/v3-uk/news/2215189/polycom-adds-facebook-and-google-connectivity-to-video-conferencing-platform
08 Oct 2012, Shaun Nichols , V3
Unified communications vendor Polycom has added a number of social networking sites to its RealPresence videoconferencing platform.
Finally, the firm said it is working to overhaul the software used to host and manage calls over its platforms, claiming that by making it easier to use will encourage wider adoption of video calls.
"We want to make sure people come back and use the equipment again and again but at the moment people don't find the software for video conferencing systems that easy to use," explained director for enterprise solutions, Ray McGroarty.
"It's clear there is work to do there so we need to enhance the experience people have when they get to use it, so we're looking to make the software easy to use and similar to the interface people have on their smartphones."
The company said that the release of its CloudAXIS Suite would allow users to initiate videoconference sessions with users via Facebook and Google+ through the Polycom RealPresence service.
The update will allow service providers to enable Polycom users to initiate secure video chat sessions through the social networking services. Polycom said it would expand its unified communications platform beyond the traditional enterprise space and away from isolated unified communications services.
"This application goes out and brings all of my contacts into a single global directory and initiates a call across all of these different applications I select," explained Randy Maestre, vice president of worldwide industry and field marketing for Polycom.
The update is part of a larger effort by Polycom to expand its RealPresence videoconferencing platform into the enterprise space. Other updates include an extension of the unified communications platform into the x86 server market and an expansion of the SVC video encoding platform.
Maestre told V3 that the company is looking to move its videoconferencing platform into the larger social networking space.
"Our vision is to make video collaboration ubiquitous, these announcements are proof point that our vision is becoming a reality," he said.
Secondly, the firm has announced its intention to install the open standards based SVC technology into its platform from now, which it claims makes it much more cost effective for customer to use video services by reducing bandwidth requirements but increasing quality.
"By reducing the capacity required to handle the video calls users can increase the number of end points that can be used for video calls, so firms can support more users on fewer resources," said Andrew Graley, Healthcare Director at Polycom.Finally, the firm said it is working to overhaul the software used to host and manage calls over its platforms, claiming that by making it easier to use will encourage wider adoption of video calls.
"We want to make sure people come back and use the equipment again and again but at the moment people don't find the software for video conferencing systems that easy to use," explained director for enterprise solutions, Ray McGroarty.
"It's clear there is work to do there so we need to enhance the experience people have when they get to use it, so we're looking to make the software easy to use and similar to the interface people have on their smartphones."
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