is lower than our full
bundled managed video service offering.
Managed
Multi-Point Conferencing (Bridging) Services, including HD Bridging
Managed
multi-point conferencing services enable customers to utilize Glowpoint’s
Multi-point Control Units (MCUs, which are also known as “bridges”) in order to
facilitate video conference meetings with more than two locations at the same
time. Glowpoint has the ability to support both ISDN and IP for multi-conference
events with enough capacity to support over 500 participating locations at
one
time. With our managed multi-point conferencing service, virtually anyone can
participate on a video call together, including:
·
|
Other
Glowpoint video or enabled
locations;
|
·
|
Non-Glowpoint
video locations using legacy ISDN technology or the
Internet;
|
·
|
Geographically
unlimited locations in the United States and around the world;
and
|
·
|
Non-video
locations (e.g., participants without videoconferencing equipment
and
persons out of the office who can only attend by voice only using
cell
phones).
|
Our
world-class global conferencing service and skilled professional technicians
provide the highest quality service to fulfill all conferencing needs - at
a
competitive price. Glowpoint’s multi-point conferencing service includes:
·
|
Enhanced
continuous presence;
|
·
|
Multiple
viewing options (up to 27 different
layouts);
|
·
|
Pre-call
site certification;
|
·
|
PowerPoint
display and data collaboration;
|
·
|
Call
monitoring and recording;
|
·
|
Conference
dial-in numbers; and
|
·
|
ISDN
Gateway reduced calling.
|
In
addition to our reservation-less HD capabilities, we recently launched the
industry’s first High Definition (HD) managed multi-point conferencing service,
which brings HD to Glowpoint’s fully-managed, scheduled “white-glove”
offering.
Our
managed multi-point conferencing service is a valuable sales avenue into new
accounts. It permits customers to experience Glowpoint’s video communications
service and support without having to commit to a contract term. For Glowpoint,
it provides us the ability to drive net new revenue without the need to install
any new services. Later, we attempt to sell the customer our subscription
services and, a majority of the time, empirically show the customer, based
on
usage data gained from providing multi-point conferencing services, that our
subscription services will benefit the customer.
Though
typically an event-based service, we signed a number of minimum commitment
contracts with managed multi-point conferencing customers in 2006 in order
to
have some predictable revenue from the service offering. We continue to pursue
minimum commitment contracts.
Technology
Hosting and Management Services; Private Labeling
In
constructing Glowpoint’s global network and service offering, we developed
technical and operational expertise relating to supporting two-way video
communications. In early 2006, we decided to leverage this intellectual property
and video infrastructure by offering to host other companies’ video-related
equipment and applications. Additionally, we “packaged” our services and
expertise so they can be branded for use by other companies in a private label
fashion. When we have private labeled our services, our live operators answer
calls using the other company’s name, we re-brand “Lisa” to use the other
company’s name, logo and other information, and the other company’s end user
customers view the service as provided by that other company even though it
is
actually “powered by Glowpoint.”
Our
technology hosting revenue is comprised of a non-recurring fee for setup and
installation, and an ongoing monthly hosting and support fee. For enterprise
customers, the majority of hosting revenue is centered on hosting and managing
MCUs (bridges). For other service providers, Glowpoint hosts components of
the
provider’s video solution.
All
of
Glowpoint’s unique features and services have been designed so that the entire
suite can be “private labeled” by other service providers or companies who want
to integrate video communications into their existing products quickly and
cost
efficiently. “Glowpoint Enabling” is very similar to the concept of “Intel
inside” where, for example, Glowpoint provides all of the video infrastructure
and support, including customer portals and billing applications, as a private
label service for a third party, who in turn sells these services to their
customers. Glowpoint has been involved in a number of private label
opportunities, including Sony and Vision Net in Australia. Other examples of
leveraging our video application services across other networks include
Glowpoint-enabling the networks of providers such as Masergy, Savvis, AT&T,
and Qwest.
Professional
Services
As
with
technology hosting and management services, we sought new revenue sources using
what we believe are our unrivaled network and video engineering capabilities.
With the growing interest in convergence and the desire by some enterprises
to
add the transport of video to their enterprise networks, we have provided
professional services and believe that market is growing. Additionally, our
extensive knowledge of all leading video conferencing equipment makes our video
engineers a valuable resource for manufacturers on an outsourced basis. While
our primary focus is generating monthly recurring revenue from our subscription
services, our professional services have been a valuable sales avenue into
video
communication opportunities and have led to sales of our managed video
services.
Market
Solutions: Bundled Offerings for Broadcast, Telepresence and Video Call
Centers
We
have
bundled certain components of our managed services to offer video communication
solutions for broadcast/media content acquisition, video call centers, and
telepresence usage.
Managed
IP Video Service for Broadcast and Event Services
Our
managed video services have been used during events to cost-effectively acquire
video content for broadcasters, cable companies and other media enterprises,
especially in the sports, news and entertainment industries. While it includes
our core managed video services, IP-based broadcasting and event services
require more project management and dedicated operational and engineering
personnel than our standard subscription services. Rather than using an
expensive satellite feed, companies can acquire broadcast-quality standard
definition footage at a fraction of the cost from Glowpoint over a dedicated
IP
connection. Since 2002, we have provided this service to ESPN during the NFL
and
NBA drafts. ESPN has used it for interviews from team locations with coaches,
players and analysts during their coverage. Our managed services for
IP-broadcast solutions are currently used by many well-known media companies,
including ESPN and NFL Network, amongst many others.
In
2007,
we launched a High Definition (HD) content acquisition solution that we branded
TeamCamHD and RemoteCamHD. This offering provides two-way HD video communication
for content acquisition from remote locations. In April 2007, we announced
a
multi-year agreement with NASCAR Images as the first customer to deploy the
TeamCamHD solution, which will be used to provide the NASCAR industry the
ability to acquire content, such as driver interviews between races, which
may
then be distributed to key media outlets for dissemination.
Telepresence
Support Services
Glowpoint
has been providing the highest quality “white glove” service as part of its
product offerings for years. Now, with the introduction of telepresence
technology and the accompanying high expectations in the marketplace for the
quality, performance and service, we believe we are well positioned to provide
telepresence support services. Our telepresence support services include the
following video network operations center (“VNOC”) support:
·
Single
Point of Contact
:
VNOC
“at
your service” support is a single point of contact accessible via our video
concierge service (a branded version of our patented live video operator
assistance), which is integrated with a “support” button on the control panel or
phone that then provides dedicated toll-free dial-in access or Web mail/portal
access.
·
Scheduling:
Scheduling
includes a dedicated toll-free number (direct dial for international calls),
concierge service, and Web portal scheduling tools. Confirmation notifications
are provided both to requestors and to participants. All scheduling options
may
be private labeled to match our customer’s attributes (e.g., name and marketing
tagline). Dedicated toll-free reservations numbers are answered with our
customer’s specific script and we provide a dedicated Glowpoint reservation
email address. We can even provide a branded on-line scheduling tool to match
the company attributes of the customer (e.g., name, logo, color scheme, and
marketing information).
·
Call
Launching and Monitoring:
A
Glowpoint telepresence operator will manage the successful launch and connection
of all sites in the telepresence meeting, including point-to-point or
multi-point calls. Our VNOC team then continuously supports and monitors all
telepresence calls, including digitally monitoring connectivity levels by a
qualified Glowpoint video producer. Our goal is to ensure that the technology
is
transparent to our users.
·
Help
Desk Support:
Our VNOC
provides technical support for all active calls during a telepresence meeting.
