Video Conferencing &
Skype for Business: Your
Need-to-Know Guide
Effective, engaging collaboration that leverages
video conferencing
should incorporate features like content sharing, clear participant
rosters, easy call management controls and Instant Messaging. But,
according to Microsoft research, some 97 percent of meeting rooms
aren’t adequately equipped to handle video.
Overview
In fact, a majority of these rooms host the most rudimentary of collaboration
solutions like a digital projector and an audio connection for conference calls.
And, while most of these enterprises are adopting Skype for Business for
end-users, the reality is that many of their conference rooms lack the ability to
connect to Skype for Business calls, which eliminates effective collaboration tools
like video and content sharing.
Polycom has partnered with Microsoft to create a seamless Skype for Business
meeting experience across any device, bringing the Skype audio and video
collaboration experience into every conference room.
By engineering products together, Polycom and Microsoft are able to deliver a
comprehensive range of video conferencing solutions that combines the flexible
and easily accessible Skype for Business user interface with Polycom’s voice and
video endpoints.
Microsoft and Polycom share a common goal: to deliver a rich collaboration
experience across the full spectrum of meeting spaces. Together, they will set a
new standard for integrated collaboration in any meeting room.
Microsoft and Polycom
share a common goal: to
deliver a rich collaboration
experience across the full
spectrum of meeting spaces.
How Microsoft and Polycom are
Changing How We Collaborate
Skype for Business, formerly Lync , makes it easier for
participants to meet, collaborate and work together.
The partnership between Polycom and Microsoft has
recently enhanced Skype for Business further with a series
of important developments:
• Skype for Business user interface across devices.
• Polycom RealConnect for Office 365.
• Polycom MSR series, next generation
Skype Room System.
• RealPresence Group Series qualified on Skype
for Business and containing Skype UI.
• RealPresence Trio— best in class audio
conference device for Skype for Business
and Office 365 and containing Skype UI
• Polycom VVX phones qualified on Skype for
Business and Office 365 and containing Skype UI
• Skype Operations Framework certified
partner to deliver customer success.
Polycom’s innovations map to new offerings included in
Skype for Business online as part of Office 365.
Only Polycom Offers Complete
Collaboration with Skype for
Business and Office 365
Skype for Business gives users essential collaboration tools
on a single platform, including Presence, Instant Message,
content sharing and one-click dialing to join meetings via
audio and video. End users find it intuitive and it works
naturally into their existing workflow. That’s essential
because collaboration takes many forms: a simple message
and response, a quick phone call, a brief meeting, or a
formal video conference.
In the past, that meant employees had to switch between
separate applications on different devices. But, because
Skype for Business provides a single interface to any type
of collaboration tool, users can choose the most appropriate
tool for the task.
• Presence— when participants want to check if colleagues
are available to take a call or join a meeting.
• Instant Message— when participants only need
a quick response to a question or an update
on a project from a colleague or a team.
• Text messages— also suitable for a quick
response or update. Text is a convenient channel
when users need to reach colleagues in another
meeting where a voice call is difficult.
• Voice calls— more important when individuals need
to have a detailed discussion with a colleague.
• Audio conference calls (PSTN dialing)— when a
number of participants are involved and they need
to hold detailed discussions or share content.
• Audio and video meetings via Skype for
Business— when participants want to hold
detailed discussions or share content during
video meetings without leaving Office 365.
• Cloud PBX— Brings enterprise-grade voice to Skype
for Business. Offering advanced voice features that
transform basic calls into productive, collaborative
sessions with text, video, and desktop sharing.
With Skype for Business and Polycom, users can move
seamlessly from one medium to another within the same
interface. For example, they can escalate a chat to a
voice call or a one-to-one voice call to a video or audio
conference. Skype for Business makes collaboration
more efficient and accessible by creating a seamless
collaboration experience, while improving productivity and
reducing costs.
Skype for Business’s accessibility and ease of use extends
collaboration capability to any employee, encouraging
teamwork and helping develop a collaborative culture.
Skype for Business also makes collaboration accessible
to smaller businesses that may not have dedicated
conference facilities.
Integration with
Microsoft Office 365
Skype for Business is part of the Office 365 suite of
products. That means users can schedule meetings though
Microsoft Outlook, or they can launch collaboration from
another Office application. For example, they could be
putting together a PowerPoint presentation or a report in
Word and want to share it with colleagues. To do that, they
could email the presentation or document and then set up a
one-to-one call or conference call from Word or PowerPoint
to discuss content.
The integration of Skype for Business with Office makes
collaboration a normal part of the working day and
encourages more employees to benefit from collaboration.
Employees familiar with using the Office 365 suite of
products, from Outlook to PowerPoint or OneDrive,
expect seamless connectivity from one product to the
next. To bring ‘Office 365 workflow’ to collaboration tools,
Polycom products are built using the Skype for Business
user interface and connectivity to Office 365. This helps
employees stay within the workflow they are used to using,
streamlines collaboration and improves productivity.
