WebexOne 2021: All the Big Collaboration Announcements

This week saw Cisco host its WebexOne virtual event, where it announced a host of new features and updates to its flagship communications platform.

We’ve gathered the most noteworthy announcements about hybrid working and collaboration from this year’s event.

Webex Go

Jeet Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Security and Collaboration (pictured above), told attendees that voice is the “backbone” of business workflows across many industries and that this was backed up by the recent stat that Webex now hosts eight billion calls a month and its cloud calling footprint now boasts four million users.

He then announced “industry first” Webex Go, which extends Webex Calling business lines to a user’s mobile phone. It allows users make and receive business calls using a smartphone’s native dialler, rather than a softphone application.

“It completely eliminates the need to carry two mobile phones for personal and business use,” he explained.

“You can make and receive business calls using the mobile phone’s dialler while having business grade WebEx calling features, such as being part of queues or hunt groups. Best of all, it protects your privacy, So you don’t have to give out your personal phone number when you’re making a business call.

“It uses the phone’s native dialler – not an app – enabling you to get superior audio quality for calls and meetings because audio is carried over the cellular voice network.”

• Read more on Webex Go

Webex Hologram

The vendor also took the opportunity to launch its augmented reality (AR) platform, Webex Hologram.

The new product was hailed by Patel as an “industry-first”, combining Webex meeting functionality with AR hardware to create immersive 3D holograms of meeting participants. It is vendor agnostic and is compatible with Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens.

According to research from the vendor, 64 percent of employees state that the ability to work from home directly affects their decision to stay at a job or leave. This has driven the design of Hologram, which will enable users who work in industries that make remote working more difficult – such as manufacturing – to collaborate virtually with their colleagues.

“Our mission at Cisco is to empower the 3 billion digital workers on the planet to participate equally from anywhere in the world,” declared Patel.

“Webex Hologram represents a large step toward our mission of delivering a delivering a work experience so seamless that there is no gap between virtual and in-person collaboration”

• Read more on Webex Hologram

Audio Updates

Cisco announced it has partnered with Bang & Olufsen to produce a luxury headset for enterprise users.

The Bang & Olufsen Cisco 980 headset has active noise cancellation capabilities and Webex integrations for voice prompts, on-ear controls and Bluetooth connectivity.

Cisco recently launched ‘Optimise for My Voice’ which is a feature that focuses no the voice of the person closes to the active microphone and removes any other voices from the room. The next stage for this is ‘Optimise All Voices’ which will equalise the voice volume for all speakers in a group meeting.

“Audio is still one of the most important aspects of communications because people can’t feel included if they can’t hear or be heard,” said Patel.

“These amazing features help everyone hear each other clearly and sound their professional best, regardless of the situation that they’re in”

New Kit

Cisco revealed its Webex Desk Mini during the event, designed to be the “ultimate home collaboration tool”, according to Snorre Kjesbu, Vice President & General Manager of Webex Devices.

The device has a small base to fit any space with a touch screen that sits just above the user’s laptop, along with a handle for portability. It is available in a number of colours.

“This is cutting edge technology and timeless aesthetics that meets functionality, like smart cooling air vents that remove the need for a fan and make the product absolutely quiet,” said Kjesbu.

Adding flair to functional. The Webex Desk: now available in 5 colors.

More #WebexOne updates here: https://t.co/NCu4j5JFl7 @KjesbuSnorre pic.twitter.com/nJ7N7TpiMo

— Webex (@Webex) October 26, 2021

Webex for iPad

Cisco also announced the creation of a Webex app that is integrated with Apple iPads. It supports native features, including Split View for multitasking and Centre Stage, which pans the camera to keep users in view. It also supports Picture-in-Picture for video conferencing and the in-app whiteboard supports Apple Pencil.

Webex for iPad is available from the beginning of next month.