OREANDA-NEWS. September 22, 2014. MERLION, the largest Russian full-range distributor, and LifeSize, one of the world leaders in the market of videoconferencing systems, have signed a Distribution Agreement.

LifeSize specializes in development and promotion of solutions for videoconference connection and according to the Gartner analysts it is among the three world leading providers of videoconferencing solutions. Easy handling and low cost of ownership (accompanied by the high quality of transmitted signals) are traditionally considered to be the distinctive features of LifeSize developments. To this we can add a rapidly developing tendency to integration of a wide range of mobile devices into videoconferencing solutions.

LifeSize deals with promotion of not only traditional hardware-software videoconferencing systems but also that of cloud services for videoconferencing. In this regard we can emphasize such a specific feature of LifeSize solutions as close integration of mobile clients and hardware codecs and a possibility of automatic connection of the latter to the cloud. It should be noted that the cloud services are provided by the vendor not directly but via partners and this allows us to create an effective and mutually profitable business environment for connection of clients to a cloud.

LifeSize was established in 2003. The headquarters of the company is located in an American city Austin (Texas). Since 2009 LifeSize has been a part of Logitech. The Russian representative office was opened in 2005.

Among MERLION's partners LifeSize company became the fist field-oriented vendor specializing in development of videoconferencing systems. The distributor does not intend to satisfy with what has already been achieved and is planning to rapidly develop the collaboration in this regard. The purpose is to establish direct contacts with all world leading providers of videoconferencing solutions and to provide the partners with the full range of popular and the most advanced niche products from the market leaders.

Analysts notice great opportunities for videoconferencing in Russia. The Wainhouse Research experts estimate the volume of this niche to be USD 160 million in 2014. Whereas the year-on-year increase of the videoconferencing segment is traditionally higher than that of the IT-market and amounts now to 15 to 20 per cent. At the present time the highest demand for videoconferencing solutions is shown on the part of government institutions accounting for 20 per cent of all supplies. These are followed by the financial sector (14 per cent ), educational institutions (13 per cent) and energy companies (10 per cent).

"Considering that LifeSize has a very short list of direct partners the collaboration with this company becomes an important advantage for us while working in the prospective videoconferencing segment", comments Julia Pechnikova, the Head of the VAD Business Development Department of MERLION. "The videoconference niche is developing in Russia at a fast pace which can be compared with the growth in our VAD-distribution line. In that context with support of a vendor from among the world leaders we expect to maintain our advanced positions of the Russian leading VAD-distributor and extend the range of innovative products available for our partners which can significantly increase the business profitability".

"A distributor which has such a potent channel as that of MERLION will no doubt cement the positions of the LifeSize brand in the Russian market", noticed Irina Khaykina, the LifeSize partner relationship manager. "The forward approach of MERLION to doing business and the fact that the distributor always keeps abreast of business demands of its partners and final customers hold out the hope of our mutual success not only in the niche of the traditional hardware-software solutions but also in promotion of cloud services which are of increasing interest of the modern customers".