Polycom’s RoundTable 100 device –the manufacturer’s first product to be purpose-built for Skype for Business – is the fruit of an “expanded relationship” between Polycom and Microsoft.
RoundTable 100 is described as an affordable and easy-to-use video solution for huddle rooms. It will allow small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and teams with Skype for Business and Microsoft Lync 2013 to collaborate with voice, video and content, by logging into their Skype for Business account. It is claimed to take “just minutes” to set up and start using; as it will not require corporate domains or on-premises infrastructure, it is easy to use without assistance from the IT department.
The two companies also announced that the Polycom CX series of video collaboration solutions, including the Polycom CX8000 room system, and the CX5100 and CX5500 unified conferencing systems, also will become part of the Polycom RoundTable series of products. In addition, Polycom VVX business media phones will be the first phones to support the forthcoming cloud voice service offering as part of Microsoft Office 365.
“Together, Microsoft and Polycom have a joint vision to deliver collaboration experiences that help our customers defy distance. We are now expanding our solutions to allow SMBs, as well as large enterprises, to reap the benefits of video collaboration,” said Peter Leav, Polycom president and CEO. “Our partnership with Microsoft has never been stronger, and over the years, it has fortified a market demand for collaboration experiences that help make our customers successful.”
Polycom and Microsoft have worked in tandem for more than a decade. Since Microsoft’s entry into unified communications, Polycom has developed what is says is the broadest portfolio of voice, video and content collaboration solutions that integrate with and are qualified by Microsoft. RoundTable solutions will add to Polycom’s portfolio of more than 40 existing solutions that integrate with Lync and Skype for Business.
“Collaboration is the cornerstone of productivity, and people need tools that work the way they do – across locations and devices,” said Zig Serafin, corporate vice president, Skype Business Services Group, Microsoft. “Throughout our longstanding partnership with Polycom, we’ve shared a goal of delivering collaboration experiences that transform the way people work. The RoundTable 100 serves as another important step in helping businesses of all sizes to realize that goal.”
The Polycom RoundTable 100 will be available this summer.
