Cisco’s flagship Webex event, WebexOne, took place in Anaheim, California, last week, welcoming an in-person audience for the first time.
The Anaheim Marriott welcomed more than 1,200 attendees, with a further 15,000 attending virtually.
Spread across two days, WebexOne featured three keynote sessions and 40 breakout sessions, and was experienced in more than 30 languages.
We’ve rounded up the biggest news from across WebexOne here.
Generative AI Underpins Cisco’s Strategy
Generative AI was the key undercurrent of the whole of WebexOne, driving the vast majority of the announcements.
On the collaboration side, Webex revealed its new AI Assistant, along with an AI-powered codec and Real-Time Media Models.
The Webex AI Assistant offers a wide range of features that help individuals focus on their most important tasks and reduce IT-related expenses.
By asking general questions like "Tell me about the meeting," the Webex AI Assistant allows users to provide more detailed prompts such as "Update me on the 15 minutes I missed in the meeting" and receive real-time responses. The Webex AI Assistant is integrated natively with Cisco Collaboration devices and covers the entire Webex product line.
Webex Messaging and Slido now have new features that allow recommended changes to message tone, format, and phrasing. The Assistant can also provide suggestions for responses to messages for contact center agents who interact with customers on digital channels. These text suggestions are based on context history and surrounding intelligence.
New AI-Powered Meeting Room Kit
At WebexOne, Cisco unveiled the Room Kit EQX, promising easy deployment, improved video and sound, and better operability with Microsoft Teams during meetings.
EQX is an integrated appliance featuring camera systems, audio systems, and mounting options. It supports Cisco’s EQ Codec, which is powered by NVIDIA’s AI chipset.
Dual external displays are up to 75”, with the option of adding a third screen.
Cisco will offer its customers a range of flexible mounting options, including wall-mounting or free-standing. This feature can help eliminate the need for additional building permits and patchwork speaker solutions, further reducing both the time and cost required for deploying flagship spaces.
On a smaller scale, Cisco also expanded its partnership with Bang & Olufsen to launch a new pair of enterprise-optimised earbuds.
The Bang & Olufsen Cisco 950 earbuds feature enterprise-grade security and manageability, delivering premium sound quality for professionals on the go.
The earbuds can be managed in Cisco's Control Hub platform, giving IT admins and teams greater control over their suite of collaboration devices.
