Ashburn, VA, September 8^th, 2011 - Telepresence and visual collaboration consultancy Human Productivity Lab (HPL) is pleased to announce that David S. Maldow has joined as an analyst and writer. David is a visual collaboration technologist with extensive expertise in testing, evaluating, and explaining telepresence and other visual collaboration technologies.  David will be focused on providing third-party independent testing of telepresence and visual collaboration endpoints and infrastructure and helping industry participants explain complicated subjects through white papers and other end-user facing publications.  Finally, David will be a contributor to the Human Productivity Lab’s publications: Telepresence Options and Telepresence Options Magazine.

Prior to joining the team at HPL and Telepresence Options, David worked at industry analyst firm Wainhouse Research (WR) as a member of their video collaboration coverage team. While at WR, he supported a variety of videoconferencing, streaming, and end-user consulting projects. David managed WR’s videoconferencing test lab where he oversaw and conducted evaluations of rich media products and solutions. David wrote, or co-wrote, numerous evaluations and other reports for WR publications.

David has hands on experience with many videoconferencing and other rich media solutions from his years of conducting evaluations, as well as an insider perspective gained from countless briefings with product development teams. As such, David brings a unique blend of user and industry knowledge to the team.  Human Productivity Lab President and Telepresence Options publisher Howard Lichtman commented “David has a superb knack for explaining complicated technologies which should pair nicely with Telepresence Options’ ability to disseminate to the largest identifiable audience in the world interested in visual collaboration.

“Telepresence, visual collaboration, and rich media are incredibly exciting fields right now,” commented David.  “The technology has reached a point where it not only provides an acceptable experience; it can provide a fantastic experience. Unfortunately, the technology can still be confusing and overwhelming. The Human Productivity Lab is helping people understand their “telepresence options” and how to use these collaboration capabilities to increase productivity and improve quality of life. I have been a believer in visual collaboration since day one and I am excited to be a part of a team making the dream a reality for end-users.”  David can be reached at David@TelepresenceOptions.com

About the Human Productivity Lab:

The Human Productivity Lab is the leading consultancy for organizations looking to cost-effectively deploy and future-proof telepresence and visual collaboration. The Human Productivity Lab offers telepresence end-user firms, vendors, and investors a host of advisory services including: Equipment Acquisition, Managed Services & Network Consulting; RFI & RFP Preparation; Telepresence and Visual Collaboration Strategy; Investor Due Diligence; and Best Practice Assessments. The Lab also publishes Telepresence Options, the #1 publication focused on telepresence and visual collaboration. More information at: www.HumanProductivityLab.com

About Telepresence Options

The Telepresence Options website at www.TelepresenceOptions.com is the #1 website in the world covering telepresence and effective visual collaboration with over 20,000+ unique visitors per month from 165+ countries. The company also publishes the Telepresence and Videoconferencing Catalog which is the most comprehensive on-line overview of telepresence and visual collaboration solutions.   The Telepresence Options Telegraph newsletter has over 5,000 subscribers and is the most widely read periodical in the world focused exclusively on telepresence and visual collaboration. The brand recently launched Telepresence Options Magazine with 2400+ hard copy subscribers in 25+ countries and hard copy distribution at conferences and events of 8500+.

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ASHBURN, VIRGINIA – June 7th, 2011 – Human Productivity Lab, the leading telepresence and visual collaboration consultancy, and Telepresence Options, the leading publishing firm following telepresence and visual collaboration, announced they will be exhibiting at InfoComm 2011 in Orlando, Florida June 15th-17th.

Telepresence Options is an annual multimedia survey of telepresence technologies including: telepresence systems, telepresence managed service providers, telepresence sub-systems/peripherals, and Inter-networking Telepresence. The website is the most popular website dedicated to telepresence and visual collaboration on the internet and the firm recently published Telepresence Options Magazine.

The Human Productivity Lab is an independent research firm and consultancy that follows the telepresence and visual collaboration industry. The Lab’s Telepresence Consulting Practice specializes in helping Fortune 5000 corporations and leading international organizations understand, evaluate, design, purchase and effectively deploy telepresence and visual collaboration solutions.

ASHBURN, VIRGINIA – May 10, 2011– Telepresence Options, the leading publishing firm and website covering telepresence and effective visual collaboration, has announced the launch of Telepresence Options Magazine. The new periodical covers the revolution in telepresence conferencing, telepresence robotics and high-definition visual collaboration which is restructuring work, impacting business travel /airline profitability, and enhancing interaction of friends and families separated by distance.

The first issue of the magazine covers telepresence end-points and environments and is available in both hard copy and a digital edition.

