Worldcom, a name most resellers have put in the dark recesses of their minds is back and with a new turnkey solution for the channel.
Worldcom Canada Ltd., based in Toronto, is trying to conduct business as usual, in the wake of its parent company’s accounting scandal and bankruptcy protection.
They have released a communications solution called Worldcom Event Webcasting.
This new service combines live and archived video with multimedia content and interactive capabilities, enabling companies to stream traditional audio and video conferences over the Internet.
“”If you want to talk to your 60 employees or a 100 channel partners for example, this is an ideal solution,”” said Sam Mazzotta, director, product management for Worldcom Canada.
Event Webcasting will be carried over Worldcom’s global IP network.
There are certain factors which makes a turnkey Webcasting solution, such as Worldcom’s, right for the market today as opposed to the past, Mazzotta said. “”Today, the overall quality has improved with networks, broadband and the players on PCs are getting better. And, streaming DVD quality is in the future,”” he said.
According to Wainhouse Research, the Webcasting industry is poised to grow an average of 77 per cent per year between 1999 and 2005.
However, interactivity, Mazzotta believes will be the key to this Worldcom solution’s success. “”It has to be interactive and it has to be easy to use. You have to be able to ask questions and get feedback.””
Initial target markets for this Event Webcasting will be in the marketing and advertising industries. “”They have to get messages out to more people,”” Mazzotta said.
Training and services will be other applications for Webcasting, whether internal to employees to external to channel partners, he said. Also, enterprises, sales forces, shareholder meetings and press conferences will be other uses for Webcasting.
Event Webcasting will be compatible with Microsoft’s Powerpoint, he said.
Worldcom’s Webcasting solution is available for channel partners to sell and to use themselves, said Deborah Brown, channel marketing manager for Worldcom Canada.
Brown added that Worldcom Canada would be developing more channel plans for their VAR base. She said there would be more opportunities for Worldcom resellers going forward after the company gets out of bankruptcy protection.
Currently, Worldcom resellers are paid an agency fee for all leads passed to Worldcom Canada.
Newly appointed CEO Michael Capellas, who was formerly the CEO of Compaq Computer Corp. and was instrumental in the historical HP/Compaq merger of a year ago, outlined a 100-day plan for Worldcom in January of this year.
The plan is aimed at re-focusing the company’s efforts in developing a consumer and business products and services arm along with a small-medium-sized business market plan.
Worldcom will be filing its plan for reorga