Glowpoint, an IP-based managed video communications service provider, recently announced that it has been awarded a multiyear contract to provide its Video Network Operations Center (VNOC) managed services for a world-leading electrical energy service provider. The energy company will also be interconnected to Glowpoint's Telepresence interExchange Network (TEN) to facilitate business-to-business telepresence and nontelepresence video calls and calling to other public video communities, such as systems connected via ISDN, the Internet and public rooms.

As part of the service agreement, Glowpoint will provide management of the client's telepresence rooms in seven countries and will provide access to Glowpoint's video and telepresence infrastructure, including bridges, gateways, and unified communication capabilities through Glowpoint's TEN video services fabric. Glowpoint is supporting this next generation of video use as a way to help businesses communicate with other business communities through managed services and exchange capabilities. Glowpoint's TEN is a suite of services and applications designed to overcome the challenges of using video outside of a company's private network, such as interconnectivity and interoperability.

Many organizations struggle with suboptimal, internally managed videoconferencing environments, where the user experience is poor and costs are not well controlled. As a result, many organizations are now evaluating the available options for delivering video as an externally managed service and the potential benefits such an approach can bring (see Gartner research note "Managed Videoconferencing Services").

High-end immersive video telepresence solutions are almost never sold without an accompanying managed-service wrap. In this case, the managed services are as important to maintaining the user experience as the quality of the image and sound. In addition, using telepresence to conduct intercompany meetings with business partners, clients and customers is an interesting proposition for many organizations today (see Gartner research note "MarketScope for Video Telepresence Solutions, 2008"). Identifying partners and providers, such as Glowpoint, that can deliver the infrastructure and managed services in support of intercompany video communications is an important next step for those organizations.