Polycom Expands Microsoft® Lync™-Enabled Portfolio With New Dedicated Room System For Lync 2013, A Breakthrough Content-Sharing Application And Additional Qualified Solutions

Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), today announced a new dedicated room system for Microsoft® Lync™ 2013, a multi-way content sharing application, additional interoperable solutions, and customer momentum in support of Microsoft’s inaugural Lync Conference. Polycom’s portfolio of 40 video, voice, and content sharing solutions are interoperable or optimized to work with Microsoft Lync, driving a majority of customers to choose Polycom and Microsoft over other vendors for a complete UC&C solution.

Together, Polycom® RealPresence® video and voice solutions and Microsoft Lync unify communications across work environments – on the go, home and work offices, conference rooms, and immersive theaters. With the combination of Lync and RealPresence solutions, employees can launch video collaboration sessions easily and intuitively from within familiar interfaces and normal workflows, from any work environment on- or off-premises. They simply click a name in their Lync contact list to securely collaborate face-to-face via Polycom video at their desktop or in a conference room.

“We have long worked with Microsoft to ensure our solutions are interoperable and we’re excited to do so again with Lync 2013,” said Ted Colton, Global Vice President of Strategic Alliances, Polycom. “Today our mutual customers are benefitting from the ability to eliminate the barrier of geographic distance between employees. The combination of Polycom and Microsoft software gives employees greater flexibility and a seamless UC solution for video, voice, conferencing and collaboration, from anywhere, anytime. And with our new dedicated room system purpose-built for Lync 2013, it’s only going to get better and drive more value for our mutual customers.”

Next-generation dedicated Lync room system

Polycom will launch a new dedicated video conferencing room system combining Microsoft Lync 2013 and Polycom video collaboration technology. The solution will feature high-end Polycom camera and microphone options (for traditional front-of-room cameras and center-of-table 360-degree cameras), touchscreen monitors, and a tabletop touch controller. The new Polycom room system will be purpose-built for Lync 2013 to extend the familiar Lync user experience to the video conference room environment and will include rich presence, contact search and instant messaging as well as powerful video conferencing with rich collaboration capabilities including white boarding, PowerPoint presentations, application sharing and editing, and more. Its tight integration with Microsoft Outlook will help users both in the meeting room as well as remotely start and manage meetings more efficiently, ultimately increasing usage and driving a greater return on investment. The Polycom room system for Microsoft Lync will include several features that specifically take advantage of Lync 2013 such as built-in multi-party video and will leverage the industry’s first open standards-based SVC (Scalable Video Coding) implementation – unveiled by Polycom in Fall 2012.

Enhanced content sharing

Polycom also announced the Polycom® RealPresence® Content Sharing Suite, a software application for the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform software infrastructure. The new software solution allows Lync users to share content back and forth with standards-based video collaboration devices such as room-based video solutions (such as Polycom® HDX® systems) or mobile apps (such as Polycom® RealPresence® Mobile 2.0 app). Lync users have always been able to view content as part of the video stream but the new software from Polycom allows Lync users to view and share documents and presentations in a separate content video stream, allowing for high-definition display of content (up to 720p HD), larger display of participants, and an overall enhanced user experience.

Expanded interoperability options

Polycom offers a broad and rich portfolio of solutions that are interoperable or optimized to work with Microsoft Lync – 40 solutions in total. Anchored by the flagship Polycom® CX family of products, built for custom integration with Lync, Polycom has an expansive portfolio of solutions that have achieved formal qualification for Microsoft Lync 2010 interoperability including:

• Polycom® RealPresence® Collaboration Server (RMX® 1500 and 2000), software for multiparty video and voice collaboration that connects the most people at highest quality and lowest cost. The RealPresence Collaboration Server is a key component of the Polycom RealPresence Platform software infrastructure.
• Polycom® RealPresence® Room video collaboration systems ( Polycom® HDX® 6000, 7000, and 8000) and the Polycom HDX 4500 executive desktop video system.
• Polycom® VVX® 500 business media phones that improve productivity by simplifying communication processes and business workflows. The media phones can be video-enabled when used with the Polycom® VVX® Camera.
• The Polycom® SoundPoint® IP series desktop phones (SoundPoint 450, 550, 560, and 650).

Additionally, Polycom’s latest HD video collaboration systems for rooms and budgets of all sizes, the Polycom® RealPresence® Group Series (300, 500 and 700), can also connect with Microsoft Lync 2010. The new RealPresence Group Series solutions include a simple and intuitive new user interface, and offer the industry's best HD video and content-sharing (up to 1080p60 resolution), and crystal-clear audio.

Polycom and Microsoft across industries, around the world

Customers around the world, of all size and in all industries, are using Microsoft Lync together with Polycom RealPresence video and voice solutions as their comprehensive UC&C solution to keep their global teams connected, communicating, and collaborating.

• Lonza, one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries, uses Polycom and Microsoft solutions to implement a more flexible working environment for its 11,000 staff across 90 sites so employees can work more effectively away from the office and securely join video meetings from home or on the move.
• UK-based global technology firm Smiths Group PLC uses Microsoft and Polycom at 400 locations in over 50 countries, creating a virtual link for over 23,000 employees. Smiths is also using Polycom RealPresence Mobile 2.0 app for mobile staff using tablets and smartphones to extend video collaboration beyond the office to virtually anywhere.
• LOTOS Group, a major producer and supplier of oil products across Poland and abroad, has equipped its 5,000 employees with a combined Polycom and Microsoft UC&C solution to encourage knowledge sharing company-wide.
• University of the West of England, one of the largest universities in the UK with 30,000 student and 3,000 staff spread over four campuses, uses the Polycom and Microsoft interoperable solution to enable distance learning among the faculty of UWE and other institutions and students. For example, when an international college in Asia is running a master's program associated with UWE and a student wants an interview with his or her tutor, they connect over video.
• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, with 17,000 healthcare staff serving 340,000 people in Northern Ireland, uses Microsoft and Polycom to deliver care closer to where it’s needed, saving time and helping to save lives. The interoperable solutions allow healthcare professionals to make decisions faster and more efficiently.

"We chose Polycom primarily for their experience and reputation; secondly, the interoperability with other systems; and thirdly because of the strength of its strategic relationship and commitment to integrate with Microsoft Lync," said Ernst Hutter, Head of Global IT Infrastructure, Lonza. "The combination of Microsoft Lync and Polycom video collaboration has significantly changed our way of working in the last two years. We have more and more home users and this has allowed the organization to implement a more flexible working environment, so employees can work more effectively away from the office and securely join video meetings from home or on the move."

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