Articles include:
What is Telepresence?
Understanding the Telepresence Marketplace: Endpoints & Environments
Robotic Telepresence: A Primer & Tale of the Tape
The ROI of Telepresence in a World of Economic & Geopolitical Uncertainty
Creating Telepresence Environments: A Design Guide

Subscription is free and provides instant access to the digital edition at
www.TelepresenceOptions.com/magazine
The next issue which will be published in fall of 2011 will cover: Video Network Infrastructure, Managed Services, Internetworking, Security, and Exchange

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Ashburn, virginia – April 5th, 2011 – Human Productivity Lab, the leading telepresence and visual collaboration consultancy, today announced that Howard S. Lichtman, the firm’s president, will be speaking at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas.  Mr. Lichtman will be speaking on the topic of Telepresence, Visual Collaboration, and Hollywood at the 10:15 session on Tuesday, April 12 in Room S225

Mr.Lichtman’s presentation will focus on what telepresence REALLY is, how it is revolutionizing how movies are being made, how it integrates into global transmedia events and cuts the cost of capturing and delivering content globally.  Emphasis will be placed on what the broadcasting industry needs to know to be ahead of the curve, cut costs, and create compelling content using the latest and greatest tools in the kit.  Topics include: Telepresence in editing and production, on-stage telepresence, telepresence integration into transmedia events, and leveraging low-cost, high-speed, high-quality networks for real-time content acquisition and broadcast.

In addition, Human Productivity Lab will be an exhibitor at the NAB Show on April 11-14 and can be found in the South Upper Hall in Booth SU9307.  Howard Lichtman and Thomas Kayser, Managing Director of the Lab’s European Consulting Practice out of Frankfurt, Germany will be on hand to discuss how the Lab can help global organizations supercharge their telepresence and visual collaboration strategies to cut costs, improve productivity, and connect with partners, vendors, and customers.

The Human Productivity Lab is an independent research firm and consultancy that follows the telepresence and visual collaboration industry. The Lab’s Telepresence Consulting Practice specializes in helping Fortune 5000 corporations and leading international organizations understand, evaluate, design, purchase and effectively deploy telepresence and visual collaboration solutions.

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The Human Productivity Lab, the leading independent research firm and consultancy that follows the telepresence and visual collaboration industry, is pleased to announce the new “Telepresence Industry Professionals” group on XING. The company’s flagship industry association on Linked In is now over 1600 members.

XING is one of the biggest social network for business professionals. XING currently has more than ten million registered users, 4.2 million of whom are from German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) where the platform is successfully building on its market leadership. XING’s core international markets, Turkey and Spain, are also experiencing accelerating member growth with Turkey notching up more than 980,000 members and Spain passing the 1.5 million mark. XING AG, a publicly listed company, is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with key strategic offices in Barcelona, Spain, and Istanbul, Turkey. XING’s members are highly active. With more than 40,000 specialist groups available, they go online to exchange information and views while also meeting in person at networking events.

The “Telepresence Industry Professionals”group is open for all German-speaking XING members working in the field of telepresence or HD videoconferencing. Regardless if as vendor, end-user, as engineer or in sales or marketing. The goal is to offer a vendor-neutral platform to discuss telepresence and HD videoconferencing products, trends and news, current and future developments, events and jobs. Although active for just a few weeks, with 180+ members the group is already the #1 German-speaking community for telepresence!

The English-speaking “sister-community” Telepresence Industry Professionals (TIP) on Linked In has been very successful over the past years. It is the Human Productivity Lab’s telepresence industry association on Linked In which is now over 1600 members! The group is a superb venue for discussion, networking, and industry news and information. There is a job board for organizations looking for talent and for folks that are in the market for their next gig.

To get a member please sign:  
XING: http://www.xing.com/group-56506.f9483f
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=76977

Telepresence Options, the #1 website following telepresence and effective visual collaboration has launched the world’s most comprehensive on-line catalog of telepresence, videoconferencing, and unified communications solutions at www.TelepresenceCatalog.com.

The new Telepresence and Videoconferencing Catalog breaks out technology solutions for visual collaboration into a variety of categories: Telepresence Stage and Podium Systems, Group Systems, Large Group Systems, Small Group Systems, Executive Systems, Telemedicine & Healthcare TP, Video Conference Systems, Video Network Infrastructure, Cameras and Codecs, Managed Services Provider, Inter-Networking Provider, TP and VC Exchange Services, Resellers and Integrators, Consultants, Recording, Streaming, and Archiving, Video Network Management, Public Telepresence and VC Rooms, Peripherals and Accessories, Telepresence Robotics, Virtual Reality CAVESs, Unified Communications, Desktop Conferencing, Webconferencing and Virtual Collaboration, Display Technologies, Publications, Conferences and Events.

Telepresence Options’ Publisher, Howard S. Lichtman explains the rationale for the new Catalog: “We are constantly amazed at how many sophisticated organizations are only familiar with a small handful of telepresence, UC, and visual collaboration offerings.  We wanted to create an on-line marketplace where buyers have the broadest view of their options including solutions that they didn’t know existed.

For companies that are taking their visual collaboration solutions to-market we wanted to create a cost-effective targeted way to reach those interested at the optimum time: When they are reaching their telepresence and unified communications options!”

The new Catalog is a stand-alone website that is already rising rapidly in the search engine rankings.  The site is promoted by www.TelepresenceOptions.com which has seen its traffic double since 2009.  The new website will also be promoted through the Telepresence Options Telegraph newsletter, the Human Productivity Lab’s website, Telepresence Industry Professionals, and banner ad and search engine advertising on other websites.

