Polycom Marks 25-Year Anniversary, Adds New Collaboration Solutions

Enterprise communications vendor Polycom (PLCM) celebrated the company’s 25^th anniversary with the launch of several collaboration solutions aimed at making video- and audioconferences more human.

While new telepresence solutions aren’t necessarily noteworthy in and of themselves, Polycom is looking to shake up the status quo on the traditional boardroom conference setup with a family of new solutions focused on drawing attention to the center of the room. Unlike traditional video collaboration solutions that are mounted on a wall, Polycom’s RealPresence family seeks to allow coworkers to gather in a circle, which is more in keeping with the way people normally interact.

The first solution, RealPresence Trio, is a three-point conference phone that incorporates voice, content-sharing and video into a single unit. Polycom is billing the solution as the industry’s first “smart hub” for enterprise communication, which allows users to wirelessly connect via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The system also includes a bass speaker to amplify audio and make voices sound richer, according to the company.

For larger conference environments, RealPresence Centro features a 360-degree camera that creates a panoramic view of all participants in the room, allowing conference attendees to see everyone present on a video call. The device consists of four 27-inch touchscreen monitors mounted on a rolling base unit, so viewers can gather around the device in a circle. The base unit includes four built-in speakers as well as USB connections for device sharing. Centro automatically tracks and focuses on the main speaker in a conference, and adjusts the video feed to capture and highlight whoever is currently speaking.

For small and medium-sized businesses, RealPresence Debut is a portable conferencing solution that features a built-in pan, tilt and zoom camera. The device utilizes Polycom Eagle Eye Producer and Eagle Eye Director to focus in on the main speaker in a conference situation. And for companies who need a larger conferencing solution capable of being moved from room to room, RealPresence Medialign is the company’s all-in-one solution for voice, content sharing and video, and is designed to assemble quickly without any tools.

In addition to its new hardware offerings, Polycom debuted its Concierge software, which allows users to instantly connect their devices to the company’s solutions.

Polycom VVX business media phones users will also have access to Microsoft’s upcoming cloud voice service via Office 365, expanding the company’s existing partnership to develop joint solutions for Skype for Business.

All of the solutions are expected to be available by February 2016. Polycom is accepting preorders for RealPresence Trio and Medialign now, with orders for the rest of its hardware solutions coming in November.