Unified Communications Consulting

Enterprise-class video conferencing has evolved to become "immersive telepresence," featuring HD video, hi-fidelity audio, multiple large screens, integrated microphones, whole-room camera clusters, content-sharing services, and even standardized furniture design and lighting to provide life-like conference room and theater experiences across distances. Meanwhile, entry-level video conferencing has become a mass-market technology. Basic video conferencing capability is now available on virtually any end-point device including smartphones and tablets, video phones, and desktop workstations.

Regardless of how sophisticated or simple the implementation, video teleconferencing (VTC) eliminates the time and expense associated with air travel while delivering major benefits such as high-value, face-to-face collaboration, shorter decision cycles, faster business processes, and more thorough training. These competitive benefits have driven double-digit growth for the telepresence industry even during the recent financial crisis and analysts expect accelerated growth through the next decade.

On the down side, both legacy video conferencing and current immersive telepresence solutions pose serious interoperability issues (including different signaling, codecs, networks and exchanges), the network infrastructure required to support video conferencing/telepresence must be carefully designed and finely tuned, and new video communications protocols are being introduced at a dizzying rate. Progent can provide the services of a certified consultant with expertise integrating technology from the leading video conferencing/telepresence providers and can help you design, install, expand, or maintain a solution that protects your investment and maximizes the business value of your IT network. Progent also offers the services of network infrastructure experts who can help businesses of any size to build and troubleshoot a communications network that provides the performance, reliability, security, and expandability you need to support your video conferencing/telepresence environment.

Video Conferencing and Telepresence Technologies Supported by Progent
Progent has extensive experience helping companies deploy and manage video conferencing and telepresence systems and can provide online or on-premises access to a subject matter expert familiar with popular platforms from Cisco/TANDBERG, Polycom, LifeSize, Radvision, Mirial, and other major providers. Video conferencing and telepresence system vendors supported by Progent include:

Cisco/TANDBERG Telepresence Technology
Cisco is the leading provider of immersive telepresence technology as well as IP-video infrastructure. Cisco has expanded its portfolio by acquiring industry pioneer TANDBERG, developers of the popular Telepresence T3 system. Cisco is also a leading provider of multipoint control units (MCUs) and offers low-latency/mixed endpoint video switching via the Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch (CTMS). Cisco high-end immersive telepresence products are the three-screen Cisco TelePresence System 3010 and 3210 platforms, which interoperate with Cisco's modular and single-screen systems to support branch offices and home offices and with Cisco's Umi solutions for consumer video calling. Cisco's extensive product line from soft client to immersive suites can be managed via Cisco Unified Call Manager.

Progent can provide the services of a Cisco/TANDBERG telepresence expert whose credentials include the TANDBERG TCTE, TCTS, TCTA, and CTSS certifications and the Cisco CCNA Video and Cisco Video Network Specialist credentials to help you with system planning, site preparation, installation and configuration, troubleshooting, expansion, upgrades, and migration. Progent can help resolve issues with Codec C20/40/60/90, VCS Cluster support, and maintenance or upgrading of legacy systems such as the Tandberg 770/880/990 MXP Series. Progent can also provide the services of certified Cisco CCIE network engineers to help you design and implement the infrastructure required to deliver the full benefits of Cisco telepresence technology.

Cisco/Codian Telepresence Technology
Codian, acquired by Tandberg who was in turn acquired by Cisco, was a leading manufacturer of high-end video conferencing infrastructure products with a product line that included Multipoint Control Units, ISDN gateways, Video Conference Recorders and Streaming Servers. The Codian MSE 8000 Media Services Engine was a state-of-the-art carrier-class voice and video communications platform when it was released, offering IP and ISDN interoperability and the ability to support Up to 360 ports of multipoint video conferencing. The Codian MCU 4500 series video bridge was the first conferencing bridge capable of delivering continuous presence for all conferences with full HD video resolution, speed, frame rate and codec.

Progent's Cisco/TANDBERG telepresence expert can help you maintain legacy Codian solutions including the TANDBERG Codian ISDN Gateway 3200 Series, IP GW 3500 Series Internet Portals, Advanced Media Gateway 3600 Series, MCU 4200 and 4500 Series Conferencing Bridges, and MSE 8000 Series Media Service Engines. Progent can also help you upgrade smoothly from Codian video conferencing technology to Cisco latest solutions for immersive telepresence.

Polycom Video Collaboration Solutions
Polycom is a video conferencing pioneer and a leading telepresence technology provider, offering infrastructure as well as endpoints. Polycom's first high-end telepresence system was the RealPresence Experience (RPX) platform, which was distinguished by featuring rear projection and screen-embedded cameras. Polycom later introduced the popular VSX product line with separate cameras and displays. Lower-cost immersive telepresence families from Polycom include the Open Telepresence Experience (OTX) and Architected Telepresence Experience (ATX) product families. Polycom's HDX series of conference room and personal telepresence products range from the HDX 4000 for personal telepresence to the HDX 9000 for lecture hall telepresence and support H.264 High Profile to provide high resolutions and frame rates while reducing bandwidth requirements by up to 50%. Polycom's CX series of video conferencing devices include solutions for desktops, common areas, and conference rooms and incorporate Microsoft Lync (formerly Office Communications Manager) technology to provide centralized management, built-in monitoring tools, document and multi-media content sharing, and multiple policy settings.

