An Ottawa videoconferencing company is moving its solution to the cloud.
Magor Corp. said this week that its peer-to-peer software architecture – until now sold as a Linux-based appliance — will become an HD cloud service starting May 1.
Call Aerus, the service will allow connectivity to any VC infrastructure using video conferencing clients such as Skype, and WebRTC-enabled Chrome and Firefox Web browsers.
Pricing has yet to be announced.
The goal, said Ken Davison, Magor’s chief marketing officer, is to extend the small company’s reach and options.
Three-year old Magor, whose chairman is entrepreneur Terry Matthews, started trading on the Toronto Venture Exchange March 15.
Magor will be competing against another cloud-based videoconferencing provider, Vidyo Inc.
Davison said that Vidyo uses an H.264-based codec called SVC that needs a gateway to connect to competing systems. Aerus doesn’t need a bridge, he said, because in addition to SVC it is interoperable with SIP and H.323-based video-conferencing systems from names like Cisco Systems Inc, Polycom Inc. and Lifesize.
“Over the next decade people will be moving to on demand cloud services as enterprises become more aware and happy with that model,” Davison said.
Aerus offers a hybrid solution, letting organizations keep any VC infrastructure they’ve invested in while still being able to connect to the cloud.
Aerus will be bought through service providers, which Davison said are now being lined up. He also said Magor is looking for channel partners to sell the service.
Details were to be announced, but Magor said it will be sold in three ways:
–endpoint mode, which will be a single-user connection for remote branch offices or homes;
–campus mode, which can connect users through enterprise software between Aerus endpoints for calls on the campus LAN. The Aerus cloud is used only for off-campus video sessions;
–edge mode, for large enterprises with multiple locations that want to run videoconferencing in a private cloud.
Aerus will allow users to share desktops – including Linux-based Citrix and VMware virtual desktop clients — interactive whiteboards and large touchscreens. Devices that can be connected via HDI include AppleTV for iPad sharing ans specialized video cameras.