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April 25, 2008
"Beam Me Up" Becomes Reality for Nortel
By Michelle Robart, TMCnet Editor
Nortel (News - Alert), a provider of next-generation technologies that help minimize communication barriers, has confirmed its ability to deliver managed telepresence services to enterprises and service providers by becoming the first global Telepresence Certified Plus Partner for Polycom (News - Alert).
By supplying unified collaborative communications (UCC) that create more efficiency and productivity in and out of the workplace, Polycom delivers a wide array of high definition telepresence video, wired and wireless voice, and content solutions.
Telepresence (News - Alert) is a group of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, or creates the effect that they are present, when in fact, they are located elsewhere. Delivering on the promise of visual communications, telepresence has been noted in the past as an alternative to expensive, unpredictable and environmentally-unfriendly travel for face-to-face collaboration.
With the ability to connect geographically dispersed locations, Polycom’s telepresence solutions can deliver an experience that rivals the effectiveness of in-person meetings and reduces the need to travel.
Utilizing this technology will allow Nortel’s customers to count on them for global telepresence solutions, while also providing them with significant cost and environmental benefits. Due to its simplicity and ease of use, telepresence’s effectiveness will really compete with in-person meetings.
In order to utilize telepresence, Nortel completed Polycom's Telepresence VNOC (Video Network Operations Center) Provider Program, a thorough review of the massive capabilities required to provide a level of managed telepresence services above and beyond traditional video conferencing.
“As a Polycom Telepresence Certified Plus Partner, Nortel can help organizations drive greater benefits and greater return on their investments in open standards-based video systems,” said Youssef Saleh, vice president and general manager, Telepresence and Vertical Solutions, Polycom.
Because Nortel is a global company consisting of eight Multimedia Network Operations Centers (MNOCs), this gives them the ability to extend the benefits of telepresence beyond the walls of a company. The MNOCs allow Nortel to provide smooth integration and connectivity to partners, suppliers, customers and others using Polycom or any other open standards-based video systems.
Offering Services-Powered Telepresence Solutions, Nortel combines open standards-based, high-definition (HD) video and audio systems from Polycom with full program management, real-time 24/7 support, proactive network monitoring and performance management, and full concierge services from their company.
The Services-Powered Telepresence Solutions close the gap between video and 'being there', by providing everything from network evaluation and readiness programs to room design, integration with existing video systems, operation, management and simplified, web-based scheduling. Participants at multiple locations will be able to just walk into their local telepresence rooms to begin a meeting, just as if they were all in the same room.
“We've made significant investments in our global services support infrastructure,” said Phil Keenan, vice president, Multimedia Services, Nortel. “We believe our capabilities for delivering video, audio and web communications are second to none. This certification is testament to the unmatched resources and expertise Nortel can bring to the table to help make the promise of telepresence a reality.”
Michelle Robart is a Contributing Editor at TMCnet. To read more of her articles please visit her columnist page.
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