Cisco Webex has announced spatial meetings for more immersive meeting experiences.
Unveiled at this week’s WebexOne event, the XR-oriented spatial meetings were one of the standout features highlighted among a swathe of new AI products and capabilities designed to enhance the employee experience. Other compelling announcements included the Cisco Ceiling Microphone Pro, new workflow-oriented integrations with enterprise apps like Salesforce and ServiceNow, and several AI-powered workspace management features.
Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Cisco, commented:
With AI baked into every part of Cisco’s product portfolio, we’re helping organisations future-proof their workspaces with solutions ready for the next generation of how and where people work. We’re providing our customers with intelligent, adaptable, and easy-to-manage technology that enhances experiences for their employees and customers.”
Webex says users can transform any space equipped with a Cisco Room Bar Pro into an immersive studio and deliver spatial video to Webex for Apple Vision Pro users via a straightforward software upgrade. With any Room Bar Pro device and an Apple Vision Pro, users can conduct product demos, remote training, education, and more with a video that features advanced depth and dimension.
More Information On The Other AI Innovations
The Cisco Ceiling Microphone Pro, which Webex describes as the “industry-first adaptive microphone”, enables users to capture natural conversation from anywhere in various workspaces. Using AI, it automatically adjusts to speaker positions and changes in room configuration. Compatible with Cisco cameras and room systems, Webex stresses the Cisco Ceiling Microphone Pro offers an integrated and immersive meeting experience that is easy to manage.
Webex says it’s empowering IT and facilities teams to streamline their work in the era of flexible working with several innovative solutions. One such solution is the Workspace Designer, which fully automates the design and customisation of workspaces. It provides a 3D view of audio and video coverage, aiming to accelerate the time it takes to deploy video-enabled hybrid workspaces.
Another new feature is Smart Diagnostics in Control Hub. This tool enables IT teams to identify and resolve meeting room issues in real time, ensuring smooth and efficient operations. Additionally, the integration of ThousandEyes for the Desk Phone 9800 Series and Webex Calling helps monitor and troubleshoot in real time. This intends to reduce downtime by tracking where call issues originate, providing a more reliable communication experience.
Cisco’s AI assistant has also been upgraded. It now allows users to automate workflows through integrations with enterprise apps such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zendesk, and more. Additionally, it integrates with Glean, enabling mutual customers to enhance discussions and speed up decision-making with its knowledge graph and connectors, including Outlook, Salesforce, and ServiceNow.
Webex outlines that with Amazon Bedrock, users can also choose the LLM that best fits their needs. Furthermore, the Cisco AI Assistant enables users to share summaries and recaps across third-party platforms, including Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Copilot, and Slack.
Additional new capabilities to enhance employee engagement include Vidcast enhancements like highlights, chapters, and transcripts, aiming to improve asynchronous video capabilities. Soon, AI-generated Vidcast will enable users to upload a PDF or PPT and automatically generate a script and voice-overs in the language and tone of their choice, saving time and bolstering the user experience.
Lastly, AI-generated Slido polls allow meeting participants to create polls during webinars and large meetings, making interactions more dynamic and engaging.
Other Notable Webex News In Recent Months
Last month, Gamma Communications reinforced its collaboration with Cisco by launching its new Horizon with Webex solution.
Horizon with Webex combines Gamma’s Horizon platform with Cisco’s Webex, offering a solution tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. This integration allows users of Gamma’s Horizon products to enhance their communication experience with Webex’s advanced features. By expanding collaboration capabilities, the service enables SMEs to scale and adapt their communication strategies to meet evolving business needs.
Also, in September, Cisco opened a second data centre in the UK to enhance Webex Calling in the region and worldwide.
Cisco asserted that this expansion would benefit enterprise customers and partners in the UK by enhancing services while meeting compliance requirements to address evolving regulatory demands. The new centre is designed to support Webex Calling’s cloud calling services, which serve over 15 million users across more than 170 countries.