Solutions for Every Workspace
Roughly 3 percent of meeting spaces include traditional
video teleconferencing systems, according to
Microsoft research.
However, today, a collaboration workspace can be whatever
participants want it to be. That’s why it’s important that
collaboration can take place anytime, anywhere on any
device. For some, it could be a desktop or a coffee
shop with Wi-Fi. Others take to small huddle rooms or
sophisticated immersive studios. There’s a difference in
scale, but the objective is the same— to let people work
together effectively.
To meet these demands, the Microsoft and Polycom
partnership extends the Skype for Business meeting
experience by providing solutions for every type of
workspace, including:
• Huddle rooms,
• Conference rooms,
• Executive suites, and
• Boardrooms.
Huddle rooms are small rooms suitable for meetings
of up to six people. These rooms are suitable for the
informal style of team meeting that is emerging. Teams
can meet, share content and ideas, and communicate with
colleagues in other locations without a formal agenda
or the presentations typically associated with more
formal meetings.
Conference rooms, executive suites and boardrooms are
suitable for larger, more formal meetings of executives,
management teams, and project teams.
Skype for Business User
Interface Across All Devices
A single, consistent user interface for collaboration tools
makes it easy for users to join calls from any endpoint or
software application. Consistency of scheduling, joining
and managing a collaboration session is critical to driving
user adoption.
Polycom is making this a reality by extending the easy to
use Skype for Business experience beyond the desktop
and mobile applications to popular voice and video
solutions used in conference rooms and offices of all sizes.
Customers can now seamlessly schedule, dial and join a
Skype for Business call from a greater number of solutions
providing one extended Skype for Business experience.
These include the Polycom® RealPresence® Group Series
video endpoints, Polycom® VVX® 500 and 600 Business
Media Phones and the Polycom® RealPresence Trio™ and
new MSR Series of Skype Room Systems conference
phones. The familiar Skype for Business user interface will
enable an integrated meeting experience, and improved
collaboration for Skype for Business customers
More Polycom Solutions
Qualified for Skype for Business
Polycom and Microsoft are expanding the reach of Skype
for Business meetings so Polycom customers of all sizes
will be able to leverage their existing audio and video
investments as they move to Office 365 and Skype for
Business environments.
Microsoft customers new to video collaboration will
have the option to use Polycom’s proven technologies
in their new deployments. Customers also will be able to
collaborate with other, existing video platforms using a
new cloud video interoperability service built by Polycom
and Microsoft.
RealPresence Group Series is qualified to work with Skype
for Business onprem and will be certified to work with
Skype for Business online as part of Office 365. A familiar
Skype for Business-like user interface on the Polycom
RealPresence Touch device will make it even easier for
Skype for Business users to integrate video conferencing
into their current workflows.
The Polycom RealPresence Group Series supports
enterprise-grade video, voice, and collaboration
experiences to accelerate decision-making and encourage
innovation. RealPresence Group Series solutions can be
used for meetings of all kinds— from huddle rooms to
immersive telepresence rooms.
This capability enables Skype for Business to extend into
conference rooms, boardrooms, and meeting rooms of all
sizes by combining immersive video experiences with a
simple interface, broad interoperability, and the lowest TCO
of any video collaboration system.
Polycom has also introduced the MSR series, a line of
solutions purposely built for Skype for Business that offer
plug-and-play simplicity in a variety of configurations to
meet the needs of any size business and any size room.
The MSR Series for Skype Room Systems brings the Skype
for Business meeting experience, with rich HD audio and
video, to every meeting room. It provides a full Skype for
Business client with full desktop functionality, and brings all
connectivity to meeting room tables.
The MSR series features:
• One-touch join
• HD audio and HD video
• Desktop sharing
• PowerPoint sharing
Customers may also bundle the MSR Series with powerful
audio and video solutions, such as the Polycom®
RealPresence Trio™ phone, the Polycom CX5100 360-
degree video camera, and the Polycom® RealPresence
Medialign™ system.
Leverage Existing Investments
Many customers are looking to bridge heterogeneous
solution video environments as they move to RealConnect
for Office 365. Polycom delivers an industry-first, cloud-
based video interoperability service, hosted in the Microsoft
Azure, for Office 365 customers.
This enables Office 365 customers to integrate their
existing video investments from Polycom, Cisco and others
into Skype for Business online video meetings.
The service offers the capabilities of Polycom®
RealConnect™ technology, which provides users of Skype
for Business and non-Microsoft endpoints with the same
Skype for Business collaboration experience.
This will allow Skype for Business users in Office 365
to host video meetings with non-Skype for Business
standards-based endpoints. As more companies move to
Office 365, many are looking to protect their investments
and have all their systems work together seamlessly.
Polycom RealConnect for Skype for Business/Office 365
is the first technology that solves the age-old dilemma of
making different multiple video systems work together.
The RealConnect solution simplifies communications
by leveraging native Microsoft Outlook calendaring and
bringing everything and everyone together through click to
join across devices. RealConnect for Skype for Business/
Office 365 offers these important benefits:
• Just one workflow— Familiar Outlook
scheduling workflow.
