Solution Overview
The Cisco® Unified Communications system of voice and IP communications products and applications enables organizations to communicate more effectively-enabling them to streamline business processes, reach the right resource the first time and impact the top and bottom line. The Cisco Unified Communications portfolio is an integral part of the Cisco Business Communications Solution-an integrated solution for organizations of all sizes which also includes network infrastructure, security, and network management products, wireless connectivity, and a lifecycle services approach, along with flexible deployment and outsourced management options, end-user and partner financing packages, and third-party communications applications.
VIDEOCONFERENCING SOLUTION
Cisco Unified Videoconferencing-part of the Cisco Unified Communications system-was developed for organizations and service providers that want a reliable, easy-to-manage, and cost-effective network infrastructure for videoconferencing applications deployment. These products provide large and small enterprises, government institutions, and educational environments with the tools they need to be more productive, to train and educate more efficiently, and to avoid the burden and costs of travel. At the same time, Cisco video solutions help end users build relationships with remote workers, help companies scale scarce resources and take advantage of existing investments in the network and applications. The Cisco Unified Videoconferencing solution comprises a variety of products designed to deliver the performance customers need to meet all their conferencing requirements.
Improve Productivity-Focus Attention and Speed Decision Making
As companies disperse geographically, splitting across states, or even continents, it is still possible to foster open, rapid, spontaneous communications with videoconferencing. Cisco Unified Videoconferencing is fast and cost-effective, highly scalable, and designed to be user-friendly, making it easy to remove geographical distances from team collaboration, communications, legal and press briefings, customer service, and human resources. Cisco Unified Videoconferencing solutions also integrate with video telephony endpoints, room systems, and rich media, enabling a wide variety of participants to collaborate and share information. This level of interaction focuses attention on the matter being discussed and helps to speed decision making.
Training and e-Learning Applications-Bringing the Classroom to You
As market conditions change, employees need more training than ever to keep their organizations competitive and efficient. Today's enterprises spend between 2 and 8 percent of their payrolls on employee training-including time away from their job and travel expenses. Cisco Unified Videoconferencing products enable interactive, rich-media learning experiences-right at the desktop. This approach also helps scale valuable training resources and complete training courses in less time.
Improve Customer Service-Cost-Effectively
With increasing pressure on cost containment in many sectors, video-assisted customer service lowers costs while delivering better support. Employees can handle more customer transactions without having to travel, while delivering personal, one-on-one service to a variety of locations.
Scale Scarce Resources and Subject Matter Experts-Increase Interactions and Communications
Subject matter experts constitute an organization's most valuable resources, including executives and specialists such as physicians, financial advisors, and product engineers. At the same time, it is ever more critical to effectively scale access to these resources in response to customer demand. Cisco Unified Videoconferencing products help enable personal, immediate interaction with many more customers per day, without requiring travel time or expense on either side. This is particularly effective where travel is difficult or dangerous, such as in telemedicine or video arraignment applications. It also helps employees at remote locations enlist the help of subject matter experts at other locations to support customers and close transactions more quickly.
KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Powerful, Rich Features in Stackable and Modular Systems
The Cisco Unified Videoconferencing product family is designed to be user-friendly, offering many simplified dialing options, a range of dynamic layouts, and many in-conference controls. In addition, the products are flexible and highly scalable, supporting as few as three parties up to several hundred in a single conference. The product family encompasses a range of stackable and modular, chassis-based products to optimize capacity and functionality. Smaller, stackable multipoint control units (MCUs) offer a built-in enhanced media processor, compact design, and easy installation. Meanwhile, modular systems offer a flexible, resilient design that customers can tailor to their needs, with secure, Web-based system management.
Integration Beyond Standard Video, into Video Telephony and Rich-Media Integration
Cisco Unified Videoconferencing supports interoperability among H.323, H.320, Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP), and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) endpoints. The product family includes MCUs that help enable interactive collaboration between three or more endpoints (room or desktop video telephony), and gateways that provide connectivity between IP-based H.323 endpoints and ISDN-based H.320 videoconferencing systems, protecting a customer's existing investments in video. In addition, integration with the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace® environment expands the capability of any videoconference to include Web-based application sharing, white boarding, and chat functions. As part of the company's commitment to industry standards, Cisco works closely with leading endpoint vendors to help ensure compatibility and interoperability, giving customers the ability to choose the right endpoint and protocol for their purposes, with the comfort and confidence that deployment will be easy.
CISCO UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES AND SUPPORT
Using the Cisco Lifecycle Services approach, Cisco Systems and its partners offer a broad portfolio of end-to-end services to support the Cisco Unified Communications system. These services are based on proven methodologies for deploying, operating, and optimizing IP communications solutions. Upfront planning and design services, for example, can help you meet aggressive deployment schedules and minimize network disruption during implementation. Operate services reduce the risk of communications downtime with expert technical support. Optimize services enhance solution performance for operational excellence. Cisco and its partners offer a system-level service and support approach that can help you create and maintain a resilient, converged network that meets your business needs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about Cisco Unified Videoconferencing, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/ipvc or contact your local Cisco account representative.