When required, we will coordinate with hardware vendors and integrators to
repair or replace any component parts or resolve room integration issues. As
the
single point of technical support for your telepresence solutions, our top
priority is resolving endpoint or connectivity issues.
·
Training:
We
believe that successful use and adoption of video communication requires ease
of
use, which is in large part a result of knowing how best to use the system.
We
host training sessions for customers and provide periodic training updates
as
reasonably requested.
·
Interoperability
Testing and Support:
We
believe we are the industry leader in evaluating and testing video communication
equipment for reliability and interoperability through our Glowpoint Certified
Program (see “Intellectual -
Hardware
Interoperability
”
below).
As telepresence continues to evolve, we expect to continue leading the industry
in our interoperability and certification testing to assist our telepresence
customers.
·
Stewardship
Reporting and Service Reviews:
We
provide monthly stewardship reports that capture key metrics related to the
performance of the telepresence room, the associated network, and various
support levels, including statistics related to usage (number of telepresence
meetings, duration, and hours of use), network and telepresence room
connectivity availability, network and telepresence room mean time to repair,
and failure/root cause analysis. We have quarterly meetings with our customers
to review these statistics, providing a forum to discuss areas of success,
areas
in need of improvement, and address any other concern.
The
Glowpoint Telepresence Solution may be bundled with our Quality of Service
(QoS)
managed network service or offered on its own by Glowpoint-enabling another
network service. Customers who purchase a Cisco Systems 3000
Telepresence
TM
solution, Polycom RPX
TM
,
or
Tandberg Experia
TM
solution, for example, may all take advantage of the Glowpoint Telepresence
Solution regardless of their choice of network. A typical telepresence room
requires 6 megabits per second (mbps) per video device, of which there are
typically usually two or three per telepresence room. Therefore, the total
bandwidth per telepresence room is usually at least 18 mbps. Multi-point calls
(bridging calls) require even more bandwidth, often as much as a DS-3 (45 mbps)
to support one session. Our managed network solution is ideal to support the
telepresence suites, especially when customer networks cannot handle those
demanding requirements.
Video
Call Center Solution
Glowpoint
is leading the way in developing unique applications using video communications.
Leveraging our patented live video operator service, we developed a proprietary
product that allows businesses to bring video to their call centers, turning
their most talented resources into a global sales team. We call this application
“Customer Connect” and it is the “middle ware” that plugs into, and accesses all
of the intelligence in, existing call management systems in a call center or
other location. We believe that s
ervice
and retail sales businesses are always seeking more effective ways to connect
with customers. Our video call center solution, permitting a “Remote Video
Expert” on demand, is a way for businesses to differentiate themselves.
Our
Customer Connect solution is currently being used by a major retail bank to
provide high definition “video banking” services to clients around the country.
With one touch of screen inside a local branch location, an existing or
potential bank customer is instantly immersed in a telepresence call with a
highly trained bank professional. Rather than needing to have these
professionals scattered at local branches when their services may not always
be
required, our call center solution permits the retail bank to centrally locate
its trained professionals and provide services as and when needed, supporting
a
region rather than one or two locations. Our business customer is now able
to
train fewer people, support a greater number of branches and cross-sell products
more effectively. This appears to be a growing trend where businesses will
use
video communications as a tool to interact more cost effectively and efficiently
with their customers. We call this a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C)
application and believe it will make video communications a critical application
across many industries.
Our
video
call center “Customer Connect” solution provides the same experience as its
audio call center counterpart, such as automated attendant, interactive menus,
multiple languages, multiple skills-based call routing, on hold, call transfer,
and call center statistics. It is simple and cost effective for businesses
to
implement and easy for consumers to use. Some features (and differentiators)
of
this product include:
·
|
private
labeling to include the brand of our business customer, so its customers
only know that they are interacting with the business’ call
center;
|
·
|
customization
to interact with the video elements of choice (agnostic to all video
endpoints);
|
·
|
integration
with our business customer’s existing call management system technology in
its call center; and
|
·
|
scalability
to thousands of remote locations (e.g., local bank branches) that
will
interact with one call center, or as many call centers as our business
customer needs.
|
As
with
all of our managed video services, our Glowpoint Video Call Center solution
may
be
bundled with our QoS managed network service or offered on its own by
Glowpoint-enabling another network service.
Intellectual
Property
Supporting
these unique services and features is Glowpoint’s patented and patent-pending
proprietary technology developed specifically for two-way video communications.
Over the past six years, we have spent in excess of $7 million and tens of
thousands of engineering hours in designing, building, and perfecting our
managed video services and spent in excess of $8 million building the Glowpoint
network. We have focused our research and development on the three key factors
that we believe are essential to the successful delivery and widespread adoption
of video communications: (i) network architecture; (ii) video applications
and
telephony features; and (iii) hardware interoperability. Our research and
development has led to a patent and a number of patent applications
(
see
below
)
and
various solutions. We know of no competitor that offers any service with
comparable features, performance, reliability, and scalability, and we believe
there are significant barriers to create one.
Network
Architecture
We
designed and built our global network to meet and exceed what we believe to
be
the needs and expectations of two-way video communications. Our architecture
includes patented and patent pending technologies that provide advantages over
other networks that are capable of carrying video, including such Glowpoint
features as interoperability between IP and ISDN systems, fast re-route of
video
calls, varied and flexible “last mile” connectivity options that support
multiple protocols, 99.99% Quality of Service (“QoS”) commitment, and a fully
redundant and secure backbone design.
Our
network is a secure, state-of-the-art multiple protocol layer switching (MPLS)
backbone with the redundancy and reliability businesses demand for their
critical applications. Our network is a ring with mesh points to provide full
redundancy on the backbone. Utilizing carrier grade Cisco products in the core,
we have been able to design a backbone that is scalable and can easily grow
as
demand dictates. With the increasing adoption of HD (High Definition) video
systems and telepresence rooms, the expectation is that the demand for more
bandwidth per video call will also grow. Our investment in our backbone
architecture accounted for this and our backbone capacity can more than triple
with modest additional investment.
We
maintain a state-of-the-art network operations center (NOC) at our Hillside,
NJ
headquarters, from which we monitor the operations of our network on a 24x7
basis. The NOC’s primary functions are to monitor the network, manage and
support all backbone equipment, and provide proactive and on-demand support
for
our customers. Video traffic does not pass through our NOC, nor does usage
information or authentication packets. We designed our network to handle those
functions at our POPs, which was done for improved video performance and, more
importantly, to address security and disaster recovery/business continuity
matters. We utilize Netcool, HP OpenView and NetVigil network management tools
to monitor and support our network. We also use Remedy for workflow in order
to
track and report trouble tickets.
Our
proprietary network architecture includes Glowpoint-owned equipment installed
at
collocation centers across the country, connected by multiple dedicated
high-speed circuits. These Points of Presence (POPs) are connected in a ring
topology with strategic mesh points, which virtually eliminate the risk of
a
single point of failure and provide industry-leading throughput, scalability
and
mission-critical resiliency. We have contracted with numerous network providers
for backbone circuits, aggregate hubs and collocation facilities. Our primary
vendors in the United States are (i) Qwest for backbone connectivity, (ii)
Qwest, Verizon Business/MCI and Covad for the aggregate hubs, and (iii) Equinix
for collocation facilities. We have also contracted with a number of “last mile”
providers in the United States and abroad to deliver local loops to our customer
locations. In the United States, Covad Communications and New Edge are our
primary SDSL providers with Qwest, Verizon Business/MCI, and XO Communications
providing private line DS-1 services. We use Network-I and Easynet for DSL
as
well as T-Systems, Asia Netcom, Savvis, Masergy, Telstra, Global Crossings
and
others for international connectivity. Our goal is to partner with carriers
who
can provide dedicated broadband access to our network using either digital
subscriber lines (DSL) or dedicated 1.5 mbps (DS-1) or 45 mbps (DS-3) lines.
