In a nod to the continued evolution of the UC market towards interoperability, Polycom recently released a version of its platform that integrates with IBM Lotus Sametime. The newly available solution, Polycom Unified Collaboration Solution for IBM Lotus Sametime, is an integrated telepresence and desktop video collaboration solution for IBM Unified Communication and Collaboration environments. The solution aims to enhance collaboration, enable users to easily connect and collaborate with one another while lowering costs and increasing productivity.
For resellers looking to grab a piece of the exploding UC solutions market—Forrester predicts the market to grow from $3.75 billion this year to $14.5 billion in 2015—widespread interoperability between platforms has been lacking.
“Customers evaluating voice and video collaboration tools increasingly require that those tools integrate with their unified communications environments,” said Ted Thompson, vice president of technology at HB Communications, Inc., an AV technology reseller, distributor and installer.
The newly available platform combines IBM’s Lotus Sametime platform with Polycom UC Intelligent Core visual communication platform and Polycom personal and room telepresence solutions. Polycom, along with its partners, integrators and IBM Global Services also will provide the services required for deployment and management of the integrated offering.
Features of the platform, which supports Lotus Sametime Release 8.5.1, include:
- Click-to-Call and Click-to-Conference to contacts within IBM Lotus Sametime
- Launching of voice and video conferences through Lotus’ Instant Meetings
- Integrated video conferences with scheduled web conferences.
- Call routing between Lotus apps and Polycom telepresence systems, personal and conference room systems.
- Central management of video networks and systems with the Polycom Management console.
IDC’s vice president for Enterprise Communications, Cindy Borovick, indicates that the integrated product provides significant value for IBM and Polycom customers.
“Integrating voice and video communications within the IBM UC environment will help customers drive a more collaborative culture by enhancing the interaction between locations while also reducing travel costs,” said Borovick. “Customers will benefit by Polycom and IBM working together because it will provide a more seamless experience for end users and IT managers, along with better investment protection.”