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Video Conferencing Leaders Video Guidance and BCS Global Merge to Boost Global Cloud Services
[December 10, 2014]

Video Conferencing Leaders Video Guidance and BCS Global Merge to Boost Global Cloud Services


Video Guidance, one of the nation's premier video conferencing companies, today announced it has merged with London-based BCS Global Networks, Inc. The new company combines the sales and operations of two highly regarded leaders in visual communications, creating a formidable global enterprise that links BCS Global's capabilities in Europe and Asia with Video Guidance's in North America. Video Guidance will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BCS and will retain the respected Video Guidance name and brand in the U.S.

Michael Werch (Photo: Business Wire)

Michael Werch (Photo: Business Wire)

BCS Global identified and sought Video Guidance to complement its product and service offerings, and to develop greater sales and operations in North America. More importantly, the combination of the two visionary firms offers worldwide, cloud-based conferencing that addresses the industry's most glaring needs.

"Video Guidance shares our mission of bringing visual communications to every boardroom, desktop and mobile device, and to make visual collaboration an easy-to-use business productivity tool for any enterprise across the globe," said Clive Sawkins, who will continue to serve as CEO of the merged company, BCS Global. "Video Guidance unquestionably fits our sales, operations and culture like a glove. This combination will help us extend our geographic reach into America, while bringing new, ever-changing technologies to a worldwide marketplace."

Industry veteran Michael Werch, president and CEO of Video Guidance will continue to lead the sales and operations in North America, bringing stability and consistency to an exploding business sector.

"Today's technologies have brought unimaginable changes to our way of life, and the number of communication options available on virtually any kind of device is growing exponentially," said Werch. "Video conferencing has revolutionized the way people connect and as a result, businesses and organizations are making visual communications a strategic priority. This merger strengthens our North America footprint and gives Video Guidance a dedicated worldwide network and data centers to continue to position and grow our cloud-service offering."

BCS Global and Video Guidance are each 15-year-old organizations that have been exclusively committed to video conferencing. With experienced and keen industry know-how, they also have successfully weathered the ever-changing landscape by continually shifting and offering the best-in-breed products and services.

Both companies boast innovative videoconferencing and telepresence solutions that enable real-time, rich interactive audio, video and web collaboration, allowing participants to connect seamlessly from their mobile devices, desktops, home offices, boardrooms or telepresence suites. BCS Global owns a fully deployed Global B2B Video Exchange, which enables users across the world to meet instantaneously regardless of their video system, network provider or type of connection. Similarly, Video Guidance's cloud-based initiative unites previously incompatible audio, video and web technologies. Based on Acano's one-of-a-kind technology, the service offers Acano's unique features and functions nationwide in Video Guidance's VG Connect™/ MeetingSpace and WorkSpace offerings.

"This is an exciting merger that combines two firms with proven expertise in both hosted and managed services for video conferencing and collaboration," said Andrew W. Davis, senior partner at Wainhouse Research LLC. "While Video Guidance and BCS Global have a similar heritage and vision, they have very different geographic footprints and different go-to-market strategies that provide the underpinnings for synergy. The promise here is to combine the direct-to-customer expertise of Video Guidance with the international channel management program of BCS Global. The merger gives the new company additional scale to address the needs of both glbal enterprises as well as SMBs."



As important as the products and services both companies provide, BCS Global and Video Guidance take enormous pride in their unmatched, white glove service that offers a single point of contact with certified video technicians who schedule, initiate and manage successful, end-to-end meetings. This high-touch approach ensures quality and reliability on every call by eliminating the guesswork and obstacles that organizations face when coordinating video meetings.

"Of course, all businesses claim to have fine customer service," said Sawkins. "But one of our top priorities and one of the key reasons we selected Video Guidance is because of the reputation they have earned providing hands-on training and bend-over-backwards, 24/7 service. It cannot be overstated how paramount this is to our new company and to our customers around the world." Video Guidance's User Adoption Program is lauded as unique to the industry.


