Avikom AS: Offering the Easiest for Video Communications

Avikom AS is a leading Scandinavian distributor of audio and video conferencing services. Avikom AS has three businesses: Avikom Distribution AS, AV Fusion AS, and Easymeeting. Since June 2013, Easymeeting and ZTE have been in a strategic global partnership and have undertaken several video conferencing R&D initiatives aimed at making video conferencing easier to use. Recently, ZTE Technologies interviewed Hans Johan Tofteng, founder of Avikom AS. He talked about new trends in video conferencing in Scandinavia, cooperation between Avikom AS and ZTE, and the latest challenges for Easymeeting.

Q: What are the new trends in video conferencing in Scandinavia?

A: There is a strong and fast shift towards cloud services and software-based solutions in the global market. The Nordic market has always been willing to adopt new technology faster than other markets, and we see that transition is fast. Four years ago, no one talked about cloud services for video conferencing, but now it is talked about all the time.

Q: What is Avikom’s main business focus?

A: Avikom AS helps customers save time and money by offering the easiest to use video conferencing solutions on the market. We have three business areas. The first is Avikom Distribution AS, our distribution operations that support resellers with high-quality hardware. The second is AV Fusion AS, our AV integration specialist that delivers advanced turnkey solutions to the oil and gas industry as well as the educational market. The third is Easymeeting, which delivers the easiest-to-use cloud operator services for video communications. Easymeeting’s customers are mainly located in Scandinavia, but we are building a global distribution network with resellers in Scandinavia, UK, and North America.
Q: What makes Avikom AS stand out in the industry?

A: Our customers are first, second and third priority. We focus strongly on making all technology easy for everyone to use. For the past decade, everyone has been expecting video conferencing to boom. Although it has been growing, as an industry, we need to admit that we have not been clever enough in making our technology user friendly enough. In my opinion, our focus has been too technical. Customers want to save time and money, but the industry has been focusing on the bits and bytes. I think this is still the biggest hurdle to overcome and the reason why the industry is not growing fast enough. Video conferencing technology is still not foolproof; it is not easy enough for the non-technically-minded to use. You could say that we have the best technology for saving time and money, but we still cannot convince the market that it is the right tool for them. I have never met a customer who does not want to save time and money, but many customers do not understand how video communication technology can bring them home earlier or save the organization a lot of money. 
Q: How do you choose your partners in videoconferencing?

A: It’s difficult to find the right partners in videoconferencing. The market is shifting towards services, but the distribution channels still have a hardware sales model where turnover is the main measure of success. We want partners who recognize the importance of establishing streams of recurring revenues. We strongly believe that we need to be able to deliver a perfect mix of services, software, and hardware to address customer experience issues. Any partner has to be able to understand this mix. It’s not just about selling bits and bytes; we are trying to look holistically and fulfill all customer needs in facilitating high-quality video meetings. Another thing we look for is a partner’s ability to scale up in response to new requests in the market. 
Q: In September 2013, ZTE and Easymeeting jointly launched the TWS video conferencing system. What are the design concepts and how is the device performing?

A: When we started working with partners, we found that many did not have the right video conferencing hardware to deliver Easymeeting service and had to obtain this hardware from traditional vendors. These vendors would push the partner to also buy software and services from them. Many times customers were dissatisfied because they were ending up with a solution that was too technical. When we started the dialogue with ZTE, we learned that we had the same goals and vision for video conferencing. We found ZTE to be a very competent partner who was willing to work long-term with us to deliver first-class communication solutions and easy-to-use services. The TWS is a modified T-700 platform that has been modified to work seamlessly with our Easymeeting cloud services. Working with top engineers from ZTE has been an amazing experience for us, and we really feel that we have a partner that supports our philosophy. The unit has performed beyond all expectations, and there have been no technical difficulties at all. We are now focused on developing more advanced Easymeeting services delivered from our cloud platform to the terminal. The market will see the benefits of the right mix of hardware, services and software, and the lifetime of a product will be extended by many years.
The market for tech products has been difficult these past six months, and it has taken longer than expected to reach the sales targets we’ve been aiming for. However, the response from resellers and end users has been positive, and we strongly believe we have the right product for the market.

Q: What do you expect from the cooperation between Avikom AS and ZTE?

A: ZTE has delivered beyond all our expectations. I have never come across any organization more competent, humble, and focused on success. If I were to give any advice, it would be that we, as partners, need to focus more on delivering the next generation of services combined with the best software and hardware. I think both organizations struggle with the challenge of selling new easy-to-use technology and services via the existing channels, which are focused heavily on technology. Easymeeting is a small organization with limited go-to-market power. There is a huge need in the global market for promotion and branding of next-generation services. 
Q: What are current challenges to your business growth?

A: The biggest challenge for Easymeeting is capital. We are a small company with a big vision, but we do not have the resources to grow and position ourselves in a large market. There is huge demand for our services and high-quality hardware, but it is expensive and time-consuming to develop the market.

Q: What is the future of the video conferencing industry?

A: The future of this industry is huge, but it takes time to develop the market. The benefit of using our technology is amazing: it saves significant amounts of time and money, not to mention the environment. The win is bigger than we can imagine, and the benefits can be enjoyed by both organizations and individuals. It is not about developing the technology but changing the mindset of about 90% of our potential users. These people are not yet daily users of video conferencing. The unfulfilled task of the industry is to make our technology easier for all people to use. I believe that the market for video conferencing is bigger than the market for inkjet printers. We just have to break through the old ways of thinking within the industry to fully capitalize on this potential.