Interoperable Rich Media Communications Solution

Note to editors: To see a video about the HP and Polycom Rich Media Communications solution please visit: http://media.polycom.asia/global/videos/polycom-and-hp-rich-media-communications.wmv

Polycom Introduces Interoperable Rich Media Communications Solution with HP and Microsoft to Make HD Video Collaboration Even Easier to Deliver, Scale and Manage Enterprise-Wide

Rich Media Communications along with HP AppSystem for Microsoft Lync solution combine Polycom® RealPresence® video solutions, HP Networking, and Microsoft Lync to reduce total cost of ownership and complexity and free customers from ‘vendor lock-in’

New Zealand April 3– Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC), today announced two new interoperable solutions with HP and Microsoft that combine Polycom® RealPresence® video solutions, HP Networking technology and services, and Microsoft Lync with joint reference architectures. Together, they make it easier to deliver, scale and manage UC environments that keep employees connected via video, voice and other communications apps from anywhere. The solutions bring together the key elements of UC and video collaboration, from the networking and UC platform to high-quality video infrastructure and systems, enabling businesses to reduce total cost of ownership and allowing end users to participate in face-to-face meetings anytime, across any environment.

Making Visual Communications Easier, Faster, and More Cost-Effective to Deliver Enterprise-Wide
The solutions reduce the time and resources required to create and maintain an end-to-end UC and video collaboration environment. By leveraging open-standards to ensure interoperability, the solutions work with existing infrastructure, reduce complexity, and simplify migration of existing systems and endpoints to the new enterprise solution. The combined solutions simplify purchasing and provide a best-of-breed approach to deliver high-quality enterprise video collaboration. The HP FlexNetwork architecture creates a low latency, high-performing network optimised for video by combining with the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform with H.264 High Profile technology that uses up to 50 percent less bandwidth than competitive solutions. When coupled with Polycom® Constant Clarity™, with patented Polycom® Lost Packet Recovery® technologies to protect video and voice performance despite bandwidth disruptions, the solutions deliver a truly HD video experience despite fluctuations in bandwidth.

“Together with HP and Microsoft, Polycom is delivering interoperable solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts: they combine best-of-breed video collaboration capabilities and tested interoperability from three industry leaders to make it easier to deliver, scale, and manage all the disparate applications and components of unified communications,” said Sue Hayden, executive vice president, Strategic Alliances, Polycom. “We’re hearing from organisations around the world that video collaboration is a mission critical part of how they run their businesses. Whether it is speeding time-to-market for a manufacturing company, consulting with a specialist over telemedicine, or supporting distance learning, our compelling solutions are changing how people collaborate and work.”

Two New Offerings for Customer Choice
The solutions can be delivered via:
• HP and Polycom Rich Media Communications solution – Combines Polycom RealPresence video solutions built on the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform, the most comprehensive software infrastructure for universal video collaboration, and various video systems with HP Networking technology and services to deliver reliable, high-quality video collaboration across the enterprise. Added Microsoft Lync interoperability through Polycom’s CX product line and the industry’s broadest range of standards-based video and voice infrastructure and solutions.
• HP AppSystem for Microsoft Lync with Polycom RealPresence Video – For environments built on the Microsoft Lync UC platform. The solution is based on HP Converged Infrastructure that combines tailored HP networking, storage, servers, and services into a readily-scalable platform for a complete unified communications solution across IM, presence, voice and video conferencing. Customers can incorporate Polycom RealPresence video solutions as a pre-integrated platform.

The Value of Open Standards and Interoperability for Customers
The new solutions provide reliable, high-quality video and UC collaboration across the enterprise with a lower cost than single vendor offerings. The Polycom RealPresence Platform offers dynamic resource allocation and interoperability to further drive savings. Polycom solutions use open standards to ensure all the elements in a UC environment can seamlessly work together. This gives customers the freedom to choose best-of-breed solutions for instant messaging, presence, call control, web conferencing, video collaboration, and mobile video with the assurance they’ll not only work together but also with existing systems and new ones.

“Video in multiple forms is driving network traffic growth as clients increasingly use video on laptops, smartphones, and tablets in addition to room-based videoconferencing,” said Mike Banic, vice president of Global Marketing, Networking, HP. “The joint Rich Media Communications solution from HP, Polycom, and Microsoft provide clients a scalable, open architecture for easy deployment and simplify management across the UC environment, lowering their total cost of ownership.”

“Customers are increasingly realising the benefits of virtual meetings. Polycom and HP are delivering rich communication and productivity-enhanced video and UC solutions that help customers avoid expensive upgrades and enable functionality. Customers can now further reduce complexity and costs, utilise an open platform, and more rapidly tap into the power of visual collaboration,” said Giovanni Mezgec, general manager for Lync at Microsoft Corp.

Today’s news builds on the companies’ existing alliances, which includes product interoperability, resale, and services. Polycom offers more than 40 solutions that are interoperable with Microsoft Lync (some pending testing and qualification), including the Polycom® CX7000 unified group video collaboration system – the first room video solution custom-built and optimised for full integration with Microsoft Lync. The Polycom CX7000 changes the game with ease of scheduling, connecting, and managing video calls for distributed work groups. It has plug-and-play set-up, and users can connect to a video conference simply by one click. Microsoft and Polycom together have won hundreds of deals based on integrated solutions. Polycom is an exclusive partner for certain video collaboration solutions for HP’s internal use and resale to its broad customer base, and HP can deploy and manage the extensive portfolio of Polycom solutions for customers. Polycom is an HP AllianceONE Premier Partner and a Microsoft Gold Unified Communications Partner (named 2011 UC Innovation Partner of the Year); HP and Microsoft are both Polycom Strategic Alliance Partners.

Demonstrations
At Enterprise Connect 2012, March 26-29, Polycom will demonstrate a variety of solutions with HP (booth #809) and Microsoft (booth# 816), including the Polycom CX7000 unified group video collaboration system, custom-built for full Microsoft Lync integration, on HP Networking technology. For full details of Polycom’s presence at Enterprise Connect, please see here.

Availability
The HP and Polycom Rich Media Communications solution is available now directly through HP as well as through Polycom-HP authorised solution providers, direct market resellers, systems integrators, service providers, and distributors. The HP AppSystem for Microsoft Lync will be available in select countries in May directly through HP. The companies share many go-to-market channel partners who sell interoperable solutions and are currently certifying additional partners to take advantage of the growing market opportunity. For more information on the alliances and products, please visit: http://www.polycom.asia/hp and http://www.polycom.asia/microsoft.

About Polycom
Polycom is the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC) solutions for telepresence, video, and voice powered by the Polycom RealPresence Platform. The RealPresence Platform interoperates with the broadest range of business, mobile, and social applications and devices. More than 400,000 organisations trust Polycom solutions to collaborate and meet face-to-face from any location for more productive and effective engagement with colleagues, partners, customers, specialists, and prospects. Polycom, together with its broad partner ecosystem, provides customers with the best total cost of ownership, interoperability, scalability, and security for video collaboration, whether on-premises, hosted, or cloud-delivered. Visit www.polycom.asia or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

NOTE: The product plans, specifications, and descriptions herein are provided for information only and subject to change without notice, and are provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Polycom reserves the right to modify future product plans at any time. Products and related specifications referenced herein are not guaranteed and will be delivered on a when and if available basis.

© 2012 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. POLYCOM®, the Polycom “Triangles” logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc. and are registered and/or common law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

ENDS

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