Playground Slides into SMB Market for Cloud-Based Video Conferencing

By Tara Seals, TMCnet Contributor

RADVISION, Polycom, Vidtel (News - Alert), IOCOM and even consumer players like Bebo have all targeted the SMB space for a lighter-weight video service than what is typically available to enterprises, through cloud-delivered unified communications and video conferencing.

But a new business-oriented video chat service, Playground, aims to break through the obstacles that have so far held back mainstream uptake of videoconferencing for meetings, presentations and sales calls.

Made by Watchitoo, Playground allows up to 25 participants to convene online in HD, and does so in a clientless environment – no downloads required. It also builds in application- and document-sharing, including collaboration around nearly any form of rich media, including presentations, documents, videos, images and so on.

"We think Playground is a better way for businesses to collaborate," said Rony Zarom, CEO at Watchitoo. "Whatever your size, a serious business needs a serious business tool. You can access Playground directly, find it in your ISP's value-added service menu or experience it in customer service applications."

Aside from being available via the website, ISPs can offer Playground as a value-added, cloud-based service bundled with voice, video and Internet service. In customer support applications, system integrators and value-added resellers will bundle Playground into customer relationship management software so consumers can chat live on Playground with customer service agents.

Playground is targeted to small and medium-sized businesses, including healthcare providers, which can use it to consult with patients and colleagues; financial services advisors, who can provide personal counsel to clients; and educators, who can give students, wherever they are, an easy way to study in groups.

The cost for Playground starts at $3.80 per user per month. A free version with limited features is also available at the website.

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(source: http://www.videoworldinsider.com/topics/video-world-insider/articles/310527-playground-slides-into-smb-market-cloud-based-video.htm)