Post on 16-Apr-2017
2016 North American Video Conferencing Camera
New Product Innovation Award
2016
BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH
© Frost & Sullivan 2016 2 “We Accelerate Growth”
Contents
Background and Company Performance ........................................................................ 3
Industry Challenges .............................................................................................. 3
New Product Attributes and Customer Impact .......................................................... 4
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 6
Significance of New Product Innovation ......................................................................... 7
Understanding New Product Innovation ......................................................................... 7
Key Benchmarking Criteria .................................................................................... 8
Best Practice Award Analysis for Altia Systems ............................................................... 8
Decision Support Scorecard ................................................................................... 8
New Product Attributes ......................................................................................... 9
Customer Impact ................................................................................................. 9
Decision Support Matrix ...................................................................................... 10
The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................... 11
Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 11
Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices ................................................................................................................. 12
About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................. 13
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Background and Company Performance
Industry Challenges
The conferencing market is experiencing high growth and accelerated demand driven by a
focus on simplification, lower-prices, greater reliability and quality, and an infusion of cloud
services. According to recent Frost & Sullivan research, the global market for business
visual (web and video) collaboration stands at $5.8 billion in 2015 - and is forecast to
grow to $9.5 billion by 2020.
As more organizations and users adopt collaboration services capable of supporting high
quality video, they are seeking to enhance and optimize those investments by deploying
more robust peripherals, such as cameras. This demand is encouraging more and more
peripherals vendors to enter the market, which is contributing to declining prices and
commoditization that are impacting revenues. Several vendors are sacrificing quality and
feature functionality in order to remain price competitive. Other developers are focused on
designs that aim to deliver more value without significant price increases.
There are upwards of 20 million huddle rooms and 50 million collaboration spaces
worldwide that are yet unequipped with the necessary equipment to support multimedia
conferencing. As a result, the range and diversity of endpoints targeting this opportunity is
proliferating. The influx of options is making it difficult for vendors to differentiate as well
as causing customer confusion.
A number of established and new market participants continue to introduce video
conferencing endpoints and peripheral equipment. They often strive to capitalize on
growth and drive pervasive video, rather than truly innovate in ways that solve specific
customer pain points. As such their solutions are too often positioned as one-size fits all
across a wide range of physical meeting spaces, meeting types, and meeting participants.
They are often over-priced, devoid of necessary features, complex to use or ill-fit for the
intended application. Although great advancements have been made to address these
concerns, vendor strategies often default to the lowest common denominator, which
degrades performance and the user experience. This, coupled with negative user
perceptions of legacy systems, continue as barriers in customer purchase decisions as well
as user adoption and utilization.
Overcoming these challenges requires vendors to address unmet customer needs with an
innovative design approach that incorporates user feedback and the latest technology. A
company that introduces leading-edge products built from the ground-up rather than
retrofit existing solutions can better address specific environments and use cases, and is
thus most likely to deliver higher quality user experiences. Such a company establishes a
reputation of thought leadership, maintains a tight focus on the voice of the customer,
and solves challenges such as cost concerns, quality, reliability, usability, and more. As an
innovation leader, a company is well positioned to stand out in a crowded competitive
landscape to earn continuous opportunities for success.
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New Product Attributes and Customer Impact
Frost & Sullivan recognizes Altia Systems’ PanaCast 2 for New Product Innovation in the
Video Conferencing Cameras Market based on the following criteria: the ability to address
customer requirements; positioning for unique, unmet needs that is not easily replicated
by competitors; innovative design that enhances the user experience; exceptional value
for the price when compared to alternatives in the market; helping customers to optimize
the value of their visual collaboration solutions; and delivering performance that builds
customer loyalty.
Match to Needs
Customers that invest in professional-grade video collaboration solutions want to deploy
high quality peripherals to optimize their experience. PanaCast 2 allows them to do just
that. PanaCast 2 enables the rapid deployment of low-cost Huddle rooms to make video
collaboration accessible to everyone, working with popular on-premises or cloud-based
video conferencing services.
