Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking

    Cisco Expands TelePresence with Protocol, New Apps

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    January 26, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Cisco Systems is aiming to expand the reach of telepresence capabilities, releasing an interoperability protocol and pushing its own TelePresence product beyond virtual meeting rooms.

      The networking giant on Jan. 26 also unveiled two new TelePresence endpoints that are designed for easier installation and greater energy efficiency.

      The moves are part of a larger strategy by Cisco to bring the benefits of telepresence technology to a wider audience, Erica Schroeder, director of marketing for Cisco’s TelePresence business unit, said in an interview.

      “Our goal is for everyone everywhere to have access to the immersive experience,” Schroeder said.

      Cisco is releasing TIP (Telepresence Interoperability Protocol) into the public domain to enable greater interoperability between multiscreen telepresence systems from disparate vendors. The goal is to help businesses improve communications not only among their own workers, but with customers and partners as well.

      “This will give Cisco and other vendors the ability to do standards-based telepresence interoperability,” Schroeder said.

      Cisco is licensing TIP to other telepresence and video conferencing vendors royalty-free, and expects this to be the first step to creating an open standard for the technology. Already LifeSize Communications, Tandberg and Radvision have signed licensing agreements for the protocol, according to Cisco officials.

      The vendor already offers some interoperability through its support of H.323, which enables its TelePresence technology to work with other standard and high-definition video conferencing systems and other collaboration applications. In addition, Cisco supports HD video conferencing interoperability solutions through its MXE 5600 (Media Experience Engine) and Cisco Unified Videoconferencing.

      Cisco is in the process of buying Tandberg for $3.4 billion, while Logitech is acquiring LifeSize for $405 million, all part of what is becoming an increasingly competitive telepresence and video collaboration space. Other vendors are partnering as they look to compete with Cisco in the video collaboration space. Video conferencing vendors in January announced separate alliances with Siemens Enterprise Communications Group and Juniper Networks. That competition will only increase as business demand for video collaboration technology grows.

      “There has been in the last two years an unprecedented awareness and pent-up demand for video among the general populace,” Roopam Jain, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, said in an e-mail. “This is not just emerging from a viral increase in consumer use of video (Skype, YouTube …) but also from the true understanding of benefits related to video adoption in the enterprise [such as] travel cost savings and higher productivity. The growing ease of use and better user experience of the current generation of products has been a significant contributor, too.”

      Cisco-particularly as it acquires Tandberg-has the pole position in the video collaboration space, Jain said, with offerings from the desktop to the TelePresence portfolio for enterprises. The company also can integrate video with other communications applications, such as WebEx, she said.

      “Cisco’s competition, to build up some muscle, is focusing on partnering with vendors,” Jain said, pointing to the Polycom-Siemens alliance. “We expect to see interesting partnership opportunities emerge for Polycom as it strengthens its relationship with Siemens, Avaya and IBM.”

      Cisco also is moving the TelePresence experience outside the virtual meeting room with new applications aimed at particular venues.

      “With these applications, we want to give the ability to experience face-to-face communications in lots of different ways,” Schroeder said. “All of these apps are customer-driven.”

      For example, Cisco is bringing its TelePresence technology into the educational arena, enabling face-to-face remote experiences in classrooms and lecture halls as well as corporate training rooms. TelePresence currently is used in administrative roles in schools, “but [school officials have] really been pushing to apply this technology to teaching,” she said.

      TelePresence Active Collaboration Room brings together the immersive technology with other collaborative applications such as Cisco’s WebEx. Through the company’s TelePresence Remote Demonstration Center, Cisco aims to give customers a way to demonstrate new products without having to travel to different sites.

      Cisco also offers an in-person concierge service through its TelePresence Live Desk, and live Webcasting or recording services through the TelePresence Streaming Service.

      Schroeder said Cisco will be adding new applications in the future.

      Cisco also is rolling out the TelePresence System 3010 and 3210, which Schroeder said will offer greater energy efficiency and be easier to deploy. Both endpoints offer in-room HD LCDs that enable users to collaborate on content across the TelePresence meeting from a laptop or an integrated document camera.

      The new systems reduce power consumption by 25 percent, and more of the endpoints are preassembled, making them easier to install. The systems also offer improved lighting and increased bandwidth efficiency, Schroeder said.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×