IVT Unveils First Webcast Software Suite that Eliminates Hardware Purchases, Costly Installations

Rich media industry's only SaaS video webcasting software products exponentially increase productivity and ROI of corporate webcasting programs

 

Los Angeles, CA - April 8, 2008 - IVT, which transforms the reach and impact of companies' communications with an industrial-strength suite of rich media webcasting products, today announced the streaming media industry's first complete Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering for its video webcasting software product suite. The new SaaS delivery and pricing structure is in response to the increasing desire of organizations to move away from home-grown systems and service providers by bringing video webcasting in-house via a web browser without the difficulty and complexity of additional hardware and software investments.

Clark joined ScreamingMedia as an investor and director in November 1998 and served as CEO from November 1999 to January 2002. During Clark's tenure as CEO, ScreamingMedia recorded exponential sales growth and became a leading content and technology solutions provider. Clark has been ScreamingMedia's Chairman since May 2001.

The new IVT SaaS offering is fully hosted by IVT inside its world-class data center, eliminating expensive, time-consuming hardware configuration or software installation. Further, thanks to the efficiency of the SaaS delivery model, IVT's webcasting suite is easy to set up, expand, maintain and upgrade, and allows organizations of all kinds - from innovative start-ups to the Fortune 1000 - to immediately implement a full-scale video webcasting program in a quick-to-deploy, low-risk package that will not drain IT resources.

"Software as a service is rapidly changing the way companies both purchase and use software," said Phillip Whalen, president and CEO of IVT. "Additionally companies of all sizes are clamoring for ways to bring video webcasting in-house without a large drain on resources. We strongly believe that in one step our new SaaS offering connects these two emerging trends. For the first time in the streaming media industry, a full suite of tested enterprise class webcasting products are available in a simplified robust SaaS package. And, all of these benefits are delivered at an extremely attractive price point."

Analysts at leading research firms predict the SaaS growth rate will be seven times faster than on-premise software deployments over the next three years. As businesses increasingly use video for everything from executive presentations and marketing campaigns to employee training, IVT believes its decision to offer webcasting software in a SaaS model will propel even wider adoption of video-in-business uses.

IVT customers that have already expanded their webcasting programs using the SaaS product line include NEC Unified, Cantos and Rohm and Haas. "Over the past couple of years our use of video throughout the company has grown exponentially, and we are now creating and distributing over a hundred video webcasts each year," explained Alan Friedlander, manager of Rohm and Haas' multimedia services group.

"Working with our IT department to select the right solution, we opted for IVT's unique SaaS webcasting software because it easily fit into our corporate network without compromising its integrity and security, or requiring additional hardware or manpower. It also allowed us to get started immediately and expand rapidly. This new SaaS model provides real, ongoing ROI for my department as well as the company."

In addition to getting a full suite of tested enterprise-class webcast software products, organizations that purchase in a SaaS or browser-based model receive numerous other benefits including automatic upgrades, no necessary software installation and zero hardware investment.

"This move distinguishes IVT from other players in the corporate webcasting market," said Steve Vonder Haar, research director of Interactive Media Strategies. "This offering directly addresses the industry's desire for video webcast creation and management in both the traditional behind-the-firewall, enterprise model as well as via SaaS model, which does not require costly hardware and software installation.

The flexibility and low-cost of the Software-as-a-Service model makes it possible for a broad range of companies to quickly implement a webcasting solution via a web browser, opening video communications programs to a broader swath of the corporate market."

Availability and pricing
IVT products obviate the need for expensive webcasting services, instead arming business users with the tools to execute video communications programs themselves. IVT's core video webcasting product suite includes:
 
• IVT MediaPlatform - a complete, powerful corporate webcasting publishing platform that enables companies to broadly produce, manage, distribute and monitor live and on-demand large scale webcasts to an unlimited number of viewers. IVT MediaPlatform SaaS pricing starts at $1,475 per month for a primary content publisher.

• IVT Studio - an easy-to-use desktop webcast software product designed so that an individual or a department can rapidly create, publish and archive professional rich-media webcasts and podcasts from the desktop to an unlimited number of viewers. IVT Studio is available starting at $375 per month for the first five content publishers.

Enterprises that purchase a video webcasting solution in a SaaS model benefit from receiving ongoing product enhancements. IVT has recently introduced a number of advanced reporting options and email interface capabilities to its rich media publishing engine, which now holds five patents with 14 additional patents pending. All of these upgrades were automatically made available to IVT's existing SaaS customers.

About IVT
IVT transforms the reach and impact of companies' communications. IVT's industrial-strength suite of reliable rich media webcasting products is changing how people present, distribute and absorb ideas and information. From easy, self-service desktop applications to complete corporate webcasting solutions, IVT's products are powered by the world's most advanced, patented rich media publishing engine. Using video, PowerPoint and interactive elements, IVT's product suite allows companies of all sizes to create and share both live and pre-recorded communications. Webcasts and podcasts created with IVT software are providing content creators with immediate, detailed insight into audience behavior and message comprehension, closing the loop on modern communications. IVT is making meetings, training, communications and customer service efforts more effective, while increasing information retention and simultaneously cutting costs.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.ivtweb.com/.