We
have many access options for connecting customer locations to the backbone,
including SDSL, HDSL, T1, DS3, Sonet, ATM and Gigabit Ethernet options.
Our
network architecture was specially designed for the efficient and cost-effective
delivery of feature-rich two-way video content. The network boasts a fully
deployed and sophisticated gatekeeper infrastructure that can support thousands
of video endpoints with redundancy. This design enables us to provide a unique
set of value-added services, such as intelligent call routing and an exclusive
consolidated video call detail record (CDR) feature that allows for detailed
tracking on a call-by-call basis for point-to-point, gateway and multi-point
calls. Competitive providers of network, such as telecommunications carriers
(see “Competition” below), would have to install video-specific gatekeeper
technology throughout their networks to provide the additional functionality
necessary to create similar service capability. The challenge facing these
carriers to replicate our network features is two-fold: (i) the sheer volume
of
data traffic carried by their networks would make such a project enormously
expensive and, most likely, cost prohibitive and (ii) the gatekeepers alone
do
not route calls and track usage, it is our other proprietary technology that
augments the gatekeeper functionality. We have also developed a specialized
configuration of software, hardware and global positioning technology that
enables us to accurately monitor jitter, packet loss and latency to maximize
overall network performance.
With
our
origins in videoconferencing equipment sales and service, we have a broad
understanding of the unique demands placed on a network by a video communication
application. Telecommunication carrier networks were simply not designed for
two-way video communications. Unlike a standard data application, video
applications immediately expose network performance limitations. It was this
need for quality and reliability that prompted us to develop our own network
dedicated exclusively to two-way video communications, but designed using
standard (and proven) network concepts and methodologies. We also understood
that a network alone would not offer a sustainable competitive advantage.
Accordingly, we developed and continue to develop proprietary software and
hardware-based service offerings that leverage our dedicated proprietary network
architecture and enables us to offer high quality and easy-to-use video
communications.
Video
Applications and Telephony Features
We
developed and offer a full array of pioneering applications and features
targeted to the specific demands of two-way video communications, making it
as
easy and spontaneous as using the telephone but with the power of face-to-face
communications. We were recently awarded a U.S. Patent for our live video
operator assistance feature. This patented technology provides customers the
ability to obtain live, face-to-face assistance and has widespread application,
from general video call assistance to “video concierge” services. This patent is
an essential component of providing “expert on demand” and telepresence “white
glove” (our VNOC) services.
Other
proprietary features and services include call forwarding, the video call
distributor, unassisted incoming and outgoing gateway calling,
bridging-on-demand meeting rooms, least-cost international call routing,
web-based scheduling, video endpoint authentication via LDAP servers, firewall
traversal services, customer information center, data collection and statistical
analysis tools. Many of these features and services are the subject of patented
and patent-pending technology (
see
below
)
and
were developed to offer a unique set of video communication capabilities,
services and features that are difficult for any competitor to
match.
Hardware
Interoperability
We
are
hardware agnostic. Therefore, we strive to ensure that our managed video
services work with any available standards-based videoconferencing equipment.
Through the Glowpoint Certification Program, we test and assess new equipment,
options and configurations for use throughout our network. The program sets
strict standards for equipment performance and service levels. Customers can
be
assured that Glowpoint-certified products conform to the highest standards
of
compliancy as well as interoperability with other leading manufacturers of
similar products. Our certification team has created a comprehensive testing
and
evaluation methodology requiring that each manufacturer’s class of video
communications equipment meet or exceed performance, reliability and
interoperability levels in the areas of video, audio, data, feature and
capability set. We maintain a close relationship with all of the leading video
equipment manufacturers, such as Polycom, Tandberg, Sony, Cisco, Life Size
and
Radvision, and provide each of them with information about their products’
performance.
Patents
and Patents-Pending
Because
we were the first dedicated IP-video service provider, the development of our
network architecture and video applications resulted in a significant amount
of
intellectual property - from real-time rating and billing for video calls to
video call center applications for customer support. In 2007, we received our
first patent and a number of others have been filed and are in various stages
of
the patent process. This patented and patent-pending proprietary technology
provides an important barrier for competitive offerings of similar
telephony-like managed video services. We are unique and, given our proprietary
technology, believe we are especially well positioned to partner with
telecommunications carriers, virtual private network providers, equipment
manufacturers, resellers and other companies focused on integrating innovative
and high quality video solutions into their product mix.
As
mentioned above, we were recently awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,200,213 B2 for
our
live video operator assistance feature. This patented technology provides
customers the ability to obtain live, face-to-face assistance and has widespread
application, from general video call assistance to “video concierge” services.
This patent is an essential component of providing “expert on demand” and
telepresence “white glove” (our VNOC) services. We believe this patent helps
solidify our position as the leader in developing solutions that make video
communications a critical business application for our customers.
We
have
substantial intellectual property with regard to two-way video communications.
Due to resource prioritization matters, we have only pursued those patent
applications we believe are the most strategic. The following is a brief
description of our pending patents and their role in our managed video service
offering:
·
Video
Call Director
- When
you place a voice telephone call, you expect some resolution of it - a completed
call, a busy signal, or a message that you dialed the wrong number. In the
IP-video world, we do not believe that this functionality existed before
Glowpoint. Customers placing IP video calls would receive cryptic error codes
or
invalid network error messages. We developed the Video Call Director technology
to intelligently redirect calls based on various conditions. The technology
is
deployed as “Lisa”, our video call assistant. Now, when a Glowpoint customer
places a video call that does not connect, he is greeted with an interactive
video message from “Lisa” explaining some reasons and offering him the option of
reaching a live video operator for assistance. The ability to intelligently
route video calls based on various conditions lends itself to numerous other
capabilities and services, including video mailbox, follow-me video numbers
(see
below), and video call transfers and forwarding.
·
Method
and Process for the Glowpoint Video Call Distributor
- Our
video call distributor technology permits businesses to route real-time, two-way
video calls over an IP network using a call management system (e.g., a
traditional PBX-based automatic call distribution system) that may serve
multiple possible endpoints (for example, a call center environment). This
video
call distributor integrates the features and services of traditional voice
call
distribution systems with video calls. It is built on previously patented
Glowpoint technology as well as new technology developed specifically for this
solution, which is marketed as Glowpoint’s Customer Connect offering. We believe
this patent-pending technology is a critical component of skills-based video
call centers, where video calls can be routed to the appropriate person based
on
predetermined skill sets or criteria. For example, in our previously mentioned
video banking pilot, this patent-pending technology has been used to route
video
calls to English and Spanish speaking video bankers depending on a selection
made at the remote branch location.
·
Method
and Process for Consolidated Video Call Detail Records (CDR)
- Many
of the individual video conferencing products have the ability to create their
own CDRs. However, in a service provider environment with many independent
products supporting a complex suite of services, the ability to gather and
provide call details in a consolidated manner did not, to our knowledge, exist.
Without that capability, it would be virtually impossible to bill customers
for
usage-based video calls, and difficult to run a video communications business.