The camera’s Panoramic-4K 180 degree wide field of view enhances the user experience,
allowing them to see what they need to see without obstruction. For example, most USB
cameras feature a narrower field of view, which prevents remote participants from seeing
all of the meeting participants at the same time. The shortcoming precludes all
participants from feeling involved in the collaborative session. For example, when an
attendee that is off-camera comments, remote participants lose the context of who is
speaking and what their body language conveys.
There are, however alternative cameras with active speaker tracking capabilities. These
tend to be prohibitively expensive and restricted to use with proprietary systems. Such
restrictions limit the ability to scale deployments across the small and large meeting
spaces that organizations are seeking to outfit. PanaCast 2, therefore, is an excellent
option for organizations to enhance meeting experiences at scale across varied meeting
environments.
Positioning
PanaCast 2 offers flexible deployment options that allow customers to standardize their
equipment in a variety of meeting environments. It is a plug-and-play USB 2.0/3.0
connected device for Windows and Mac, with no downloads or drivers required, thereby
offering the ease of use that shared collaboration spaces and average users need. It can
be wall mounted, ceiling mounted (with minor firmware adjustment), conveniently set
atop a desktop or table, or installed at optimal height (for viewing over the top of laptop
monitors) on a conference table or desk using Altia Systems’ elegant PanaCast table
stand. Furthermore, PanaCast 2 is compact, making it easy to carry from space to space
on a campus or on the road.
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Out of the box and with no IT intervention required, PanaCast 2 works with Skype for
Business/Lync, Skype, WebEx, Citrix GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts, Zoom Conferencing,
and other popular collaboration platforms.
Altia Systems additionally offers the PanaCast Experience Service. The experience
provides every meeting participant the ability to personalize and control their individual
view, delivering capabilities such as 4.1 megapixel video, zoom, panoramic view and more
from any PanaCast 2 camera in the meeting.
Design
The product features an innovative design, enhancing both visual appeal and ease of use.
PanaCast 2’s small footprint requires little real estate for deployment. In its compact form
factor, Altia Systems has packed 3 miniaturized cameras and the PanaCast Processor
which simultaneously processes three video streams for real time dynamic stitching and
rendering to provide a 180 degree wide, 54 degree tall field of view. The heavy lifting is
performed by nine processors which can process ~300M pixels, and deliver a 32 to 9
aspect ratio (width to height imaging).
Price/Performance Value
At a list price of $995, PanaCast 2 is a tremendous value compared to alternative HD
cameras on the market.
Support for 4K video is a rarity for cameras designed for business video conferencing. It is
a technology more commonly found today in consumer camcorders and digital single-lens
reflex cameras (DSLR) and expensive professional production quality motion picture video
cameras.
Compared to competing contemporary USB, Cat5 (Ethernet) or HDMI connected cameras
designed for business-grade video conferencing, PanaCast 2’s features easily outclass less
expensive models and is as much as half the cost of cameras with competitive
components and functionality support.
Clearly Altia Systems recognizes that customers should not need to compromise
functionality or quality for a fair price.
Customer Purchase Experience
PanaCast 2 allows companies to take advantage of the latest capabilities available with
advanced visual collaboration systems and services today, including features such as:
dynamic, superfast 5 millisecond real time stitching and rendering of three HD video
streams for true and uninterrupted 180 degree field of view; electronic digital zoom; 5
user-defined cropping presets and host control; up to 4.1 megapixel output and more.
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With these advanced features customers purchasing PanaCast 2 are obtaining a highly
competitive product. Due to PanaCast 2’s support for emerging 4K video, buyers are also
getting a future-proof asset. 4K video technology is taking off in consumer markets and
has obvious merits for business use cases that require detailed images, such healthcare,
engineering, creative design, and more.
