Polycom and Microsoft deliver Skype for Business
The first device in this new offering is the Polycom RoundTable 100.
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It a video solution for huddle rooms that will allow small to mid-sized businesses (SMB) and teams with Skype for Business and Microsoft Lync 2013 to conduct voice, video and content collaboration by logging into their Skype for Business account.
The RoundTable 100 will take minutes to set up and start using, and it will not require corporate domains or on-premises infrastructure, making it easy to use without assistance from IT, according to a company statement. The companies also announced that the Polycom CX series of video collaboration solutions, including the Polycom CX8000 room system, and the Polycom CX5100 and Polycom CX5500 unified conferencing systems, will also 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. Polycom president and chief executive, Peter Leav, said Microsoft and Polycom had 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," he said.
"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." Since Microsoft's entry into unified communications, Polycom has developed a broad 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. Microsoft corporate vice president, Skype business services group, Zig Serafin, said collaboration was the cornerstone of productivity, and people needed tools that worked the way they do--across locations and devices.
"Throughout our long-standing partnership with Polycom, we've shared a goal of delivering collaboration experiences that transform the way people work," he said.
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"The RoundTable 100 serves as another important step in helping businesses of all sizes to realise that goal."
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