Masergy Connects TelepresenceMasergy Connects Telepresence

I discussed the telepresence (and video conferencing) global connectivity problem and the solutions from IPV Gateways and Virtela Networks in my last 3 posts. Today let's look at how Masergy has structured their MPLS network and the Masergy Video Exchange (MVE) to help solve this problem.

I discussed the telepresence (and video conferencing) global connectivity problem and the solutions from IPV Gateways and Virtela Networks in my last 3 posts. Today let's look at how Masergy has structured their MPLS network and the Masergy Video Exchange (MVE) to help solve this problem.I won't repeat the problem definition here, please take a look at the earlier posts linked above if you have not been following this thread.

Masergy is a network service provider, but they have focused their attention and designed their network to work well for video conferencing. The backbone is all MPLS, and all their services are provided by a single, integrated core. Five levels of service support the full range of applications, from real-time voice and video to best effort data transactions.

Masergy provides a number of different approaches to solve the needs of video in the enterprise. The most secure service uses a private MPLS-VPN connecting enterprise sites together across the Masergy backbone. This secure VPN acts as an extension of the enterprise network and connects remote sites using the same private address space used inside the enterprise.

Masergy also has the ability to provide well-qualified route "bleeds" between enterprise MPLS-VPNs. This means if an enterprise has a working partnership with another company, and both are using the Masergy network, connectivity between telepresence or video systems can be set up that cross over between the enterprise VPN and the partner's VPN. This cross-over can be carefully specified to ensure only the key video endpoints are allowed to cross the security barrier.

For customers more interested in interconnectivity, Masergy provides an MPLS-VPN that is shared by all customers using it, and is addressed with public IP addresses. Businesses who are connected to Masergy and are using the VPN can set up B2B video conferencing calls using the full QoS support of the Masergy backbone, with no need for gateways or other support. This is like being on the Internet, but with full QoS support.

For customers who need to connect multiple carriers together, as described in my problem statement, Masergy is partnering with IPV Gateways. IPV provides Masergy the ability to connect through from either an Enterprise-specific VPN or from their public video VPN into other carriers to provide the global reach and lower costs that the multiple-vendor model provides.

Lastly, Masergy provides connectivity from their public-address video network onto the public Internet. This path allows video connections from within the enterprise to road warriors, public room space or executives-at-home who need remote video conferencing support. Of course once traffic crosses off the Masergy network onto the open Internet, QoS support stops. Internet-based video is great on a good day and, well, your mileage may vary.

Lastly, Masergy is partnered with 17 different video conferencing service providers, providing managed services, gateway services, bridging services and other support. This means the enterprise using Masergy has many options on where to obtain services to support their video conferencing needs. And all those service providers are already connected to the Masergy public-address VPN and can use the QoS it provides.

So Masergy provides a strong network-oriented solution to the telepresence connectivity challenge.