Therefore, we developed the technology and method for automatically gathering
video call details. Even though we provide unlimited usage across the Glowpoint
network, the technology has been applied to expanded uses, including providing
customers with online call detail, specialized utilization reports, stewardship
reports, and tracking unique billing codes to every video call. This
patent-pending technology has been instrumental in selling our managed video
services to law firms, consultants and professional services
customers.
·
Method
and Process for Video over IP Network Management
- When
Glowpoint was launched, we found no network existed at the time to support
high
quality two-way video communications. As a result, we developed a highly
sophisticated network that included our backbone network architecture and our
video network architecture. We combined off the shelf components with
proprietary design and technology to create the world’s first dedicated IP video
network. In addition to the method and process for building this network, we
developed and deployed unique testing tools that enable us to closely monitor
key metrics associated with successful high quality video communications. With
the introduction of HD and telepresence, there are increased concerns carrying
this video traffic with data traffic on the same network. We believe this
underscores the need to carry video communications on Glowpoint’s patent-pending
dedicated IP video network.
·
Systems
and Method for Video Transport Services (Service Provider Based Firewall
Traversal)
- Our
initial product offering included customers using our video applications and
managed network services as a completely outsourced solution for all video
communications. However, as convergence (using one network for data, voice
and
video) gained acceptance, we were asked by customers to support a hybrid
solution, where some video endpoints remained on the customer’s network but
other locations and the video application services (multi-point conferencing,
gateway to ISDN, etc.) were provided across Glowpoint’s network. In order to
accommodate the need to traverse the customer’s network in a secure fashion, we
developed our Video Transport Service (VTS) specifically to provide firewall
traversal solutions in a managed service offering. While individual firewall
traversal products can be purchased from various hardware manufacturers, we
believe our patent-pending technology is the first complete service
solution.
·
Systems
and Method for Automated Routing of Incoming and Outgoing Video Calls between
IP
and ISDN network
-
Even
though adoption of IP video has seen a surge recently, a significant portion
of
video communications users in the world still utilize legacy ISDN networks.
Early on, we wanted to ensure that the migration from ISDN to IP would be
painless and we understood the need to be able to seamlessly connect IP users
with ISDN systems around the world. We believe Glowpoint is still the only
service that assigns real phone numbers to customers that enable them to simply
dial the phone number to “gateway” from their IP system on Glowpoint to ISDN
systems. In addition, Glowpoint customers can be called directly from virtually
any ISDN video system or even a phone anywhere in the world. This patent-pending
automated call routing capability has been leveraged to provide a least cost
gateway to customers, routing the call to the most inexpensive gateway exit
point off the Glowpoint network before entering the PSTN/ISDN
network.
·
Video
Communications Control System/Parental Control
- In
late 2005, Glowpoint introduced IVE (Instant Video Everywhere), a software-based
video service that works with a simple web camera over the Internet. During
the
development and market research it became apparent that the early adopters
of
consumer based two-way video communications would be teenagers and young adults.
Given that demographic and the recent proliferation of tools to help parents
control what websites are visited by their children, we felt that parental
control of two-way video communications was a logical requirement as video
communications became more mainstream. This patent-pending technology leverages
existing parental control codes and guidelines to restrict video calls from
being placed or received from blocked callers. It also permits parents to
establish a “friends and family” directory of allowable video numbers that can
be called. While currently ahead of its time, we believe this patent-pending
technology will be valuable in the future.
·
Method
and Process for Follow-Me Video Phone Number
- Our
IVE (Instant Video Everywhere) product offering was intended to enable traveling
business people to stay connected by video wherever they go. These “road
warriors” could log into IVE from a hotel room, airport lounge, or anywhere else
a quality broadband connection was available, and place and receive video calls.
In order to enhance the experience and integration with the video systems in
their offices, Glowpoint developed technology to create a Follow-Me Video number
capability. Essentially, the user has one video phone number and, if logged
into
IVE, the video call will automatically route there instead of the video system
in the user’s office. This patent-pending technology allows our customer to have
one video number, one video mailbox, and yet literally be reached by video
anywhere in the world.
Sales
and Marketing
We
market
and sell our managed video services to a broad range of businesses in many
industries through both direct and indirect sales channels. As noted above
(see
“Overview -
Industry
Overview
”),
videoconferencing equipment manufacturers, equipment resellers, audio/visual
integrators, and network providers have expanded our indirect sales channels.
Many of the complex solutions sought in today’s market have created new and
unique opportunities for the sale of Glowpoint services. We also continue to
diversify our lead generation and sales efforts by integrating these indirect
sales channels with aggressive internal lead generation programs and vertical
industry focused marketing and promotional efforts. No matter the lead
generation, sales or distribution channel, our goal is to provide all with
a
world-class service, sales and collateral materials, training, and management
tools to reduce barriers and increase our return on investment against our
sales, marketing and promotional efforts.
One
of
our main sales challenges has been that video communications is not generally
perceived as a critical application for most companies. This has resulted in
historically moderate growth and longer sales cycles. Recognizing this, we
set
out to create new markets where video communications plays a critical role
in
business practices. Two areas we have focused on are the legal and
broadcast/media sectors. Law firms have been using video conferencing for years,
but poor performance and the difficulty of associating its usage to clients
prevented widespread utilization and growth in the sector. Glowpoint introduced
a legal industry-focused video solution in 2005, which combined Glowpoint’s
high-quality managed video services with special billing features that enable
law firms to enter a client/matter billing code before placing a video call.
This innovation established Glowpoint as a key component of many law firms’
communication infrastructures and translated into more sales
success.
For
the
broadcast/media industry, we recognized its need to acquire more content and
do
so more cost effectively. Therefore, we introduced a highly managed and
supported service that has been utilized to acquire video content for
broadcasters, cable companies and other media enterprises, especially in the
sports, news and entertainment industries. Rather than utilizing an expensive
satellite feed, companies can acquire broadcast-quality standard definition
(SD)
and high definition (HD) content over a dedicated Glowpoint IP connection at
a
fraction of the cost. The initial SD use of Glowpoint in the broadcast sector
was in 2002 when we provided this service to ESPN during the NFL and NBA Drafts.
ESPN has used it for interviews from team locations with coaches, players and
analysts during their coverage of the drafts every year since 2002. In 2007,
we
launched a High Definition (HD) content acquisition solution that we branded
TeamCamHD and RemoteCamHD and announced a multi-year agreement with NASCAR
Images as the first customer to deploy this solution, which will be utilized
to
provide the NASCAR industry the ability to acquire content, such as driver
interviews between races, which may then be distributed to key media outlets
for
television broadcast. This sales focus on the broadcast/media sector translated
into approximately a 67% revenue growth rate from 2005 to 2006.
Our
current plans include mining our existing customer base for additional sales,
targeting select market segments that have shown the greatest promise (e.g.,
legal and broadcast/media), focusing on “business-to-business-to-consumer”
(“B2B2C”) applications and telepresence support services, strengthening our
indirect sales channel relationships, and continued conversion of ISDN users.
Depending on the source, anywhere from 50% to 70% of installed video systems
are
still using legacy ISDN services. Considering that there are an estimated
500,000 to 1,000,000 video systems in the United States alone, we believe there
is still a huge untapped market available to convert to Glowpoint IP services.
We will continue to create sales programs designed to convince legacy ISDN
users
to migrate to IP, which may include bundles with resellers, where equipment
and
services are sold to the customer as one package.
