Glowpoint Signs Branded Telepresence Agreement

Glowpoint,
Inc. announced that it has signed a three-year agreement with one of the
world’s manufacturers of video communications equipment to use Glowpoint as an
underlying provider for a branded, managed service offering tailored
specifically for Telepresence rooms. The Video Network Operation Center (VNOC)
service is actually a suite of services that address the demand for a single
point of contact to provide scheduling, support, and management of Telepresence
rooms and the associated equipment.

“Telepresence”
is a term used to describe the next generation of video communications
solutions being marketed by the top manufacturers. 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 that participants feel
as though they are all sitting in the same physical room – even though they may
be continents apart.

“Glowpoint
has long held the belief that a large number of customers prefer to have a
managed solution for their own video infrastructure in order to maximize their
investment. This is especially true with Telepresence rooms,” said Michael
Brandofino, Glowpoint president and CEO. “The selection of Glowpoint by a major
global player in the video space is confirmation that manufacturers are seeing
the benefit of offering managed services bundled with their hardware solutions.
It is also validation that Glowpoint is best positioned to provide these
services on a global basis. In essence, Glowpoint provides a ‘white glove’
service for Telepresence rooms, thereby taking the support burden off of the
customer and increasing the ability of the Telepresence equipment vendor to
sell more rooms.”

The
agreement establishes Glowpoint as an underlying provider of the VNOC services,
and opens the door for Glowpoint to introduce its QOS (Quality of Service)
network offering as well, since Telepresence rooms have significant bandwidth
requirements. Glowpoint anticipates generating revenue from this relationship
beginning in the second calendar quarter of 2008, as the company expects to get
involved in opportunities with the manufacturer’s resellers starting in January
2008. The agreement is not exclusive and Glowpoint can continue to offer its
managed solutions for any of the other Telepresence equipment providers, such
as Cisco, Tandberg or HaiVision.