Polycom ‘no reason to be concerned’ by Cisco/Tandberg deal
Paul Milligan, October 2, 2009
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Speaking to AV Magazine this afternoon Polycom has dismissed the threat of Cisco after the network giant’s purchase of Tandberg for $3bn yesterday. Robert Stead, European marketing director, told us the only significant difference was that two competitors had now become one. He refused to be drawn on rumours Polycom could be the next target for a potential takeover in order to help it compete with Cisco’s undoubtedly superior financial muscle.
Stead added, ‘We have been competing with Tandberg since they were dreamt up, two competitors have become one, that is the only significant difference from that perspective. What is good (for Polycom) is that now Tandberg is now tied to Cisco and presumably to Cisco’s call control platforms opens opportunities to Polycom that didn’t previously exist. Since we are now the only significant independent (i.e. not tied to a call control platform) provider of all these things, our view is that it’s positive for Polycom.’
READ PETER LLOYD’S THOUGHTS ON CISCO BUYING TANDBERG HERE
When we asked how Polycom’s customers had reacted to the news, he said they were not phased by the news and had told them they would ‘see how it goes’.
CLICK HERE TO READ WHAT AV EDITOR BHAVNA MISTRY THINKS OF THE DEAL
‘One thing that’s important for us, is really what’s important for customers, is that the open standards approach Tandberg has had historically is maintained, because interoperability between the various brands is key. The only recent entrant who hasn’t been entirely and totally transparent quite frankly is Cisco, they talk about interoperability but it’s not clear it’s actually there.
‘If what are currently Tandberg systems and presumably will become Cisco systems, cease to be open standards that will be bad for customers.’
He said he would be very interested to find out how the two companies resolved the very two distinct channels of distribution they currently had at present, and doubted they would remain intact.
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