The
decision about what network or service to use is generally made at the same
time
a customer purchases video conferencing equipment. Because we do not sell video
equipment, we have not been included in a number of opportunities at the point
of sale. The only way to ensure Glowpoint is involved at the point of sale
is
through the indirect channel, mostly made up of companies that also sell video
equipment. Glowpoint initiated a campaign in May 2006 to re-energize that sales
channel and reestablish relationships. The result was an increase from 10%
of
new sales coming through that channel prior to May 2006 to approximately 40%
of
new sales from June through December 2006 coming through that
channel.
We
view
the B2B2C opportunities as the most exciting, and likely most “disruptive”, in
the market. While the Glowpoint products and service have tremendous potential
in the consumer market, we are not currently positioned to realize that
potential. Therefore, we are developing and marketing solutions to other
businesses where the ultimate user is that business’ customer. An example of
this is video banking, where a bank is currently using Glowpoint’s patented and
patent-pending technology to sell services to customers at branch office
locations from a central video banking call center. By going to market with
a
B2B2C offering, we can reap the benefits of consumers using our managed video
services without the expense and risk of trying to reach out to them
directly.
Customers
We
have a
stable, growing customer base of over 625 customers ranging from Fortune 100
companies to federal, state, and municipal governmental entities to businesses
and service professionals (e.g., accountants and lawyers) to non-profit
organizations. Our top ten current market segments at the end of 2006, listed
in
order of contribution to revenue, are: legal and law enforcement, approximately
17% of revenue; governmental entities (local, state and federal), 15%;
broadcast/media, 11%; banking and finance, 9%; manufacturing, 6%; healthcare
and
medicine, 6%; services (including consulting), 5%; food and beverage, 5%;
engineering and construction, 5%; and education, 4%. All revenue percentages
are
approximations. No single customer accounts for more than 10% of our revenue
or
accounts receivable.
Employees
As
of
December 31, 2006, we had 59 full-time employees. Of these employees, 10 are
involved in backbone engineering and development, 21 in customer service and
operations, 14 in sales and marketing and 14 in corporate functions. None of
our
employees is represented by a labor union. We believe that our employee
relations are good.
Competition
For
the
sale of our video application services and managed network services, we mainly
compete against telecommunications carriers, VPN service providers, and
videoconferencing equipment resellers. Many of our competitors have greater
resources than we do, including, without limitation, financial, engineering,
personnel, intellectual property, research and development, and network.
Telecommunications carriers, such as AT&T, Verizon Business/MCI, Sprint and
some of the regional Bell operating companies, mainly compete on the basis
of
offering network and a converged solution of data, voice and video. VPN service
providers and smaller regional network providers, such as Masergy
Communications, XO Communications, and SAVVIS, are all capable of supporting
video over their networks, but do not offer video services directly. Typically,
these providers partner with a video service provider, such as Wire One/VSPAN
or
IVCI, to compete directly with us. These relationships generally are not
exclusive and we have been able to partner with a number of would-be competitors
with the intent of selling our video application services to be delivered over
their networks. Glowpoint-enabled third party networks is one way Glowpoint
ensures it can work closely with carriers and customers to deliver video
services even if Glowpoint’s network is not selected. Some videoconferencing
equipment resellers have opted to create their own video services offering,
using third party networks (such as Savvis or Masergy) to sell video services
at
the equipment point of sale. We do not believe that any of these offerings
have
the full range and scope of services that Glowpoint offers.
For
our
multi-point conferencing services, we compete against other multi-point
conferencing providers, many of whom also have greater resources than we do,
including, without limitation, financial, engineering, personnel, intellectual
property, research and development, and network. In addition to the
above-mentioned telecommunications carriers, competitors include audio
conferencing companies that have added video functionality, such as InterCall
(a
subsidiary of West Corporation), ACT Teleconferencing, Genesys Conferencing,
and
Wire One/VSPAN. We believe these competitors are still heavily dependent on
ISDN
and have little or no expertise in IP video. By combining our managed video
service with our multi-point conferencing services, we offer tremendous
performance and cost savings to our customers that we believe is difficult,
if
not nearly impossible, for the competition to match at this time.
We
compete primarily on the basis of our:
·
|
sole
focus on two-way video
communications;
|
·
|
breadth
of service offerings;
|
·
|
full
support of all industry standards;
|
·
|
unique
custom built applications and
services;
|
·
|
global
network presence;
|
·
|
knowledgeable
video service and training personnel; and
|
·
|
commitment
to world-class customer service and
support.
|
More
than
just a provider of bandwidth for video communications, we have developed a
comprehensive approach to significantly improve video communications so that
it
can become an integral tool for business communications. We not only designed
a
network specifically for two-way video communications but also have continued
to
develop proprietary network applications that ensure a high quality, reliable
and easy-to-use experience. Glowpoint supports any standards-based
videoconferencing equipment and, through our certification program, we have
developed expertise in the area of hardware interoperability across IP networks.
Our value-added services include video operators, multi-point video conferencing
(bridging), seamless connectivity from IP to ISDN (gateway services), on-line
real-time billing and a call detail portal. Our services offer subscribers
substantially reduced transmission costs and superior video communications
quality, remote monitoring and management of all video endpoint subscriber
locations utilizing SNMP for products that support SNMP, video streaming,
firewall transport services and VNOC support for telepresence rooms.
We
believe that our ability to compete successfully will depend on a number of
factors both within and outside of our control, including the adoption and
evolution of technologies relating to our business, the pricing policies of
competitors and suppliers, the ability to hire and retain key technical and
management personnel, the availability of adequate working capital to fund
our
sales and marketing plans, and industry and general economic
conditions.
Available
Information
We
are
subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended, and its rules and regulations. The Securities Exchange Act requires
us
to file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC.
Copies of these periodic reports, proxy statements and other information can
be
inspected and copied at:
SEC
Public Reference Room
100
F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
You
may
obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling
the
SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also obtain copies of any material we have filed
with the SEC by mail at prescribed rates from:
Public
Reference Section
Securities
and Exchange Commission
100
F
Street N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
You
may
obtain these materials electronically by accessing the SEC’s website on the
Internet at
www.sec.gov
.
In
addition, we make available, free of charge, on our internet website, our annual
report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form
8-K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably
practicable after we electronically file this material with, or furnish it
to,
the SEC. You may review these documents on our website at
www.glowpoint.com
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
Glowpoint’s
business faces numerous risks, including those set forth below or those
described elsewhere in this Form 10-K Annual Report or in our other filings
with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks described below are not the
only risks that we face, nor are they necessarily listed in order of
significance. Other risks and uncertainties may also affect our business. Any
of
these risks may have a material adverse effect on Glowpoint’s business,
financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.
Risks
Relating To Our Securities
We
need future capital to refinance our existing obligations and for working
capital. If we are able to raise additional capital, it may dilute our existing
stockholders or restrict our ability to operate our
business
.
If
we are unable to refinance our existing obligations, it would have a material
adverse effect on the Company
.
Our
working capital requirements continue to be significant. To date, we have been
dependent primarily on the net proceeds of private placements of convertible
debt and equity securities. Our 10% Senior Secured Convertible Notes (“10%
Notes”) issued in March and April 2006 in aggregate principal amount of
$6,180,000, together with additional notes issued to satisfy the quarterly
interest payments (“10% Interest Notes”), mature in September 2007. We are
currently evaluating options with regard to the 10% Notes and 10% Interest
Notes. Options include renegotiating the terms and maturity date and issuing
new
debt or equity to repay the 10% Notes and 10% Interest Notes. If we are unable
to renegotiate the maturity of the 10% Notes and 10% Interest Notes or issue
new
securities on favorable terms to repay them, it would have a material adverse
effect on the Company and we would not have sufficient funds to continue as
a
going concern.