When comparing products purely from a general feature perspective (pan, tilt and zoom,
HD resolution, presets, beam forming mics, stereo audio, etc.) PanaCast 2 checks all the
same boxes as the more expensive alternatives. Businesses are recognizing the value of
PanaCast, which is lower priced or competitively priced, and will provide the inherent
value of Panoramic-4K video in the future without having to replace their camera
equipment.
Customer Ownership Experience
PanaCast 2 works with standards-based video conferencing infrastructure and services
from leading providers. As a result, customers do not need to make big capital
investments or rip and replace anything. With no downloads or drivers required PanaCast
2 buyers can easily add value to their current investments in products and services from
Blue Jeans, BroadSoft, C2G, Fuze, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Lifesize, Skype,
Lync/Skype for Business, Vidyo, Zoom, and others.
Since its general availability in Sept 2015, Altia Systems has sold PanaCast 2 to more than
260 companies in 26 countries. Reference customers include demanding and IT-savvy
organizations such as GoDaddy, University of Western Sydney, Carnegie Mellon
University, Leica Geosystems, Intel and others. Vetting and adoption by these
organizations validates PanaCast 2’s appeal for organizations with and without strong in-
house IT resources and for meeting spaces of all types.
Conclusion
In the growing video conferencing market, one-size does not fit all. Innovation and quality
separate success from failure. Altia Systems’ focus on product innovation is unmatched in
the market. With its strong overall performance, Altia Systems has earned Frost &
Sullivan’s 2016 New Product Innovation Award in the Video Conferencing Camera Market.
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Significance of New Product Innovation Ultimately, growth in any organization depends upon continually introducing new products
to the market, and successfully commercializing those products. For these dual goals to
occur, a company must be best-in-class in three key areas: understanding demand,
nurturing the brand, and differentiating from the competition.
Understanding New Product Innovation
Innovation is about finding a productive outlet for creativity—for consistently translating
ideas into high quality products that have a profound impact on the customer.
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Key Benchmarking Criteria
For the New Product Innovation Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluated
two key factors— New Product Attributes and Customer Impact—according to the criteria
identified below.
New Product Attributes
Criterion 1: Match to Needs
Criterion 2: Reliability
Criterion 3: Quality
Criterion 4: Positioning
Criterion 5: Design
Customer Impact
Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value
Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience
Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience
Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience
Criterion 5: Brand Equity
Best Practice Award Analysis for Altia Systems
Decision Support Scorecard
To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance
categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard. This tool
allows our research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance, according to
the key benchmarking criteria listed in the previous section, and to assign ratings on that
basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows for nuances in performance evaluation;
ratings guidelines are illustrated below.
RATINGS GUIDELINES
The Decision Support Scorecard is organized by New Product Attributes and Customer
Impact (i.e., the overarching categories for all 10 benchmarking criteria; the definitions
for each criteria are provided beneath the scorecard). The research team confirms the
veracity of this weighted scorecard through sensitivity analysis, which confirms that small
changes to the ratings for a specific criterion do not lead to a significant change in the
overall relative rankings of the companies.
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The results of this analysis are shown below. To remain unbiased and to protect the
interests of all organizations reviewed, we have chosen to refer to the other key players
as Competitor 2 and Competitor 3.
