Librestream Technologies Inc. is a privately owned, venture capital–backed company based in Winnipeg, Canada. Librestream provides technologies that enable mobile and remote enterprise collaboration.
Librestream is known for its unique hand-held mobile devices and accompanying software which help extend traditional video conferencing and collaborative services to locations previously unreachable.
Mobile collaboration
Mobile collaboration Mobile collaboration is a technology-based process of communicating using electronic assets and accompanying software designed for use in remote locations. Newest generation hand-held electronic devices feature video, audio, and telestration (on-scr ...
is a technology-based process of communicating utilizing electronic assets and accompanying software designed for use in remote locations. Newest generation
hand-held electronic devices include video, audio, and telestration (on-screen drawing) capabilities broadcast over secure networks, enabling multi-party conferencing in real-time.
Differing from traditional
video conferencing
Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...
, mobile collaboration utilizes
wireless
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...
,
cellular
Cellular may refer to:
*Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics
* Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more
* ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie
*Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands
*Cell ...
, and
broadband
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
technologies enabling effective
collaboration
Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...
independent of location. Where traditional video conferencing has been limited to boardrooms, offices, and lecture theatres,
recent technological advancements
This is a list of emerging technologies, in-development technical innovations with significant potential in their applications. The criteria for this list is that the technology must:
# Exist in some way; purely hypothetical technologies can ...
have extended the capabilities of video conferencing for use with discreet, hand-held mobile devices, permitting true mobile collaborative possibilities.
Company history
The origins of Librestream date back to the late 1980s in Winnipeg, Canada, when Kerry Thacher co-founded Ubitrex Corporation with Robert Nickel, a small high-tech start-up that designed and developed a
clinical information system
A hospital information system (HIS) is an element of health informatics that focuses mainly on the administrational needs of hospitals. In many implementations, a HIS is a comprehensive, integrated information system designed to manage all the a ...
for use in hospitals to capture patient data. The system included a hand-held device designed for use by clinicians. Subsequent to successful clinical use of this system, Ubitrex was sold in 1994 to U.S-based Continental Healthcare Systems.
Two years later, Thacher bought back the device side of the business from Continental and formed AirWire Mobile Technologies Inc. which continued to support the substantial base of hospitals using the technology. Only a few weeks into AirWire’s operation,
Symbol Technologies Inc., a large U.S-based manufacturer of mobile devices, took notice of AirWire’s unique expertise and contracted with Airwire to create a product to help Symbol pursue the healthcare market.
In 1999, Symbol bought AirWire. Over the next few years, the team, continuing to operate out of Winnipeg, successfully designed and developed a number of mobile devices, one of which delivered
Voice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of speech, voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms In ...
(VoIP), a significant advancement in mobile device technology at that time. This activity led to the development of high-volume hand-held mobile expertise in Winnipeg for the first time, a capability that would later form the foundation for the creation of Librestream.
In August 2003 Thacher left Symbol, and weeks later Symbol closed its Winnipeg office. Although many of the engineers received offers from Symbol to re-locate to New York, all declined. Later in 2003, a group of eight professionals from the former Winnipeg arm of Symbol gathered to plan their next venture. In addition to Thacher, this group included Bill Gillanders, Rob McConnell, Don Freiling, Tim Braun, Kent Wotherspoon, Conway Wieler, and Chris Kavanagh.
Two things were clear: the emergence and continued growth of the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
was certain, and there existed a tangible opportunity to develop enhanced
video-handling capabilities for a next generation of hand-held devices. The group was convinced that together they could design and develop the necessary technology to allow individuals, regardless of location, the ability to collaborate in new ways. The technology would extend the boundaries of traditional video-conferencing beyond the boardroom to workplaces previously unreachable such as a manufacturing plant floor a continent away.
Librestream (a combination of ‘free’ and stream’) was formed in 2003 by Kerry Thacher. Backed by venture capital and individual investors, Librestream developed its first alpha product, the MCD-1000, coupled with desktop collaboration software, MCA, in 2006. Eventually, the mobile collaborative device evolved into the Onsight 1000, one of multiple rugged hand-held devices in the Onsight product line. The desktop collaboration software evolved into the Onsight Expert application.
In 2006, Librestream formed a marketing partnership with
Tandberg, one of the leading video conferencing industry players at that time. The arrangement offered Librestream industry exposure and allowed the breadth and depth of the product to grow in response to evolving requirements.
By 2010, Librestream’s customer base grew to include global enterprises, many of them
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
firms, in industries such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, insurance, government and public safety.
Technological advancement
The impact of mobile collaboration technology is significant in its potential to change the way people work. Live, visual interaction removes traditional restrictions of distance and time. Business processes are optimized through accelerated problem resolution, reductions in downtimes and travel, improvements in customer service and increased productivity.
Partnerships
Librestream works with three strategic partners. With
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...
, Librestream is a Registered Cisco Developer Network member, and Onsight is a core component of the Cisco Manufacturing Mobile Video Collaboration (MMVC) solution. With
Inmarsat, Librestream has successfully tested the Onsight system over the Inmarsat
BGAN
The Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) is a global satellite network with telephony owned by Inmarsat using portable terminals. The terminals are normally used to connect a laptop computer to broadband Internet in remote locations, although as ...
satellite network to provide mobile collaboration to land and maritime satellite customers. With
Verizon Wireless
Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...
, Librestream has tested and optimized the Onsight mobile devices for
4G LTE networks.
{{Empty section, date=April 2014
See also
*
Telepresence
Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance or effect of being present via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location.
Telepresence requires that the user ...
*
Telemedicine
*
Unified communications
Unified communications (UC) is a business and marketing concept describing the integration of enterprise communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, voice (including IP telephony), mobility features (including e ...
*
Video conferencing
Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...
*
Videotelephony
Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio and video signals by people in different locations for real time communication.McGraw-Hill Concise Ency ...
*
Virtual collaboration
Virtual collaboration is the method of collaboration between virtual team members that is carried out via technology-mediated communication. Virtual collaboration follows the same process as collaboration, but the parties involved in virtual colla ...
*List of unified communications companies
*
List of video telecommunication services and product brands
This list of video telecommunication services and product brands is for groupings of notable video telecommunication services, brands of videophones, webcams and video conferencing hardware and systems, all related to videotelephony for two-way co ...
References
Mobile technology
Teleconferencing
Videotelephony
Companies based in Winnipeg
Technology companies of Canada