Furthermore,
our working capital requirements depend and will continue to depend on numerous
factors, including the timing of revenues, the expense involved in development
of our products, realizing cost reductions on our technology, and the cost
involved in protecting our proprietary rights. Accordingly, assuming we are
able
to refinance or renegotiate the maturity of the 10% Notes and the 10% Interest
Notes, the proceeds from our recent financing and our other existing capital
resources may not be sufficient to fund our future operations. We currently
have
no committed sources of, or other arrangements with respect to, additional
financing. If additional working capital is required, it may dilute our existing
stockholders or restrict our ability to run our business.
Our
financial statements are prepared assuming we are a going concern.
T
he
accompanying financial statements do not include any adjustments that might
result from being
unable
to raise the necessary additional capital, renegotiate or refinance the 10%
Notes, and realize projected operational savings.
Our
consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will
continue as a going concern. Since inception, we have incurred recurring
operating losses and negative operating cash flows, including a net loss
attributable to common shareholders of $11,137,000 and negative operating cash
flows of $4,694,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. At December 31,
2006 we had cash and cash equivalents of $2,153,000, a working capital deficit
of $11,868,000, and an accumulated deficit of $172,623,000. Additionally,
the 10% Notes and the 10% Interest Notes mature in September 2007. The foregoing
factors, among others, raise substantial doubt as to our ability to continue
as
a going concern. In 2006, we implemented a corporate restructuring plan designed
to reduce certain operating, sales and marketing and general and administrative
costs (see Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements for further
information). We raised capital in March and April of 2006, but continue
to sustain losses and negative operating cash flows. Assuming we realize
all of the savings from our restructured operating activities, assuming we
are
able to negotiate favorable terms with the authorities regarding our sales
and
use taxes and regulatory fees (see Note 6 to the consolidated financial
statements for further information) and assuming we are able to renegotiate
or
refinance the 10% Notes and the 10% Interest Notes (see Note 9 to the
consolidated financial statements for further information), we believe that
our
available capital as of December 31, 2006 will enable us to continue as a going
concern during 2007. There are no assurances, however, that those
assumptions will be realized. The accompanying financial statements do not
include any adjustments that might result from this uncertainty. The
potential adjustments that might result include:
|
·
|
Substantial
disposition of assets outside the ordinary course of
business;
|
|
·
|
Externally
forced revisions of our operations or similar actions;
and
|
|
·
|
Restructuring
of our debt or a reorganization of our
business.
|
We
have reported weaknesses in our internal controls for financial reporting.
If we
fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able
to
accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current
and potential stockholders may not be confident in our financial reporting,
which would harm our business and the price of our common
stock.
Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports
and
effectively prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports
or
prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed.
We
may be required to issue more shares of common stock upon adjustment of the
conversion price of our outstanding Series B convertible preferred stock and
the
10% Notes or the exercise price of our outstanding warrants, resulting in
dilution of our existing stockholders.
The
conversion or exercise of some or all of our outstanding preferred stock, 10%
Notes, options and warrants will dilute the ownership interests of our
stockholders. If we sell common stock or common stock equivalents at a price
per
share that is below the then-applicable conversion price of our outstanding
Series B convertible preferred stock, the 10% Notes and/or below the
then-applicable exercise price of certain of our outstanding warrants, then
the
conversion price or exercise price, as the case may be, of such securities
may
adjust downward and, as a result, the amount of shares of common stock issuable
upon conversion or exercise of such securities would increase. As a result
of
the foregoing, we may be required to issue more shares of common stock than
previously anticipated which would result in the dilution of our existing
stockholders.
Sales
of substantial amounts of common stock in the public market could reduce the
market price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us and our
stockholders to sell our equity securities in the
future.
Under
the
terms of the prior financings, including the Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement
in March/April 2006 and the Common Stock Purchase Agreement in February 2004,
a
substantial number of shares of our common stock must be registered for resale.
Resale of a significant number of these shares into the public market, once
registered, could depress the trading price of our common stock and make it
more
difficult for our stockholders to sell equity securities in the future. In
addition, to the extent other restricted shares become freely available for
sale, whether through an effective registration statement or under Rule 144
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or if we issue
additional shares that might be or become freely available for sale, our stock
price could decrease.
Although
the sale of these additional shares to the public might increase the liquidity
of our stockholders’ investments, the increase in the number of shares available
for public sale could drive the price of our common stock down, thus reducing
the value of your investment and perhaps hindering our ability to raise
additional funds in the future.
We
do not believe the Series B warrants are exercisable. If our position is
challenged and we do not prevail, there will be significant
dilution.
In
connection with our March/April 2006 financing, we issued Series B warrants
to
purchase 6,180,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per
share. The Series B warrants only become exercisable if we fail to achieve
positive operating income in the fourth quarter of 2006, excluding certain
restructuring and non-cash charges identified in such warrant. While we reported
positive operating income, excluding those restructuring and non-cash charges
identified on Schedule A to the Series B warrants, as amended, for the fourth
quarter of 2006 and do not believe the Series B warrants are exercisable, there
can be no assurance that the Series B warrant holders will not challenge our
results. In the event of a challenge and an adverse outcome against us,
6,180,000 shares of common stock may be issued for one cent per share and there
will be significant dilution.
We
do not intend to pay any dividends on our common
stock.
We
have
not declared and paid any dividends on our common stock and we do not intend
to
declare and pay any dividends on our common stock. Earnings, if any, will be
re-invested in our business. We have dividend payment obligations on our
Series B convertible preferred stock which has priority in the payment of
the dividends over our common stock.
We
expect our future operating results to vary from quarter to quarter, and
increase the likelihood that we may fail to meet the expectations of securities
analysts and investors at any given time.
We
expect
our revenues and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to
quarter. In addition, the Company will be required to incur interest expense
until conversion of the 10% Notes or Series B preferred stock into common stock
at the time of, and to the extent of, such conversion. We also expect that
our
operating results could vary significantly from quarter to quarter based on
changes to the estimated fair value of the derivative liabilities related to
the
Series A warrants, the conversion feature of the 10% Notes and the 2004
Financing. The derivative liabilities are calculated using the Black-Scholes
formula and such estimates are revalued at each balance sheet date, with changes
in value at some time recorded as other income or other expense. As a result
of
each of the foregoing, quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our revenues, interest
expense and operating results may not be meaningful. In addition, due to our
stage of development, we cannot predict our future revenues or results of
operations accurately. It is possible that in one or more future quarters our
operating results will fall below the expectations of securities analysts and
investors. If this happens, the trading price of our common stock may decline.
Our
common stock is thinly traded and subject to volatile price
fluctuations.
We
may be subject to litigation resulting from common stock volatility and other
factors, which may result in substantial costs and a diversion of our
management’s attention and resources and could have a negative effect on our
business and results of operations.
The
stock
market has, from time to time, experienced extreme price and volume
fluctuations. Many factors caused, and may in the future cause, the market
price
for our common stock to decline, perhaps substantially, including (without
limitation) demand for our common stock, technological innovations by
competitors or in competing technologies, investor perception of our industry
or
our prospects, or general technological or economic trends. In the past,
companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock
have been the subject of securities class action litigation. As a result, we
may
be involved in a securities class action litigation in the future. Such
litigation often results in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s
attention and resources and could have a negative effect on our business and
results of operation.
