
Crestron has announced that Microsoft has officially qualified the Crestron RL conference-room group collaboration solution as fully interoperable with Microsoft Lync Server 2013.
Many companies already use the unified communications (UC) solution Microsoft Lync on a daily basis for their communication and productivity needs. Lync enables video, voice, interactive content sharing, presence and chat from a personal device such as a tablet or laptop. Crestron RL brings Lync from the desktop to the conference room – as well as linking to all systems in the room and giving users control of the entire room from the same touchscreen.
“We’re pleased to have Crestron as one of our Lync Room System partners and excited that they will bring to market a solution that not only has a great Lync experience but can also control the lights, shades and much more, all from the same touch screen,” said Microsoft’s Giovanni Mezgec, general manager of Lync and Skype product marketing.
With Crestron RL and Lync, collaboration sessions can be started at the touch of a button. Desktops can be shared with local and remote participants; documents can be viewed and annotated over PowerPoint or interactive whiteboard remotely or locally using the 65in touch displays supplied. Remote participants can join via Lync on their desktop. Adding attendees on the fly in the conference room is simply a matter of typing their names.
In addition, Crestron RL seamlessly integrates with Crestron DigitalMedia and all other Crestron enterprise control solutions. By pressing the ‘RL’ button, users can instantly access lighting, shades, thermostats, DigitalMedia, AV presentation and more, all from the same touchscreen. Crestron RL rooms can be centrally monitored, managed and controlled using Crestron Fusion software.
The Crestron RL package includes the Crestron UC Codec for Lync, HD camera, microphone, 65in touch display(s), a hi-res 10in tabletop touchscreen and more. Crestron RL connects over the corporate LAN: simply mount the display, connect Crestron RL to the network and authenticate. No system design or programming is needed. Where Lync 2013 is already deployed, no additional licenses, fees or infrastructure expenses, such as MCUs or gateways, are needed to light up a Crestron RL system. (Gateways are required to connect with third-party conferences.)