New Polycom Video Solution for IBM Lotus Sametime Helps Businesses Drive Greater Results
Polycom telepresence integration with IBM Lotus Sametime allows users to easily connect and collaborate
Johannesburg, 27 October 2010 – Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), a global leader in unified communications, today announced availability of the Polycom Unified Collaboration Solutionfor IBM Lotus Sametime,a new, integrated telepresence and desktop video collaboration solution for IBMUnified Communication and Collaboration (UC2) environments that enables users to easily connect and collaborate. This enhanced collaboration helps organisations improve productivity, accelerate decision making and lower costs by reducing the need to travel.
The end-to-end solution combines IBM's feature-rich Lotus Sametime platform with the scalable, redundant and standards-based Polycom UCIntelligent Core™visual communication platform and Polycom personal and room telepresencesolutions. Polycom, and its certified partners and integrators, including IBM Global Services, offer supporting services to help customers plan for, deploy and manage the integrated offering.
“Video conferencing has long been a core element of any unified communications and collaboration solution,” said Sandesh Bhat, vice president of web and collaboration development, IBM. “As video moves beyond the executive suite, Polycom's new integration with IBM Sametime will make it easy for organisations to leverage these capabilities to eliminate travel, protect the environment and drive significant cost savings for their enterprises.”
“Unified communications and collaboration is about making it easy for people to find, connect and collaborate with others,” said Dan Engel, regional sales manager of Polycom. “Polycom's integration with the IBM UC2 environment puts our powerful, productivity enhancing video collaboration tools just one-click away within the Lotus applications that millions of people use every day. This extends the value of customers' UC investments and drives greater ROI.”
Enhances Familiar Lotus Sametime User Experience with Click-to-Call Telepresence
The Polycom Unified Collaboration Solution for IBM Lotus Sametime allows users to “Click-to-Call” and “Click-to-Conference” telepresence, video, voice and unified (combined voice and video) conferencing from presence-enabled contacts within IBM Lotus Sametime. In addition, Lotus Sametime Web conferencing users can launch Instant Meetings with voice and video conferences, or include a voice or video conference as part of scheduled web conference.
“Integrating voice and video communications within the IBM UC environment will help customers drive a more collaborative culture by enhancing the interaction between locations while also reducing travel costs,” said Cindy Borovick, vice president of Enterprise Communications, International Data Corporation (IDC). “Customers will benefit by Polycom and IBM working together because it will provide a more seamless experience for end users and IT managers, along with better investment protection.”
Supports Existing Polycom and IBM Investments for Rapid ROI
Polycom Unified Collaboration Solution for IBM Lotus Sametimesupports Lotus Sametime Release 8.5.1, and provides seamless call routing between the Lotus applications and Polycom room and personal telepresence systems and desktop and conference room video conferencing systems for video calls and unified (voice and video) conferences. To extend collaboration opportunities and help customers drive a fast return on investment (ROI), the solution is interoperable with the broad ecosystem of standards-based telepresence and video conferencing systems in use today.
Simplifies Deployment and Management
The Polycom Unified Collaboration Solution for IBM Lotus Sametime provides a comprehensive solution that is easy to deploy and manage. Polycom's integration with the Lotus Sametime server does not change the user interface, which results in minimal user training requirements. The Polycom ConvergedManagement Application™ (CMA™) allows IT administrators to centrally provision and manage Polycom video networks and systems within their UC network.
Converged Communications Services from IBM
IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) provides services for converged communications world-wide, including service offerings for Lotus products and the integration of Lotus products with Polycom solutions. IBM Converged Communications Services for desktop video enable the integration and deployment of complex UC solutions, including providing support for the Polycom solutions' integration to Lotus Sametime 8.5.1. In addition, IBM GTS provides strategy, network assessments, design and implementation services which can be utilised to plan and deploy UC and Polycom-based collaboration solutions.
High-Growth Market Opportunity for Channel Partners
The market for enterprise UC solutions is growing rapidly, and represents a significant growth opportunity for qualified channel partners. According to Forrester Research, the Enterprise UC worldwide market size will grow from $3.75 billion in 2010 to $14.5 billion in 20151.
“Customers evaluating voice and video collaboration tools increasingly require that those tools integrate with their unified communications environments,” said Ted Thompson, vice president of technology at HB Communications, Inc. “Polycom and IBM have delivered a great solution that puts those tools within the familiar Lotus Sametime applications and interface. Polycom systems are all standards-based and their UC Intelligent Core platform can scale as use grows and as applications evolve. This provides a great migration path for customers as they move toward truly unified communications and collaboration. We are pleased to be among the first partners to offer this solution to customers.”
Polycom's integration efforts with IBM supports the Polycom Open Collaboration Network strategy, providing an open and interoperable collaboration solution that gives customers greater flexibility and investment protection for their UC environment.
Availability:
The Polycom Unified Collaboration Solution for IBM Lotus Sametime is now available through certified Polycom channel partners. More information is available at www.polycom.com/IBM
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is a global leader in unified communications solutions with industry-leading telepresence, video, voice and infrastructure solutions built on open standards. Polycom powers smarter conversations, transforming lives and businesses worldwide. Please visit www.polycom.com for more information or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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1Source: Forrester, “Market Overview: Sizing Unified Communications,” February 2009, page 9
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