Penny
stock regulations may impose certain restrictions on the marketability of our
securities.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) has adopted regulations
which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market
price (as defined) less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions.
Our
common stock is presently subject to these regulations which impose additional
sales practice requirements on
broker-dealers who sell such securities to persons other than established
customers and accredited investors (generally those with assets in excess of
$1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000, or $300,000 together with their
spouse). For transactions covered by these rules, the broker-dealer must make
a
special suitability determination for the purchase of such securities and have
received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to the
purchase. Additionally, for any transaction involving a “penny stock”, unless
exempt, the rules require the delivery, prior to the transaction, of a risk
disclosure document mandated by the Commission relating to the “penny stock”
market. The broker-dealer must also disclose the commission payable to both
the
broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the
securities and, if the broker-dealer is the sole market maker, the broker-dealer
must disclose this fact and the broker-dealer’s presumed control over the
market. Finally, monthly statements must be sent disclosing recent price
information for the “penny stock” held in the account and information on the
limited market in “penny stocks”. Consequently, the “penny stock
”
rules
may
restrict
the
ability of broker
-dealers
to sell our securities and may negatively affect the ability of purchasers
of
our shares of common stock to sell such securities.
Risks
Related to Our Business
Our
history of substantial net losses may continue indefinitely and may make it
difficult to fund our operations.
Glowpoint
was formed by the merger of All Communications Corporation and View Tech, Inc.
in May 2000. We reported a substantial loss from operations in 2000, 2001,
2002,
2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. We cannot assure you that we will achieve revenue
growth or profitability or generate positive cash flow on a quarterly or annual
basis in the future, or at all. If we do not become profitable in the future,
the value of our common stock may be adversely impacted and we could have
difficulty obtaining funds to continue our operations.
Our
success is highly dependent on the evolution of our overall market.
The
market for video communication services is evolving rapidly. Although certain
industry analysts project significant growth for this market, their projections
may not be realized. Our Glowpoint network service utilizes IP (H.323) standards
and provide high quality video communications. As a result, our future growth,
if any, will depend on a desire for higher quality video communications and
the
continued trend of businesses to migrate to IP-based standards and away from
the
older, less reliable Integrated Services Digital Network (“ISDN”) technology.
Additionally, our future growth depends on acceptance and adoption of video
communications. There can be no assurance that the market for our services
will
grow, that our services will be adopted, that customers will desire higher
quality, or that businesses will use IP-based videoconferencing equipment or
our
IP subscriber network. If we are unable to react quickly to changes in the
market, if the market fails to develop, or develops more slowly than expected,
or if our services do not achieve market acceptance, then we are unlikely to
become or remain profitable.
Our
future plans could be adversely affected if we are unable to attract or retain
key personnel.
We
have
attracted a highly skilled management team and specialized workforce. Our future
success is dependant in part on attracting and retaining qualified management
and technical personnel. Our inability to hire qualified personnel on a timely
basis, or the departure of key employees, could materially and adversely affect
our business development and therefore, our business, prospects, results of
operations and financial condition.
We
may have difficulty managing our growth.
If
we
successfully increase our sales substantially, we expect to hire more employees
and expand our operations. This growth may place a strain on our management,
our
operations and our systems. Our ability to manage this growth will depend upon
our ability to broaden our management team and our ability to attract, hire
and
retain skilled employees. Our success will also depend on the ability of our
officers and key employees to continue to implement and improve our operational,
financial and other systems, to manage multiple customer relationships
concurrently, and to hire, train and manage our employees. Our future success
is
dependent upon growth. If we cannot scale our business appropriately or
otherwise adapt to this growth, a key part of our strategy may not be
successful.
Our
gross revenue may decline significantly during 2007 due to the planned decline
of our ISDN resale business, attributable in part to the cessation of a customer
contract.
We
resell
ISDN and other services to Tandberg, from whom we acquired our ISDN resale
business in April 2004 (formerly known as “NuVision”). While we resell ISDN
services to many customers, in the year ended December 31, 2006, approximately
50% of our resold ISDN revenues, or $1,265,000, were from Tandberg, which is
approximately 6.5% of our total gross revenues. Pursuant to the terms of
the April 2004 purchase, as amended, Tandberg was contractually obligated to
exclusively purchase certain enumerated services from us through January 31,
2007. While Tandberg has informed us that it will continue to purchase
services from us after January 31, 2007, Tandberg does intend to transfer its
business from Glowpoint, which may occur at any time. Because this revenue
is our lowest margin revenue, however, we expect our overall gross margin
percentage to increase once we lose this gross revenue. Additionally, we are
actively considering whether to sell, transfer or just discontinue our ISDN
resale business.
If
our actual liability for sales and use taxes and regulatory fees is different
from our accrued liability, it could have a material impact on our financial
condition.
Sales
and
use taxes and regulatory fees are supposed to be, or are routinely, collected
from customers and remitted to the applicable authorities in certain
circumstances. Historically, we were not properly collecting and remitting
all
such taxes and regulatory fees and, as a result, have accrued a liability.
We
used estimates when accruing our sales and use tax and regulatory fee liability,
including interest and penalties, and assumed, among other things, various
credits we expect to receive from taxing authorities and/or our underlying
service providers. All of our tax positions are subject to audit and a number
of
taxing authorities have already scheduled audits to commence in 2007. While
we
believe all of our estimates and assumptions are reasonable and will be
sustained upon audit, actual liabilities and credits may differ significantly.
If so, it may materially impact our financial condition, negatively if we
underestimated our liability or positively if we overestimated our liability.
Our
failure to obtain or maintain the right to use certain intellectual property
may
negatively affect our business.
Our
future success and competitive position depends in part upon our ability to
obtain or maintain certain proprietary intellectual property to be used in
connection with our services. This may be achieved in part by prosecuting claims
against others who we believe are infringing on our rights and by defending
claims of intellectual property infringement by our competitors. While we are
not currently engaged in any intellectual property litigation, we could become
subject to lawsuits in which it is alleged that we have infringed the
intellectual property rights of others or we could commence lawsuits against
others who we believe are infringing upon our rights. Our involvement in
intellectual property litigation could result in significant expense to us,
adversely affecting the development of sales of the challenged product or
intellectual property and diverting the efforts of our technical and management
personnel, whether or not such litigation is resolved in our favor.
In
the
event of an adverse outcome as a defendant in any such litigation, we may,
among
other things, be required to: pay
substantial
damages; cease the development, use or sale of services that infringe upon
other
patented intellectual property; expend significant resources to develop or
acquire non-infringing intellectual property; discontinue the use or
incorporation of infringing technology; or obtain licenses to the infringing
intellectual property.
We
cannot
assure you that we would be successful in such development or acquisition or
that such licenses would be available upon reasonable terms. Any such
development, acquisition or license could require the expenditure of substantial
time and other resources and could have a negative effect on our business and
financial results.
An
adverse outcome as plaintiff, in addition to the costs involved, may, among
other things, result in the loss of the intellectual property (such as a patent)
that was the subject of the lawsuit by a determination of invalidity or
unenforceability, significantly increase competition as a result of such
determination, and require the payment of penalties resulting from counterclaims
by the defendant.
We
may not be able to protect the rights to our intellectual
property
Failure
to protect our existing intellectual property rights may result in the loss
of
our exclusivity or the right to use our technologies. If we do not adequately
ensure our freedom to use certain technology, we may have to pay others for
rights to use their intellectual property, pay damages for infringement or
misappropriation and/or be enjoined from using such intellectual property.
