Systems Integration Asia – April-May 2018

SIA: Is this the same as the ClearOne University iniave?

ZEE: No. Our latest ClearOne University iniate aims to bring
technical training to our partners in mulple formats based on their
level of experience, cerficaon desires, and me and travel
constraints. We have doubled the number of training events and
now offer training in many different formats or venues to to make it
convenient and less burdensome to the integrator. We offer live
hands-on training, live webinar trainings, and customized teach-in
trainings at partner locaons, as well as live hands-on webinar
trainings. These classes offer various levels of cerficaon and CTS
credits.

SIA: It's a long travel through technology and ideaon trail. How
about the travail then?

ZEE: Of course yes. First thing to note is that while ClearOne is a
publicly-listed enterprise, we are neither founders, nor owners; we
are professional managers and technologists tasked to bring
maximum value to partners, shareholders and stakeholders. We are
prudent on how we invest and spend money; we balance between
the budgets for sales and markeng, and budgets for product
development and operaons. It is definitely a challenge when you
are a relavely small company to grow and invest without fund
raising. But I think we have done a good job. We made it all by means
of our small but thoroughly focussed teams accross the company. Our
differenated soluons in the market are the result of strategic
decision making talking to our partners and understanding their
needs. To some extent, the products speak for themselves.
What we believe as our purpose in the market is to work hard,
innovate and develop soluons that create value to the eco-system
while driving rich experience through products.

SI Asia: Innovang a soluon in the lab is something, and driving the
same on the market is the other. How smart you think you have
been in that?

ZEE: It is possible, we have not put as much emphasis as needed on
markeng early on. We were more cauous and expecially with the
new video products, we wanted to be certain that these were ready
for prime-me with the right features, performance and pricing
before heavily promong them. However, we are creang a larger
buzz now; we are involved a lot of public relaons acvies towards
promong what all we have created for the market.

The biggest challenge, I think, is that ClearOne is known to be an

audio company. Due to that, it takes more me, effort and a

consistent communicaon mechanism to have our video soluons

recognized with a total value creaon for the eco-system. Like I said,

it takes me.

SI Asia: Having taken the decisive direcon, what is the most

excing thing from ClearOne now?

ZEE: One of the most excing things is how we have maximised our

audio soluons to work with our video soluons. There is no one

today at the (ISE) show here that has the breadth of media

collaboraon soluons coupled with audio. There are some

companies that look very great, making a connuous noise. But the

market has changed now; it is looking for cost-effecve, easily-used,

common user-interface soluons, and not a collecon of separate

boxes, with separate funconality, with separate user interfaces. We

have designed our soluons so that they offer maximum

funconality with common user interfaces, offered at right price.

There is no reason to buy your audio conferencing DSP endpoints

from one vendor, your microphones from another vendor, your cloud

video or video room appliances from another vendor, and your

wireless presentaon from another vendor for example. ClearOne

has designed its soluons to be complete and highly innovave and

future-proof standalone offerings reducing investment cost,

maintenance, training and support.

I would like to say that ClearOne is the IKEA of the Pro AV market.

What does that mean? In a convenonal situaon, the

designer/integrator may source their speaker, mixer, mic, video etc.

for different spaces from different vendors; does the job; gets paid,

but not every me sure is fully smooth and secure. He or she doesn't

want to be called back by the End User for a node in the system not

working, and thereby affecng their name or profit. With ClearOne,

which I said the IKEA of Pro AV world, you can get your ceiling mic,

your mixer, your speaker, your video, and more. They are offered

together, designed to work seamlessly together at the factory, and

they all work together. The integrator as well as the end user is

assured of their working in tandem with one another with assured

interoperability, and minimal points of failure and support.

SI Asia: Doesn't it mean that you may be throwing a gauntlet for

the audio and video companies with independent soluons?

ZEE: Absolutely. We absolutely are. In fact, others are trying to copy

us. Aer we introduced our own ceiling mic, other DSP

manufacturers announced partnerships to try to associate

themselves with mic companies. As well, microphone companies

have recently announced DSP soluons. But I vouch- they will never

match ClearOne's innovaon and quality. We introduced AV over IP

soluons and other DSP companies followed our lead and

themselves recently introduced the same. But again – I don't think

ClearOne's newest Ceiling

Microphone: Most advanced tri-

element ceiling microphone

array Analog X for perfect

conferencing and sound

reinforcement applicaons.

INTERVIEW