Avaya’s acquisition of Radvision is the latest in a spate of vendor M&A, a trend that’s likely to continue. Tim Kridel investigates the motivations and what the trend means for integrators.
If Avaya's March 2012 announcement that it was acquiring Radvision was any surprise, it shouldn't have been. The deal is the latest example of how IT, VoIP and unified communications (UC) companies are using acquisitions to strengthen their competitive positions in the enterprise video market.
The big wild card is how the Avaya-Radvision deal will affect the pro AV market, particularly the sales channels. For example, will AV integrators see more competition from telecom and IT specialists that are Avaya resellers? Or will Avaya's size and brand recognition – particularly among CIOs and IT managers – help RADVISION resellers land more business?
“There’s opportunity for our channel partners," says Bob Romano, Radvision vice president of global marketing. "They have the potential for receiving more marketing dollars and visibility because it’s going to be tucked under Avaya.â€
For everyone else in pro AV, the Avaya-RADVISION deal bears watching because video companies aren't the only ones going through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). There also have been several deals in just about every other sectors, from racks/mounts to audio, including Legrand’s acquisition of Middle Atlantic Products and AMX’s purchase of SchoolView Technologies. Many analysts and vendors believe that there will be even more M&A over the next few years.
Read the rest of Tim Kridel's article in the June edition of InAVate's Active Magazine.