Recently, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to head down to Polycom’s London Office at the “Polycom Executive Experience Centre” for an insight into the latest and greatest innovations the Comms company has to offer. My exploration into Polycom’s UK hub allowed me to learn more not just about the products that are coming to the market this year, but also about the Polycom strategy as a whole, and how the company approaches the UC world.
Since we’re all about sharing the best news and Comms experiences with you here at UC Today, I’ll be giving you the full rundown of my experience, and what I learned when playing around with some of the latest tech.
Exploring Polycom
The Vice President for Marketing in EMEA, Tim Stone welcomed me to the office on 69 Old Broad Street in London and introduced me to the full team. Tim was eager to tell me all about the business, and share his passion for Polycom, and everything the brand has accomplished over the years. He noted that for Polycom, the number one key to success is maintaining ease of use for customers.
As Microsoft continues to take charge of the market share with their Skype for Business Solution, Polycom has been able to create a seamless experience for technology users who want to make the most of Skype for Business compatible IP phones and integration. In fact, 75% of the Skype for Business phones available on the market are produced by Polycom.
As Tim told me, Polycom currently has the biggest UC relationship with Microsoft, compared to any other competitor in the market. Charlie James said:
“Polycom takes care of the Microsoft curve balls”.
In other words, when Microsoft change their products, Polycom is always there to make sure they’re ready to accommodate the latest innovations.
Polycom and the Workplace of the Future
Tim noted that Polycom is all about embracing the workplace of the future. The video as a service (VaaS) market is growing at around 31% per annum, suggesting that the Polycom foray into the world of visual communication is stronger than ever, and they’re diving into new solutions in the world of Workspace, Workflow, and Experience to ensure that their customers have everything they need for a powerful communications strategy.
According to Tim, the latest developments for Polycom has allowed them to take care of the increasingly diverse workplace, as things like remote working and unified communications become more common. The Polycom strategies appeal to the workforce of the day, working naturally alongside digital transformation strategies, and millennial preferences. At the same time, because Polycom’s portfolio is designed to work seamlessly alongside other platforms, customers can create the experience that works best with them.
The Latest Polycom Solutions
Executive Briefing Centre specialist for Polycom, Jonathan Clark, introduced me to some of the latest innovations from Polycom, including Polycom Pano, RealPresence Trio, RealPresence Centro, and RealPresence Immersive Studio:
- Pano: Polycom Pano is the latest intuitive way for businesses to share content seamlessly while they’re connecting and collaborating at work. You can connect from your personal device with one touch, and cast up to four streams of content to compare and contrast different pieces of work. The system is a fantastic way to share pictures and documents easily, with a simple installation that allows companies to connect to any HD monitor and transform their room into a collaboration space in minutes!
- RealPresence Trio: RealPresence Trio is one of Polycom’s latest teleconferencing solutions, featuring the best sound quality in the industry. Designed to make conferencing so much clearer and simpler, the system offers exceptional sound, combined with easy content sharing solutions to offer a truly unique UC solution.
- RealPresence Centro: Centro is an exciting new piece of tech designed to make the use of tech feel more natural within a conferencing environment. The innovative technology makes you feel like everyone can be seen and heard easily, no matter where they are in any room. In my opinion, Centro could be great for the emerging huddle room trend.
- RealPresence Immersive Studio: Ideal for those next-level meeting rooms, the intuitive RealPresence immersive studio offers an exceptional video and audio experience, complete with crystal clear sound and HD 4k video. You can move naturally around an office space without feeling restricted, share content easily, and enjoy a truly next-generation meeting room experience.
My experience with Polycom was a truly inspirational one, and I can’t wait to see what they deliver next!