Progent offers access to a Polycom telepresence subject matter expert and also can also provide the support of certified Microsoft Lync consultants who can help you integrate your Polycom telepresence solution with Microsoft Lync Server.

LifeSize Telepresence
LifeSize products, acquired by Logitech and sold by Logitech's LifeSize division, concentrates on highly affordable and modular telepresence systems for small and mid-size organizations. The flagship video conferencing platform available from LifeSize is the LifeSize 220 Series, which can support up to eight total participants in a meeting room with two HD monitors, supplied by the customer, and two active HD cameras. The LifeSize Passport HD video conferencing system is designed for small meeting rooms or personal or home offices. Interoperability with Skype allows any Skype user to be accessible from the LifeSize Passport directory for single-click connectivity. The LifeSize UVC Video Engine for Microsoft Lync works together with LifeSize 220 Series and LifeSize Passport room-based video systems to enable up to 4-way continuous-presence HD video calls with Microsoft Lync.

Progent offers affordable access to an expert in LifeSize video conferencing technology who can save you time and money by providing remote help to install and configure a new LifeSize telepresence system and maintain or upgrade a legacy system. Progent's Microsoft Lync consultants can also help you install and configure Microsoft Lync Server to operate with your LifeSize video conferencing platforms and to help you manage Presence and Instant Messaging (IM) throughout your organization.

LifeSize/Mirial
Mirial, acquired by Logitech and sold through Logitech's LifeSize division, provides software for mobile video collaboration. ClearSea enables HD video collaboration for PCs and Macs, Android, iPhones, and iPads and is interoperable with standards-based video systems and infrastructure solutions. ClearSea collaboration tools include multiparty call escalation, presence and text chat, far-end camera control, real-time data sharing, and a centralized contact list for directory dialing. Clustering capability allows enterprise-class scale, multi-site support, and high availability. Integrated NAT/firewall traversal and media encryption provide advanced security without extra cost. Softphone enables 1080p HD video calls at on Macs and PCs and supports real-time data sharing, three-party multiparty calling, plus record and export capabilities.

Progent can provide the services of a Mirial subject matter expert and can help you maintain legacy Mirial mobile video software or plan and execute an efficient migration to the latest LifeSize versions.

Radvision Video Conferencing and Telepresence
Radvision, which has been acquired by Avaya, offers the entry-level SCOPIA Desktop web browser plug-in for PCs and Macs that allows users to see up to 28 video conference participants simultaneously and to share documents and images. For conference room telepresence, Radvision offers the SCOPIA XT product family of dual-screen video conferencing systems. The top-of-the-line XT5000 supports embedded 9-way multi-party conferencing, SCOPIA Desktop conferencing, and firewall traversal and is enabled for Multi-Touch control via the Apple iPad. Advanced technical features of the TX5000 include 60fps live video, 20 kHz audio, H.264 High Profile for bandwidth efficiency, and H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) for network error resilience.

Progent offers affordable online or onsite access to a consultant recognized by Radvision as a video conferencing Subject Matter Expert. Progent can help you take advantage of Radvision's mix-and-match approach to telepresence by specifying components that meet your business goals and fit your budget. Progent's experience with Radvision's SCOPIA product family gives you a cost-effective resource for maintaining your current system or upgrading to the latest Radvision telepresence technology.

Video Conferencing and Telepresence Integration Services Available from Progent
Progent can provide remote and on-premises support to help you install and manage your telepresence system by offering services that include site preparation, system assembly and installation, plus network design and configuration. Progent's engineers have worked with Cisco/TANDBERG, Polycom, LifeSize and Radvision and can help you maintain and expand your existing environment, upgrade to more current technology, resolve interoperability issues, and extend the reach of your telepresence solution to include desktop and mobile endpoints. Progent offers experience working with H.323, SIP, and H.264 standards and Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE network engineers can help you migrate from legacy ISDN-based video conferencing to high-performance and fault-tolerant IP-based systems.

Progent can also provide project management services to help you plan and co-ordinate your telepresence initiative, and Progent's certified Microsoft consultants can help you integrate your telepresence system with Microsoft Lync Server or upgrade from Microsoft Office Communications Server to Lync Server. Progent's network security experts can help you test the vulnerability of your video conferencing/telepresence system to various IP-based threats and can help you mitigate any issues.

Contact Progent for Video Conferencing and Telepresence Consulting
For more details about the consulting and support services offered by Progent for video conferencing and telepresence, call 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.