The solution gives workers one-click access to on-demand voice and video collaboration tools that can help enhance teamwork and help accelerate enterprise decision-making among geographically dispersed workers, customers, partners, and suppliers, the company says.
"Organizations around the globe are adopting Lotus Sametime as the unified communications and collaboration platform for their high-performance workplace," said Bruce Morse, vice president of unified communication and collaboration, IBM. "Teaming with Polycom, IBM customers can extend the value of their unified communications and collaboration environments by adding high-quality, rich-media collaboration capabilities that can further improve productivity and efficiency."
"People are most effective when the communication and collaboration tools they need are instantly available as part of the everyday workflow," said Joe Sigrist, senior vice president and general manager of video solutions at Polycom. "Polycom's integration with the IBM UC2 environment puts our industry-leading voice, video, and unified collaboration capabilities just one-click away within the applications that millions of people use everyday to communicate with others."
Polycom and IBM Global Technology Services
Polycom and IBM Global Technology Services have also entered into an agreement that aims to enhance IBM's ability to deliver scalable, security-enriched and highly-available unified communications solutions to enterprise clients around the globe. In conjunction with IBM's converged communication services portfolio, IBM Global Technology Services will resell and integrate Polycom's portfolio of voice, video, and content sharing endpoints, bridges, media servers, and management services. This agreement will enable IBM to seamlessly integrate IBM Sametime solutions and Polycom products into a client's current environment.
Polycom Unified Collaboration for Lotus Sametime and Lotus Notes provides flexible options for adding voice, video, or unified collaboration from within Lotus software applications. Lotus Notes users who also license Lotus Sametime can launch a voice or video conference call from their contact list or escalate an instant message (IM) chat session to a voice or video call using the familiar click-to-call or click-to-conference features.
Lotus Notes users can launch a voice or video call using click-to-call or click-to-conference wherever contacts appear within Lotus Notes (contact list, email, address book) or schedule a voice or video conference as part of a future meeting. Within Lotus Sametime Web conferencing, users can launch instant meetings with voice and video conferences, or include a voice or video conference as part of a scheduled Web conference.
User Flexibility
Users also have flexibility for how they join a call. Lotus Sametime users can associate different devices with their Lotus Sametime profile (desktop phone, mobile phone, desktop video application, video conferencing system, etc.) and then simply choose which device they want to use when joining a meeting.People using different types of devices are joined seamlessly in a meeting through the unified conferencing capabilities of the Polycom infrastructure. For example, users may receive IM prompts inviting them to join video calls with co-workers. Users can choose to join the calls using their desktop video applications, or send the call to video systems in nearby conference rooms, or join the calls using their desktop, mobile, or conference phones. This can also be used as a "find me" feature allowing users to direct incoming calls to a mobile phone when traveling or to an alternate phone or video endpoint when working from home or a remote office.
Once a conference is started, the initiator can easily control the conference settings (end call, mute self, mute all, etc.) from the familiar Sametime interface, and access a dial-in number for other participants who may be outside the company or not online at the time.
The Polycom integrated solution provides organizations with a single infrastructure for unified communications and collaboration with rich-media conferencing. The solution includes a new Polycom RAS 200I application server that features API integration with the IBM Lotus Sametime Server and IBM Lotus Domino Server, and provides seamless call routing between the Lotus applications and Polycom desktop and conference room video systems for point-to-point video calls, or the Polycom RMX 2000 conferencing-optimized media server or MGC unified conferencing bridge for multi-point voice, video, or unified conferences.
The solution is available in configurations for video conferencing, voice conferencing, or unified video and voice conferencing that can join people on phones and video conferencing systems in the same meeting. The Polycom solution is optimized for Polycom desktop and conference-room video systems but will support any standards-based video conferencing system (including HD systems) through the RMX 2000 conferencing optimized media server or MGC bridge. All types of desktop, conference and mobile phones are supported.
Pricing and Availability
Fully licensed users of Lotus Sametime and Lotus Notes can enjoy the benefits such as click-to-call and multiparty calling from Polycom Unified Collaboration for Lotus Sametime and Lotus Notes. The solution is available today worldwide through qualified Polycom channel partners. Pricing varies based on equipment required.
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. is a worldwide leader in unified collaborative communications (UCC) that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and organizations by integrating the broadest array of high-definition video, wired and wireless voice, and content solutions to deliver the ultimate collaborative experience. Polycom's high quality, standards-based conferencing and collaboration solutions are easy to deploy and manage, as well as intuitive to use, the company says. Supported by an open architecture, they integrate seamlessly with leading telephony, workplace wireless telephony, and presence-based networks. For additional information, call 800-POLYCOM or visit the Polycom web site at Polycom.
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online