DECISION SUPPORT SCORECARD FOR NEW PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD
Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)
New Product Innovation
New Product
Attributes
Customer
Impact Average Rating
Altia Systems 10 9.7 9.8
Competitor 2 9 8.5 8.7
Competitor 3 8 7.8 7.9
New Product Attributes
Criterion 1: Match to Needs
Requirement: Customer needs directly influence and inspire the product’s design and
positioning
Criterion 2: Reliability
Requirement: The product consistently meets or exceeds customer expectations for
consistent performance during its entire life cycle
Criterion 3: Quality
Requirement: Product offers best-in-class quality, with a full complement of features and
functionality
Criterion 4: Positioning
Requirement: The product serves a unique, unmet need that competitors cannot easily
replicate
Criterion 5: Design
Requirement: The product features an innovative design, enhancing both visual appeal
and ease of use
Customer Impact
Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value
Requirement: Products or services offer the best value for the price, compared to similar
offerings in the market
Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience
Requirement: Customers feel like they are buying the most optimal solution that
addresses both their unique needs and their unique constraints
Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience
Requirement: Customers are proud to own the company’s product or service, and have a
positive experience throughout the life of the product or service
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Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience
Requirement: Customer service is accessible, fast, stress-free, and of high quality
Criterion 5: Brand Equity
Requirement: Customers have a positive view of the brand and exhibit high brand loyalty
Decision Support Matrix
Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support Scorecard,
analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below, enabling them to
visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which ones are not yet operating at
best-in-class levels.
DECISION SUPPORT MATRIX FOR NEW PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD
High
Low
Low High
Cu
sto
mer I
mp
act
New Product Attributes
Altia
Systems
Competitor 2
Competitor 3
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The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best
Practices Awards
Research Methodology
Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research
methodology represents the analytical
rigor of our research process. It offers a
360-degree-view of industry challenges,
trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of
Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies.
Too often, companies make important
growth decisions based on a narrow
understanding of their environment,
leading to errors of both omission and
commission. Successful growth strategies
are founded on a thorough understanding
of market, technical, economic, financial,
customer, best practices, and demographic
analyses. The integration of these research
disciplines into the 360-degree research
methodology provides an evaluation
platform for benchmarking industry players and for identifying those performing at best-
in-class levels.
360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN
THE CHAOS
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Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching,
Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices
Frost & Sullivan Awards follow a 10-step process to evaluate award candidates and assess
their fit with select best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity of the Awards are
based on close adherence to this process.
STEP OBJECTIVE KEY ACTIVITIES OUTPUT
1 Monitor, target, and screen
Identify award recipient candidates from around the globe
Conduct in-depth industry research
Identify emerging sectors Scan multiple geographies
Pipeline of candidates who potentially meet all best-practice criteria
2 Perform 360-degree research
Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline
Interview thought leaders and industry practitioners
Assess candidates’ fit with best-practice criteria
Rank all candidates
Matrix positioning all candidates’ performance relative to one another
3
Invite thought leadership in best practices
Perform in-depth examination of all candidates
Confirm best-practice criteria Examine eligibility of all
candidates Identify any information gaps
Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates
4
Initiate research director review
Conduct an unbiased evaluation of all candidate profiles
Brainstorm ranking options Invite multiple perspectives
on candidates’ performance Update candidate profiles
Final prioritization of all eligible candidates and companion best-practice positioning paper
5
Assemble panel of industry experts
Present findings to an expert panel of industry thought leaders
Share findings Strengthen cases for
candidate eligibility Prioritize candidates
Refined list of prioritized award candidates
6
Conduct global industry review
Build consensus on award candidates’ eligibility
Hold global team meeting to review all candidates
Pressure-test fit with criteria Confirm inclusion of all
eligible candidates
Final list of eligible award candidates, representing success stories worldwide
7 Perform quality check
Develop official award consideration materials
Perform final performance benchmarking activities
Write nominations Perform quality review
High-quality, accurate, and creative presentation of nominees’ successes
8
Reconnect with panel of industry experts
Finalize the selection of the best-practice award recipient
Review analysis with panel Build consensus Select winner
Decision on which company performs best against all best-practice criteria
9 Communicate recognition
Inform award recipient of award recognition
Present award to the CEO Inspire the organization for
continued success Celebrate the recipient’s
performance
Announcement of award and plan for how recipient can use the award to enhance the brand
10 Take strategic action
Once licensed, company may share award news with stakeholders and customers
Coordinate media outreach Design a marketing plan Assess award’s role in future
strategic planning
Widespread awareness of recipient’s award status among investors, media personnel, and employees
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About Frost & Sullivan
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and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's
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