TelePresence

As you guys have your jackets off (or are not wearing one), I
will take mine off too," were the first words as greetings from John
Chambers, president and

CEO, Cisco at the round table conference conducted late October in Hong Kong.
There were around 12 members, senior management from Cisco and press seated at
the table. The reason I am mentioning this vividly is that the six Cisco members
including Chambers were present virtually at the other side of the table logging
in from San Jose, Cisco Head Quarters.

This is what Cisco has been excited about and has even John
Chambers at the helm of its activities like this conference where he addressed
and interacted with the Asian Media sharing Cisco's initiative, 'Cisco
TelePresence'.

Human Network

TelePresence is a meeting solution creating a live face-to-face experience over
the network. Cisco worldwide recently rolled out a $100 mn marketing campaign to
create a new public image and make the brand a household name. As part of the
campaign, Cisco introduced a new logo and slogan focusing on what they call the
'Human Network'. According to the campaign "the network is the fabric
that is changing the way we communicate, collaborate, entertain and do business,
and therefore, when we connect people, we change things for the better!"
TelePresence involves using high definition (HD) streaming video on large-screen
televisions. Unlike existing videoconferencing solutions, TelePresence is
expected to deliver virtual meetings with quality.

The Cisco TelePresence system uses ultra-high quality, two-way
video and audio to transform remote collaborations, in the process initiating a
form of digital communications that challenges the effectiveness of in-person
meetings. Cisco TelePresence, also the handiwork of the recently formed Emerging
Markets Technology Group, is designed for global corporations and other
far-flung organizations that need to stay in touch with employees, partners and
customers.

The solution Cisco TelePresence 3000 consists of three plasma
screens, spatial audio, and a boardroom table for six, creating a 'virtual
table' for 12. And the Cisco TelePresence 1000 offers one plasma screen,
spatial audio and is designed for executive offices, hotel lobbies, bank
branches, doctor's office or anywhere where one-on-one conversation is
desired. It is built on open standards allowing applications integration. What's
interesting is that they have also introduced Cisco TelePresence Experience
Certification for all TelePresence rooms deployed in a customer location to
ensure high quality experience. The Cisco TelePresence 1000 has been priced at
US $79,000 list and TelePresence 3000 at US $299,000 list.

Minu Sirsalewala


minuvs@cybermedia.co.in

(The author was hosted in Hong Kong by Cisco)