Polycom CloudAXIS 1.5 has been released

We just released Polycom CloudAXIS 1.5. That new release brings lot of new features like:

Support in CloudAXIS for Polycom’s SVC (Scalable Video Codec) solution
• Improved user experience during video calls
• Expanded scalability and lowered TCO for running the Real Presence Platform solution in the enterprise.

Support for Single Sign-On (SSO)
• End users no longer have to sign in to CloudAxis if they are already logged into their Domain

Polycom room signature embedded in email invites
• Users can join meetings with a single click from HDX/Group Series –giving end-users the flexibility of choosing how they want to participate in a conference call/

CloudAXIS Invitation on Group Series

CloudAXIS Invitation on HDX

Configure CA web users to come in at a controlled call rate
• Enforce maximum bandwidth consumed for web users. Especially useful for external/guest users – IT managers can make sure that bandwidth is optimized keeping the network running smoothly.

Improved  Experience Admin Portal for simpler install and management experience
• GUI interface usable for administration rather than editing  a configuration file thus improving  the IT manager’s experience

Chrome Extension for Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS

I became a fan of Google Chrome development capabilities. Last week, I have developed two Google Chrome Apps, leveraging Polycom DMA APIs Now, I have tested Google Chrome Extension, using Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS APIs.

The purpose of that extension is to be able, from the Google Chrome UX, to create an ad-hoc and scheduled meeting. I have published that extension in the Google Chrome WebStore.

If you have new feature idea, don't hesitate to comment that app.

Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS & Salesforce.com

How to put a face on your sales force... With the Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite, sales teams are now more empowered to connect with customers and bring in the resources they need to support them.
RealPresence CloudAXIS extends Polycom’s HD video collaboration to anyone, regardless of application, system, or device. Connecting customers face to face with sales people or subject matter experts—no matter what system they are using—is now a cinch.

But:

1. How could you have something integrated into your business processes? APIs
2. Where are stored your customer contacts? Probably in a CRM system...

I built a prototype to illustrate a potential integration between Polycom CloudAXIS Suite and Salesforce. This portotype has been developed to demonstrate how video can be integrated into applications to simplify workflows and make video part of a complete experience (CEBP, UC etc).
Contextual integration drives more usage...

• In a first part, it shows you how to directly export your SFDC contacts into RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite.
• In a second part, it shows you a way to invite all your customers with whom you have opportunities in progress. For example to organize a marketing campaign...

To design that prototype, I just leverage Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS APIs and Salesforce.com APIs. Salesforce provides programmatic access to your organization’s information using simple, powerful, and secure application programming interfaces.

*Disclaimer: That prototype is not an application currently sold by Polycom/Salesforce or planned to be productized by Polycom/Salesforce.

Online Video Banking with Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS

Customer service today is largely made up of outsourced call centers, integrated voice response (IVR) systems that keep you away from a real customer service officer. Or you may think of webchat windows that pop up while you are surfing sites like amazon, offering to help answer any questions you may have.

With Polycom, customer service can now be Visual. More personal, more interactive and ultimately, more effective.
The RealPresence CloudAXIS allows you to upgrade an instant messaging conversation or question, to a face to face conversation with a customer service rep or subject matter expert – ensuring that customers that are researching online have instant answers. But also customers that are purchasing online, don’t leave a website to go to a competitor’s or just lose the motivation to buy.

Empowers video banking or visual customer service by delivering the trust, confidence and information a customer needs to progress the  purchase of relatively complex products. Video collaboration can be initiated through a link sent via online chat message. It extends one of your front office channels to improve the customer experience and sales.

That demonstration will illustrate these principle via a fictional Banking Web Site which has implemented RealPresence CloudAXIS in their Banking processes.

The mockup I've used for this demonstration is based on RealPresence CloudAXIS, IBM WebSphere Portal and IBM Banking Template for IBM WebSphere Portal.

Other info about Polycom offerings for Financial Services: http://www.polycom.com/solutions/solutions-by-industry/financial-services.html

Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite Live demonstration in Polycom Office....

Based on Polycom Demo Environment in Paris office, this is what I demo every day to customers/prospects. Awesome, isn't it...

CloudAXIS meeting with one OTX300, one RPX200, one HDX4500 and two laptops

Content Sharing from OTX Room

Content Sharing via WolfVision® integrated document camera from RPX Room

View from OTX

Thanks to Serge F., Dominique P., and Robert G.

IBM Notes & Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite APIs

Disclaimer: That is not a Polycom official solution. It is a prototype illustrating two integrations with IBM Notes Client. Polycom Global Services or Polycom / IBM Business Partners can do this kind of development.

Last year, Polycom has introduced a set of REST APIs for its infrastructure. It was a major step forward in its vision to help drive the adoption, delivery, and management of UC and video collaboration for enterprises, governments, and organizations focused on healthcare, education, and manufacturing, with a rich new suite of open APIs that facilitate the development of custom applications and extend the value of the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform.

Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite is no exception.

The Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite Services Portal API enables developers to integrate the Services Portal functionality into their own applications; this includes Services Portal server initialization, user account management for creating and managing accounts, user authentication, conference creation and management, core services control, and contact list management.

 The Services Portal API is based on the Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture and is accessed via standard Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request methods.

I have developed two prototypes to provide a contextual integration of Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite within IBM Notes. The purpose of the first one is to schedule a CloudAXIS meeting directly from an IBM Calendar entry. That integration has been done via a RCP plugin. When you click on the button, the plugin retrieve all information you have put on the calendar entry like Subject, list of participants, date & time, and send an API command to Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite with these information. When the meeting is created, the meeting details (a.k.a url) is put in the location field.

Then, I have designed another plugin. Polycom CloudAXIS allows you to store participant contact information in the portal Address Book for future invitations. When you click on the button “Export IBM Notes Contacts”, it retrieves all your personal contacts in names.nsf file and copies it into Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite Address Book.

IBM Notes plugin for Polycom CloudAXIS:

IBM Notes Contacts Export for Polycom CloudAXIS:

Making "Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite" Social with IBM Connections

Room videoconferencing has been around for years, of course, but until now it hasn't been applied on a wide scale to social networking. Imagine an easy integration between Social Networking platform leader like IBM and Polycom Video Conferencing Solutions… To drive user adoption, video needs to be contextually integrated within Business Process or applications.

Last year, IBM has introduced a tech preview: IBM Sametime Video Chat Widget. It provides an easy way to associate a Sametime audio/video session with an IBM Connections Community page. I have extended that integration via Polycom technology to provide multipoint video conferencing in continuous presence mode (here). But, some clients haven’t deployed IBM Sametime or their Sametime server is not integrated with their IBM Connections platform.

Polycom has just delivered a new solution in its portfolio: Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite. With a browser and web camera on a PC, smartphone, or a tablet, Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite extends web video collaboration to anyone.

This solution provides, via a set of REST APIs, all features to design the same kind of integration as the Sametime Video Chat Widget.

I have developed a prototype to illustrate this use case.  Let’s suppose that there is a team of newly hired employees who join a new-hire community to share their common knowledge and successes to become productive, faster.  Or the community could be a group of developers who are Java experts who are sharing design tips. Or a virtual help desk community.  

In this prototype, any member of a community can attend a video collaboration session.  If no “Video Collaboration meeting” is in progress, one community member can start it, then all member will be able to see that and can join the meeting in progress via a single click. Audio and video can be automatically started for each person as soon as they enter the room.

Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite extends secure enterprise-grade Polycom video collaboration to anyone with a browser and web camera. Embedding it in business process through a seamless integration will allows you to drive Social & video adoption.

Polycom CloudAXIS is NOW available...

Polycom announces availability of an Industry First: Polycom® RealPresence® CloudAXIS™ Suite extends secure, enterprise-grade video collaboration to anyone with a Web Browser.

• Polycom® RealPresence® CloudAXIS™ Suite is a software extension of the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform that enables universal access to enterprise-grade, interoperable video collaboration to any business (B2B) or consumer (B2C) at the highest quality, reliability and security.
• With Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS Suite, businesses simply send a URL link in an email or calendar invitation to anyone with a browser and camera, allowing others to join a secure, enterprise-grade quality video meeting using their smartphone, tablet, computer or video room system.
• Only available from Polycom, first-of-its-kind software solution allows users to bring contacts from social apps such as Skype, Facebook, and Google Talk, as well as input business e-mail addresses, into a Polycom business-class video collaboration session.

Experience Overview

Making Collaboration Available to Everyone

Link: http://www.polycom.com/company/news/press-releases/2013/20130416.html

Polycom 2.0

Yesterday, Polycom made history...
We have made four industry-transforming announcements.

1. New endpoints & New User Experience,
2. Open SVC standard,
3. New Portfolio of Mid-market Solutions,
4. RealPresence Axis Suite.

I would like to spend more time on CloudAxis, whis is truely AWESOME...
CloudAxis Suite is a new product that extends enterprise- grade video collaboration to Skype, GoogleTalk, and business video apps through a browser: making B2B and B2C collaboration possible. That's important, because it enables organizations to collaboration outside their firewalls, easily with their Business Partners and Customers.

Via an universal browser access, without specific download, end-users will be able to join a collaboration session with you... That platform will be the first industry Global Presence Directory to agregate presence and adress list from Skype, GoogleTalk, Facebook, Microsoft Lync, IBM Sametime and other presence apps...

Now, let me share some screenshots to share with you the user experience.

Host can start a call and invite those contacts from the global directory.

Invitees receive link in Chat Window and launch their browsers.

Secure Multipoint Video Session

Participant View with Content Sharing.

To sum up, that new offering will allow you as Polycom customers to extend enterprise-grade video collaboration from rooms, theaters, desktops, tablets and smartphone to billions of users on any presence video app, any brower, any device...