Cisco targets $34B market with new collaboration portfolio

The Cisco collaboration portfolio consists of Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco TelePresence and a new Web 2.0 application platform, all of which use the network as the platform to help enable people to connect, communicate and collaborate from any application, device and workspace.

The portfolio of unified communications, video and a Web 2.0 platform is designed to integrate with business applications, existing IT infrastructures and other Web services, and to allow developers to create new and customized applications and network-based services.

The new portfolio products include the following:
• Unified Communications-Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 offers significant improvements in total cost of ownership, ease of use, and interoperability with business applications.
• Video-Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand integrates the immersive Cisco TelePresence experience into the contact center for high-value, in-branch customer service and the ability to summon expertise directly from a Cisco TelePresence meeting.
• Web 2.0 Applications Platform-Cisco WebEx Connect, a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that integrates presence, instant messaging, Web meetings and team spaces with traditional and web 2.0 business applications.

"Collaboration is the next phase of the Internet, a phase analysts see as a $34bn market opportunity, and at the center of this phase is the network," said Hani Abdel Aziz, Cisco Egypt Country Manager. "Our network platform uses open standards protocols to expose critical collaboration services such as presence, instant messaging, call control and policy to a broad range of devices and applications. The Cisco collaboration portfolio leverages this network architecture to create an integrated collaboration experience, from simple text messaging to immersive Cisco TelePresence sessions."

With the network as the platform, the Cisco collaboration portfolio is designed to interoperate with business applications, communications devices and Web-based tools while allowing IT departments to maintain their mandates regarding security, policy and compliance. An open architecture and standards-based application programming interface (API) expose application and network services and support end-user customization, IT integration and third-party application and hardware interoperability.

Customers can create collaborative mash-ups with public Web-based tools as well as with corporate applications such as those for customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). The open architecture also allows Cisco collaboration capabilities to be delivered to a range of devices including Windows and Mac OS desktops, and mobile phones running Symbian, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile operating system.

Cisco provides an open application development environments based on Web 2.0 tools and APIs. These include:
• Cisco Unified Applications Environment to deliver Web applications to the Cisco Unified IP Phone screen
• Cisco Applications eXchange Platform to expose capabilities within the router to applications in branch offices
• Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance 8.0(4) to provide an open network security appliance that allows businesses to extend their collaboration capabilities with a high degree of security via a converged data and voice virtual private network.
• And now, Cisco WebEx Connect to bring together business applications, Web tools and team workspaces.

Cisco Unified Communications Release 7.0

Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 enables organizations to collaborate in ways that help them quickly adapt to market changes and improve their competitive advantage through speed and innovation. Accelerating the deployment of Unified Communications requires a company to use its existing infrastructure and applications. Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 offers enhancements to its applications development environment and provides a deeper integration with desktop products from IBM and Microsoft. Mobility enhancements help extend productivity features across workspaces.

Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator now supports devices running on Windows Mobile as well as Symbian and Blackberry operating systems. Cisco Unified Communications Release 7.0 continues to help lower system and management costs by increasing Cisco Unified Presence scalability to 30,000 users and Cisco Unity to 15,000 users on a single server and by enabling optimization of network management through an easy-to-use appliance deployment environment.

Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand

Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand provides a collaborative, high-touch customer service experience, enabling customers to connect with subject-matter experts for tailored, in-person service at the touch of a button. Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand combines the power of Cisco Unified Communications and Cisco Unified Contact Center with the immersive "in-person" experience of Cisco TelePresence to transform the way organizations deliver high-touch customer and point-of-sale services.

Users can summon expert assistance directly in a Cisco TelePresence meeting or use a dedicated Cisco TelePresence endpoint and get face-to-face assistance. For example, a retail bank could provide 'in-person' services to bank customers in every location via Cisco TelePresence, while optimizing highly trained resources. This gives organizations the ability to scale scarce resources or expertise in a cost-effective manner, irrespective of geographic location.

Cisco WebEx Connect

Cisco WebEx Connect is a cloud-based application platform for collaborative business mashups. Cisco WebEx Connect includes a number of standard applications including enterprise instant messaging, team spaces, document management, calendaring and discussions, which can be combined with third-party widgets that are built using open APIs, enabling companies to work from a single workspace. Extensive administrative controls support enterprise policy, security and compliance requirements to enable highly secure inter-company collaboration. Cisco WebEx Connect works with enterprise messaging solutions and Cisco Unified Communication system to deliver integrated communication capabilities within the context of a collaborative mashup.

Availability

Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 and Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand are available immediately. WebEx Connect is currently available as a desktop and Web-based client; support for mobile clients is scheduled to be available in early 2009.