Vendors interested in having their solutions listed in the Telepresence and Videoconferencing can download information here: http://www.telepresencecatalog.com/category/get-listed/

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Disruption from the volcanic ash eruption in Iceland has caused the cancellation of over 17,000 flights over the past week disrupting business globally and threatening the cost and convenience of air travel in the long term.

Thomas Kayser, the Human Productivity Lab’s Managing Director for Europe opines: “The airline industry has seen over 25 bankruptcies and/or business cessations since 2008 which has raised the cost and reduced the convenience of air travel.  This disaster, which is reported to be costing the industry $200 million per day, could potentially threaten the solvency of additional airlines who have already been hit by an essential doubling of fuel prices from a low of $44.45 in March of 2009 to a closing price of $82.83 on Friday.”

The Human Productivity Lab, which advises corporations on telepresence and visual collaboration, is advising organizations to adopt inter-company telepresence and visual collaboration programs to connect with their partners, vendors, and customers and view their investments in inter-company visual collaboration as key part of their overall disaster recovery strategy. Telepresence gives organizations the ability to do business, intra and inter-company, without physical travel no matter what the contingency.

The Human Productivity Lab (HPL) recommends updating disaster recovery strategies in light of this event accordingly and begin taking steps to get a program in place. The upcoming Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Conference and Working Group, which has been scheduled for over four months, will be held on April 22^nd in Reston, Virginia, will cover how to create an inter-company telepresence and visual collaboration program to connect effectively with partners, vendors, and customers. The Lab is also organizing private conferences for organizations and their supply/demand chain partners.

The conference also announced that the pre-conference dinner on April 21^st will be open to members of the telepresence industry trade association: Telepresence Industry Professionals.  The dinner will be held at Clyde’s in Reston Town Center from 7:00 – 9:00PM. http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/2010/04/telepresence_industry_professi_3/

For more information on the Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Conference and Working Group please visit: http://www.TelepresenceOptions.com/conference

The proceedings of the conference and the course materials will be available after the conference for $595 including Fed Ex international delivery.  Interested organizations should e-mail Info@HumanProductivityLab.com

To download a free copy of the Human Productivity Lab’s publication: The Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Handbook, please visit: http://www/TelepresenceOptions.com/handbook

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The conference, while primarily focused on organizations looking to improve the ROI and utility of their investments in telepresence and visual collaboration through effectively connecting with partners, vendors, and customers, has drawn great interest from the leading visual communications Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and telecommunications carriers that support these organizations.

Howard S. Lichtman, President of the Human Productivity Lab and Publisher of Telepresence Options, which is organizing the conference explains the Working Group: “Many of the industry’s leading MSPs, Carriers, and Inter-Connection providers are sending high-level technologists and product management specialists to the conference including a number of Chief Technology Officers.  We wanted to create a highly productive and inter-active forum where these industry leaders can have an open dialogue and technical discussions on the best ways to facilitate secure, inter-company visual collaboration sessions for their customers.”

The session will be chaired by Aaron Roe, who manages telepresence and videoconferencing at Deloitte and has previously designed and managed telepresence and videoconferencing network operations for a number of leading telepresence and videoconferencing MSPs.  The working group will take place from 3:30-5:30 PM EST at the Sheraton Reston on April 22^nd after the main plenary session of the conference.

Telepresence and videoconferencing MSPs, telecommunications providers, and inter-networking specialists that are attending the conference include: BCS Global, CFN Services, Glowpoint, Iformata Communications, IPeak Networks, IVCi, MASERGY Communications, and Telx among others.

The conference also announced that the pre-conference dinner on April 21^st will be open to members of the telepresence industry trade association: Telepresence Industry Professionals.  The dinner will be held at Clyde’s in Reston Town Center from 7:00 – 9:00PM. http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/2010/04/telepresence_industry_professi_3/

For more information on the Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Conference and Working Group please visit: http://www.TelepresenceOptions.com/conference

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Mr. Kayser has worked for various global telecommunication service providers and has more than 20 years experience in telepresence, unified communications, networking and managed services. He has developed and managed major global telepresence deployments. Mr. Kayser offices outside Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

The Human Productivity Lab’s Telepresence Consulting Practice specializes in helping Fortune 5000 corporations and leading international organizations understand, evaluate, design, purchase and effectively deploy telepresence and visual collaboration solutions.  The Lab also works very closely with telepresence, video conferencing, and collaboration hardware, network, application, managed service and distribution companies to develop, commercialize and effectively market new products, services and technologies.

Additional information about the Human Productivity Lab’s Consulting Practice can be found at http://www.HumanProductivityLab.com or by contacting TK@HumanProductivityLab.com.

The Human Productivity Lab is also exhibitor and sponsor of the Sustainability Virtual Summits, the first “Telepresence-Enabled” next generation virtual conference. The event will cover three different timezones live from March 30^th to April 1^st, and on demand April to June 2010 at http://www.SustainabilityVirtualSummits.com/. Mr. Kayser will be available on March 31^st and April 1^st.

The Lab will also be organizing the Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Conference and Working Group on April 22^nd, 2010 in Reston, Virginia.  More information at http://www.TelepresenceOptions.com/conference

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