"The industry needs true global cloud service offerings like this," said Larry Satterfield, Acano's global vice president of sales. "The new company can now take Video Guidance's VG Connect service worldwide on the BCS Global Network. This will move the industry forward."

The combined company will have more than 115 employees in offices throughout North America, UK, Europe and Asia.

About BCS Global Networks
BCS Global Networks (www.bcsglobal.com) is a leading worldwide provider of managed videoconferencing, telepresence and visual collaboration services. Privately held and headquartered in Berkshire, UK with offices in New York, Toronto, Shanghai and Hong Kong, BCS Global provides comprehensive managed video services and a 24x7 global live video and audio help-desk support to its customers across the globe. In 2013, BCS global was one of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the UK by Deloitte (News - Alert) Technology Fast 50, and one of the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in EMEA by Deloitte Technology Fast 500.

About Video Guidance
Founded in 1999, Video Guidance (www.videoguidance.com) is an independent, strategic visual communications company that customizes state-of-the-art products, services and solutions from the world's finest manufacturers. Privately held and headquartered in Bloomington, Minn., Video Guidance is a certified partner of Acano, Cisco, Polycom (News - Alert), LifeSize and Pexip, and maintains strategic alliances with Arkadin, On Stream Media Corporation and SynergySky. For six consecutive years, Video Guidance has been named to the "Inc. 5,000" list of the nation's fastest growing private companies; one of the top privately held companies in Minnesota; one of the top 150 telecommunications companies in the nation; and one of the "50 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies" in the Twin (News - Alert) Cities by The Business Journal.

Company Principals:

Michael Werch
Michael Werch is the president and CEO of Video Guidance, Inc. As an industry visionary with over 20 years of expertise, Werch has proven himself to be one of Minnesota's telecommunications leaders. He founded Video Guidance in 1999 and has been profitable every year since inception.

Werch has an impressive track record of delivering high quality products and motivating strong sales teams, all while developing respected customer relationships. During the company's five-year transition from hardware-centric services to a cloud-services model, Werch increased VG Connect Conferencing Service's revenues 56 percent. He also led the company's OneCall managed service renewal rating of 89 percent (more than double the industry average) and OneCall's revenue growth of 79 percent over the last five years. In addition, Werch oversaw Video Guidance's 2013 partner sales growth of 127 percent and 2013 net income growth of 115 percent.

Prior to founding Video Guidance, he was the national video conferencing sales director at Acoustic Communications, Inc., where he was responsible for the direction and leadership of the company's sales force. Werch also held top level sales and management positions for Norstan and Sprint.

Werch graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Economics. He serves on the board of directors of Florida-based Prevention Plus Wellness and supports numerous area nonprofit and civic organizations.

Clive Sawkins
Clive Sawkins is the CEO of London-based BCS Global Networks, Inc., a cloud-based video and collaboration solutions provider. With extensive knowledge in technology and corporate strategy, Sawkins is recognized as an industry leader in unified communications, video networks, collaboration and digital media. He was instrumental in helping the company grow its revenue as well as transition from direct sales to a channel sales business model. As CEO, he oversaw BCS growth 25 percent each year for five years, and in 2010, he grew BCS's revenues167 percent.

Building a new Go-to-Market model focused on global tier-two service providers, Sawkins signed partnerships with Shanghai Telecom, SingTel, Cable & Wireless (News - Alert), Telstra Europe and Lime Telecom. Focused on large enterprise and government applications, BCS manages one of the largest managed service government contracts in the UK for a highly integrated video solution with over 3,000 endpoints.

Sawkins held senior management and leadership roles with Cisco, Avaya & Nortel (News - Alert) and drove four new start-up technology units and turning them into multi-million dollar businesses. Sawkins serves on the board of OVCC-USA and as a Non Exec to Mirage Technology Holdings. He was a finalist for sDeloitte Fast Track 50; one Sunday Times Tech Track 100; and was a 2011 finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

For further information on BCS Global, visit www.bcsglobal.com or connect with BCS Global on YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.


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