Telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco

The goal - In-person, real-time communication

In a tight economy with limited resources, travel expenditure is often the first line item to be cut. Because of this, global enterprises will need to continue to coordinate, collaborate and manage a complex web of human interactions without face-to-face meetings. Until now, telecommunications-based collaboration technologies, including video technologies, could not take the place of business travel. The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco changes the game.

The advantage - Empower users to interact and collaborate

The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco provides an in-person meeting experience that makes participants feel as if they’re in the same room. No need to travel to see each other for a productive and successful interaction. Bring people together from virtually any location around the world, simply and quickly. Experience virtual meetings that duplicate the in-person experience without the cost, time and hassle associated with travel.

To improve collaboration and bring people together quickly, the solution utilizes three emerging technologies—advanced video compression standards, high-definition video imagery, and high-bandwidth telecommunications and network services. And with our global integration capabilities, including room readiness and network readiness assessments, solution planning, architecture and design, deployment and relationships with telecommunications providers, we’re uniquely qualified to deliver a comprehensive, highly reliable solution.

The benefits - Immediate communications capabilities

Wherever you are, you can meet, work and learn in real time. The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco can provide:

• Immediate communication across multiple locations worldwide with a lifelike experience through the use of high-quality video and audio.
• Enhanced collaboration between team members, which can yield big results in an organization’s ability to seize opportunities and respond faster to changes in the marketplace.
• Operation simplicity—no operator is required to set up calls; a single touch initiates the meeting.
• Solution transparency—your users should not even know it’s there.
• Support capabilities, including maintenance, help-desk and concierge services.
• Rapid decision-making capabilities, without the delays of traveling to meetings, thus improving time to market for new products and services.
• Trust and confidence—both within the organization and between organizations—that all important details have been fully addressed.
• The ability to stretch finite resources; for example, a smaller pool of subject matter experts could cover multiple locations.
• Support for your organization’s "green" strategy with reduced travel and carbon footprint.

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The goal - Face-to-face communication—without the travel expense

Do your managers and staff members travel between multiple locations to meet with their colleagues and customers? Is your organization facing limited travel resources in a soft economy? Rising energy costs also directly impact the cost of travel, and companies pay a hidden cost in lost productivity. Until now, telecommunications-based collaboration technologies could not compare to being there. The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco offers an alternative.

The advantage - Global reach, worldwide support

IBM is an established global technology enabler that can deploy the telepresence meeting solution across boundaries, whether geographical, political, economic or technical. We offer extensive design and implementation experience in converged networks, and:

• IBM® Converged Communications Services, which enable you to implement Cisco TelePresence in context with your overall convergence strategy, including integrating Cisco TelePresence with other technologies.
• Ongoing research—IBM Research is actively working to develop additional video-related capabilities, such as tagging and search, to extend more value-added services to the telepresence meeting solution.
• IBM is a Cisco Global Authorized Technology Provider and one of only two Cisco partners that currently hold the Cisco Global Certification status.
• Cisco is a market leader in multiple areas, such as routing and switching, unified communications, wireless and security, and telepresence.

The benefits - Transform and differentiate your business

To improve collaboration with less impact to your bottom line, IBM and Cisco deliver a solution that brings people together from virtually any location around the world, simply and quickly. The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco provides:

• The ability to enjoy virtual meetings that duplicate the in-person experience without the cost, time and hassle associated with travel.
• An interactive experience among participants that is nearly identical to being together in the same location.
• An in-person communications experience that blocks out distractions and focuses participants’ attention on being fully present in the meeting.
• Lifelike, life-size, high-definition images that deliver a full range of interactive human communications, including clear speech, nonverbal body language and eye contact.
• Audio and video delivered in real time, in actual size, with high-quality imagery so crisp that participants can view detailed objects under discussion, including handwritten text or drawings.
• Peripherals to help teams share documents and even view product samples across meeting rooms.
• Support for accelerated decision making and productivity by bringing the right people together regardless of their geographic location.
• Better use of limited resources, such as subject matter experts who must cover multiple locations.

The approach - An exceptional meeting experience

The telepresence meeting solution has enabled our clients to conduct virtual meetings while looking and sounding like they are attending in person. Attendees can communicate and converse in real time, catching every comment, gesture, expression and nuance of the conversation. High-quality audio and high-definition video make it possible to "be" virtually anywhere in the world at the touch of a button.