We
rely on patent, trade secret, trademark and copyright law to protect our
intellectual property. Some of our intellectual property is not covered by
any
patent or patent application. As we further develop our services and related
intellectual property, we expect to seek additional patent protection. Our
patent position is subject to complex factual and legal issues that may give
rise to uncertainty as to the validity, scope and enforceability of a particular
patent. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that: any of the patents owned by
us
or other patents that other parties license to us in the future will not be
invalidated, circumvented, challenged, rendered unenforceable or licensed to
others; any of our pending or future patent applications will be issued with
the
breadth of claim coverage sought by us, if issued at all; or any patents owned
by or licensed to us, although valid, will not be dominated by a patent or
patents to others having broader claims. Additionally, effective patent,
trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable, limited
or
not applied for in certain foreign countries.
We
also
seek to protect our proprietary intellectual property, including intellectual
property that may not be patented or patentable, in part by confidentiality
agreements. We cannot assure you that these agreements will not be breached,
that we will have adequate remedies for any breach or that such persons will
not
assert rights to intellectual property arising out of these
relationships.
We
depend upon our network providers and facilities infrastructure.
Our
success depends upon our ability to implement, expand and adapt our national
network infrastructure and support services to accommodate an increasing amount
of video traffic and evolving customer requirements at an acceptable cost.
This
has required and will continue to require that we enter into agreements with
providers of infrastructure capacity, equipment, facilities and support services
on an ongoing basis. We cannot assure you that any of these agreements can
be
obtained on satisfactory terms and conditions. We also anticipate that future
expansions and adaptations of our network infrastructure facilities may be
necessary in order to respond to growth in the number of customers served.
We
depend upon suppliers and have limited sources of supply for some services.
We
rely
on other companies to supply some components of our network infrastructure
and
the means to access our network. Some of the products and services that we
resell and certain components that we require for our network are available
only
from limited sources. We could be adversely affected if such sources were to
become unavailable to us on commercially reasonable terms. We cannot assure
you
that, on an ongoing basis, we will be able to obtain third-party services
cost-effectively and on the scale and within the timeframes we require, or
at
all. Failure to obtain or to continue to make use of such third-party services
would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
Our
network could fail, which could negatively impact our revenues.
Our
success depends upon our ability to deliver reliable, high-speed access to
our
partners’ data centers and upon the ability and willingness of our
telecommunications providers to deliver reliable, high-speed telecommunications
service through their networks. Our network and facilities, and other networks
and facilities providing services to us, are vulnerable to damage, unauthorized
access, or cessation of operations from human error and tampering, breaches
of
security, fires, earthquakes, severe storms, power losses, telecommunications
failures, software defects, intentional acts of vandalism including computer
viruses, and similar events, particularly if the events occur within a high
traffic location of the network or at one of our data centers. The occurrence
of
a natural disaster or other unanticipated problems at the network operations
center, key sites at which we locate routers, switches and other computer
equipment that make up the backbone of our network infrastructure, or at one
or
more of our partners’ data centers, could substantially and adversely impact our
business. We cannot assure you that we will not experience failures or shutdowns
relating to individual facilities or even catastrophic failure of the entire
network. Any damage to or failure of our systems or service providers could
result in reductions in, or terminations of, services supplied to our customers,
which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our
network depends upon telecommunications carriers who could limit or deny us
access to their network or fail to perform, which would have a material adverse
effect on our business.
We
rely
upon the ability and willingness of certain telecommunications carriers and
other corporations to provide us with reliable high-speed telecommunications
service through their networks. If these telecommunications carriers and other
corporations decide not to continue to provide service to us through their
networks on substantially the same terms and conditions (including, without
limitation, price, early termination liability, and installation interval),
if
at all, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, results of operations, and ability to even provide service.
Additionally, many of our service level objectives are dependent upon
satisfactory performance by our telecommunications carriers. If they fail to
so
perform, it may have a material adverse effect on our business.
We
compete in a highly competitive market and many of our competitors have greater
financial resources and established relationships with major corporate
customers.
The
video
communications industry is highly competitive. A number of telecommunications
carriers and other corporations, including AT&T, Verizon Business/MCI,
Sprint, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard, have entered into the video communications
industry. Many of these organizations have substantially greater financial
and
other resources than us, furnish some of the same services provided by us,
and
have established relationships with major corporate customers that have policies
of purchasing directly from them. We believe that as the demand for video
communications systems continues to increase, additional competitors, many
of
which may have greater resources than us, will continue to enter the video
communications market.
Our
Glowpoint managed video services have limited market awareness.
Our
Glowpoint video communications offering was introduced in December 2000 and
was
only a small part of our operations until the sale of our video solutions
business in September 2003. Our future success will be dependent in significant
part on our ability to generate demand for our Glowpoint managed video services
and professional services. To this end, our direct marketing and indirect sales
operations must increase market awareness of our service offering to generate
increased revenue. Our products and services require a sophisticated sales
effort targeted at the senior management of our prospective customers. All
new
hires will require training and will take time to achieve full productivity.
We
cannot be certain that our new hires will become as productive as necessary
or
that we will be able to hire enough qualified individuals or retain existing
employees in the future. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in
our
efforts to market and sell our products and services, and if we are not
successful in building market awareness and generating increased sales, future
results of operations will be adversely affected.
As
we expand our Glowpoint network and its use, any system failures or
interruptions in our network may cause loss of customers.
Our
success depends on the seamless, uninterrupted operation of our Glowpoint
network and on the management of traffic volumes and route preferences over
our
network. As we continue to expand our network to increase both its capacity
and
reach, and as traffic volume continues to increase, we will face increasing
demands and challenges in managing our capacity and traffic management systems.
Any prolonged failure of our network or other systems or hardware that causes
significant interruptions to our operations could seriously damage our
reputation and result in customer attrition and financial loss.
We
may be unable to adequately respond to rapid changes in technology.
The
market for our Glowpoint network and related services is characterized by
rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and frequent product
introductions. The introduction of products and services embodying new
technology and the emergence of new industry standards may render our existing
managed video services obsolete and unmarketable if we are unable to adapt
to
change. A significant factor in our ability to grow and to remain competitive
is
our ability to successfully introduce new products and services that embody
new
technology, anticipate and incorporate evolving industry standards and achieve
levels of functionality and price acceptable to the market. If our managed
video
services are unable to meet expectations or unable to keep pace with
technological changes in the video communication industry, our managed video
services could eventually become obsolete. We may be unable to allocate the
funds necessary to upgrade our managed video services as improvements in video
communication technologies are introduced. In the event that other companies
develop more technologically advanced networks, our competitive position
relative to such companies would be harmed.
We
incur significant accounting and other control costs that impact our financial
condition.
As
a
publicly traded corporation, we incur certain costs to comply with regulatory
requirements. If regulatory requirements were to become more stringent or if
controls thought to be effective later fail, we may be forced to make additional
expenditures, the amounts of which could be material. Some of our competitors
are privately owned so their accounting and control costs can be a competitive
disadvantage for us. Should our sales decline or if we are unsuccessful at
increasing prices to cover higher expenditures for internal controls and audits,
our costs associated with regulatory compliance will rise as a percentage of
sales.
Other
issues and uncertainties may include:
·
|
New
accounting pronouncements or changes in accounting policies;
and
|
·
|
Legislation
or other governmental action that detrimentally impacts our expenses
or
reduces sales by adversely affecting our
customers.
|
Item
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.