• One touch join— Single click-to-join for both Skype for
Business clients and Polycom video and voice endpoints.
• Leverage legacy Cisco investment— Enables Cisco
endpoints for calendaring and click-to-join experience.
• See more faces— Show up to nine remote participants
in the Skype for Business video window.
• Share content— Bi-directional content between Skype for
Business users and standard videoconference systems.
The result is a video collaboration that is so much
easier than before, which helps user adoption and
increased usage.
Skype for Business in the
Traditional Conference Room
Polycom has also updated its RealPresence Group Series
products, adding both Office 365 integration and a user
interface consistent with the Skype Meeting experience.
The RealPresence Group series is now qualified on
Office 365.
Polycom
Certified
for Skype
Operations
Framework
Polycom is certified to provide Skype Operations
Framework— a broad portfolio of services that help
customers migrate to a Skype for Business solution. The
end-to-end approach to the deployment of Skype for
Business covers the complete plan, deliver, and operate
lifecycle with customer success firmly at the centre
• Plan services include envisioning, pilot
services and network assessment.
• Deliver services include implementation
of endpoints, end user orientation and
deployment of Skype for Business.
• Operate services include Technical support for
endpoints, remote monitoring and management,
and limited lifetime replacement.
Experience the Difference
End-to-end solutions and services— An industry leader
in voice, video and interoperability solutions for Skype
for Business.
Deep expertise and global reach— Over 12 years’
engineering teamwork with global team of Microsoft Unified
Communications experts
Broadest portfolio— a full line of desktop, huddle, and
conference room solutions that enhances and extends the
Skype for Business user experience.
Best in class voice and video collaboration solutions —
Number 1 Skype for Business IP phone provider; first
provider of business media and conference phones for
Office 365.
Skype for Business user interface across devices—
Familiar Skype for Business user interface available on
RealPresence Trio, VVX Business Media phones and
RealPresence Group Series video endpoints and the new
Polycom MSR Series.
Office 365 ready— Polycom is the first provider of business
media phones and conference phones for Office 365.
Outlook integration— Extends Outlook calendars, Active
Directory and global Skype for Business contacts to
Polycom voice and video products.
Video interoperability— Polycom RealConnect is the first
and only approved video interoperability solution that
seamlessly connects existing video based solutions into
a Skype for Business video call and offers click to join
functionality across all devices.
Skype Operations Framework Certified-Polycom services
team offers a best practice approach to planning, deploying
and managing Skype for Business in the cloud.
Strengthening the Business
Case for Skype for Business
Collaboration plays a strategic role in developing teamwork,
improving productivity and efficiency, and enhancing
customer service. With the increase in mobility and the
growth of distributed teams, it’s essential that meeting tools
can support collaboration anywhere, on any device.
In fact, 78 percent of respondents to a Microsoft survey
reported that they collaborate daily with colleagues or
contacts in other locations and 46 percent say they launch
conferences from a mobile device.
The latest communication and collaboration features
in Skype for Business combined with the advanced
audio and video solutions from Polycom make an even
stronger business case for Skype Meetings using Skype
for Business.
• Increases employees’ productivity.
• Encourages collaboration by making
tools accessible and easy to use.
• Reduces meeting costs by eliminating travel.
• Enables employees to work and
collaborate from any location.
• Reduces and repurposes expensive real estate.
• Minimizes training and support costs with an
easy-to-use solution and familiar interface.
• Lowers TCO by consolidating all conferencing
facilities in a single solution.
• Maintains customer satisfaction by supporting
enterprise-grade voice communications.
Growing with Skype for Business
The combination of Skype for Business and Polycom
systems provides a scalable solution suitable for businesses
of different sizes. There are different Skype for Business
packages and Polycom systems available to suit any budget
or collaboration requirement. These solutions can provide a
flexible infrastructure for meetings of two people or events
of up to 10,000 participants located anywhere in the world.
Skype for Business offers a clear migration path from
Microsoft Lync or Skype to protect investment for
organizations with existing installations. For growing
businesses or organizations that are new to collaboration,
the partnership of Skype for Business and Polycom provides
the portfolio and the flexibility to add features and services
to suit changing collaboration needs or scale capacity in
line with business growth.
©2017 Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. All Polycom® names and marks associated with Polycom products are trademarks or service marks of Polycom, Inc.
and are registered or common law marks in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. No portion
hereof may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, for any purpose other than the recipient’s personal use, without the express written
permission of Polycom.
About
Polycom helps organizations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and
institutions worldwide defy distance with video, voice and content solutions from Polycom. Polycom and its
global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user
experience and unmatched investment protection.
Polycom, Inc. | 1 . 800 . POLYCOM | www.polycom.com
Additional Information on
What’s New in Office 365
For more information on PSTN conferencing and Skype
Meeting Broadcast, visit Microsoft’s support site at
http://support.office.com and the Microsoft office blog
at https://blogs.office.com.
For information on Microsoft qualified phones and video
conferencing solutions, visit the Polycom + Microsoft
web page.
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