Clients implementing our solution are able to take advantage of the tools they use every day, integrating with enterprise groupware and unified communications. Scheduling and starting meetings is simple, and there is no need for staff, training, menus or manuals.

The financial advantage - Less travel, time and expense

The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco can provide a positive return on investment by enabling face-to-face business interactions, without the constant need for and expense of global travel. It can help companies:

• Save time and money by connecting customers, partners and coworkers "in person" at a moment's notice.
• Reduce time to market and make decisions faster.
• Use scarce resources more efficiently by making the right resource available at the right time in the right location.
• Boost productivity through more frequent interaction among geographically dispersed colleagues.
• Lessen your organization’s impact on the environment by using technology more effectively to reduce travel.

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The issues - Build a unified communications platform

Your organization needs to work faster, more productively and collaboratively—but limited budgets have companies looking for alternatives to travel. Traditional video meeting systems remain unused because they are not reliable, offer a low-quality experience, and are too difficult to schedule and use. The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco can provide a lifelike, real-time, high-definition alternative.

The benchmark - Implementing telepresence around the world

Currently, IBM is one of only a few Cisco partners that can deploy Cisco TelePresence worldwide. And as leaders in unified communications, we understand how this technology fits with other unified communications solutions, and can help your organization fit telepresence into your overall unified communications strategy. Together, IBM and Cisco have:

• A commitment to telepresence technology, which enables us to conduct site and network assessments, perform architecture and design, manage procurement and logistics, deploy endpoints, upgrade networks, work with telecommunications providers, and manage projects in a coordinated fashion.
• Deep expertise in designing and deploying converged communications networks—when properly planned and designed, converged IP networks can open the door to significant cost reductions, enhanced productivity and improvements in customer service.
• Leadership in convergence, together with significant resources for designing, deploying and managing converged networks, to help you take advantage of new opportunities.

The components - Tools for a high-quality, reliable meeting

IBM and Cisco can help make telepresence an integral part of your overall communications infrastructure. Our telepresence meeting solution features Cisco TelePresence, which uses three emerging technologies—advanced video compression standards, high-definition video imagery, and high-bandwidth telecommunications and network services—to help enable reliable, security-rich meetings.

Solution components can include:

• IBM® System x® servers—a smart system design that includes multiple layers of redundancy and memory protection combined with advanced availability tools to help keep your systems up and running.
• IBM Lotus® Domino®—a world-class server platform for e-mail, scheduling and collaboration applications.
• IBM Lotus Notes®—an integrated desktop client for IBM Lotus Domino e-mail, calendar, group scheduling and applications.
• Cisco Unified Communications—provides the ease of one-button-to-push call launch, telephony features such as hold, mute and conference, and integration with applications such as Cisco Unified Contact Center.

Global implementation services from IBM include:

• Telepresence strategy and assessment—site surveys, room readiness assessments, network readiness assessments, network path qualification and solution approach.
• Telepresence architecture and design—network design, facilities planning, service and support design, and implementation planning.
• Telepresence implementation—rollout and installation, integration, certification, acceptance testing, administration and user training.

The implementation - Reduced travel without reduced meetings

A client saw its air travel bill rapidly increasing. Employees found that downtime when traveling limited productivity. Time spent on airplanes and in airports put strains on families. Environmentally conscious employees pointed out the CO2-intensive waste produced by frequent business trips. The client wanted to cut down on travel.

The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco delivers to the client a unique, in-person experience with:

• Large plasma displays that provide life-size images at 720p and 1080p resolutions.
• High-definition cameras that project high-quality images.
• Full-duplex, CD-quality audio that facilitates natural conversation with no perceivable latency.
• Audio clarity that enables participants to talk in soft voices and still be heard as if every participant is in the same room.

The cost of ownership - Realize the potential of a telepresence solution

The telepresence meeting solution from IBM and Cisco is a new kind of collaborative application that offers several significant advantages. The solution:

• Provides dial-tone reliability and global connectivity for greater return on investment than traditional video communications.
• Integrates into IP-based converged communications networks.
• Delivers the near-immediate cost benefits of IP telephony integration, to help you achieve cost savings, boost productivity, increase flexibility and facilitate the development of new IP-enabled applications.
• Eliminates feedback from mobile devices using multichannel spatial audio with echo cancellation and interference filters.
• Features optimized environmental conditioning to provide excellent audio and video quality, and overall user experience.

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