Polycom launches technology solutions centre

Polycom has further expanded its presence in Australia and New Zealand with the launch of a newly designed Melbourne office and Technology Solutions Centre, which was officially opened by Andy Miller, President and CEO of Polycom and Ms Jaala Pulford, Parliamentary Secretary, Regional and Rural Development and Parliamentary Secretary, Industry and Trade.

The centre is claimed to be the first of its kind in Australia and includes the Open Telepresence Experience High Definition 300 (OTX 300), the first in the Asia-Pacific region. The OTX provides high-definition quality for up to 50% less bandwidth with industry-leading H.264 high-profile support for an immersive meeting room experience.

The office opening follows an extended period of growth for Polycom in the ANZ market, in response to increased demand for HD video and telepresence solutions.

“Opening this office is a very important step for Polycom,” said Michael Chetner, Managing Director for Polycom Australia and New Zealand. “Victoria is leading the way in terms of adopting the use of videoconferencing for healthcare and education across the state. For example, the Loddon Mallee Health Alliance (LHMA) in central Victoria is connecting city-based medical specialists with trauma patients in rural areas using high-definition visual communications technology from Polycom and there are many more examples of best practice learnings than can be applied across Australia,” he added.

“By establishing an innovative Technology Solutions Centre in Melbourne, Polycom is strengthening its position in the Asia-Pacific region and positioning itself as a leader in regional e-learning and e-health telepresence initiatives for a high-speed NBN environment,” said Jaala Pulford, who participated in the launch.

“ANU demonstrates how videoconferencing is no longer just for the boardroom or just for face-to-face meetings, and can be extended to a wide variety of applications - in this case, live streamed concerts, instrumental and vocal lessons and masterclasses,” said Chetner. “These are just a few examples of innovative uses of high-definition videoconferencing technologies that can be applied to any organisation,” he added.

Visitors were also treated to real-life application demonstrations and taken through the UC Solutions Centre, demonstrating video solutions from desktop, right through to high-end room and immersive telepresence solutions integrated with UC solutions from Polycom’s Open Collaboration Network partners including Microsoft, IBM, Avaya, Juniper, and Broadsoft.

With the re-election of the Labor Government and their pledge to start the rollout of the National Broadband Network, the future of mass video adoption will become a reality as it increases the potential for transformative impacts to health, education and government services and drives Australia’s competitiveness on the global stage.

“To meet the current and future needs of its customers, Polycom is driving innovation in mobility, cloud-based video services, B2B interoperability, next-generation executive desktop products and bundled, affordable SMB solutions,” said Miller. “What this means for customers is the most open and flexible solutions that seamlessly work with the complex technology realities of today’s business,” he added.