UC leader introduces plug-and-play solution to transform small meeting rooms into true centers for collaboration
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – January 29, 2019 – Plantronics (NYSE: PLT), an audio pioneer and unified communications technology leader, today announced its first entrée into the huddle room video market with its new plug-and-play video bar, Polycom Studio. Any company whose employees use PCs or Macs for video collaboration with services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, or Amazon Chime will up their game with Polycom’s legendary HD audio and video quality packaged into a portable USB device.
Today’s open office spaces have resulted in an explosion of smaller meeting spaces, or “huddle rooms,” where groups of 2-6 can escape the noise to collaborate, often with coworkers in other locations. But of an estimated 32 million huddle rooms globally, only two percent of those spaces include equipment for video conferencing [1], which is becoming increasingly important for the mobile workforce. And, while the rooms may be small, the ideas that businesses are counting on coming out of those rooms are anything but. Polycom Studio’s HD audio and video clarity brings boardroom capability to even the smallest of spaces.
“Polycom Studio lets everyone get in the game of quality video conferencing,” said Joe Burton, president and chief executive officer at Plantronics. “Polycom Studio is an important first step for newly combined Plantronics and Polycom to address the huddle room needs of the modern office.”
With a simple USB connection, any PC or Mac can leverage the power of Polycom Studio to elevate audio and video meeting experiences. Its patented NoiseBlock and Acoustic Fence technologies reduce or eliminate distracting noise from office environments for professional-sounding communications. Automatic speaker tracking focuses on whoever is speaking within an ultra-wide 120-degree field of view. With 4K resolution and 5x electronic zoom, Polycom Studio provides TV studio-like quality and experiences in a meeting.
“Enterprises around the world have come to understand the strategic importance of their smaller meeting spaces. In fact, we expect the number of AV-enabled huddle rooms to increase by 15 percent in the next 12-24 months,” explains Ira M. Weinstein, managing partner at analyst firm Recon Research. “With the release of Studio, Polycom can finally bring its decades of experience in high quality video and audio to smaller rooms with lower budgets. And based on our initial testing, we think Studio will meet the expectations of even the most discerning huddle room users.”
For IT managers, Polycom Studio is refreshingly easy to manage. Unlike most USB devices that give IT little or no visibility into what is being used or any means for management and updating, Polycom Studio wirelessly connects to a corporate network to allow IT professionals a “no touch” means to deploy and manage Polycom Studio units — across a few huddle rooms, a large campus, or offices around the world. Customers can easily manage their Polycom Studios along with their other Polycom devices through the cloud with the Polycom Device Management Service for Enterprise or on premises with Polycom RealPresence Resource Manager.
Polycom Studio will be available in North America, Europe and select additional countries later this quarter.
[1] Research and Market, Global Video Conferencing in Huddle Rooms Market 2018-2022 – Looking Beyond the Hype, http://www.researchandmarkets.com
About Plantronics
Plantronics is an audio pioneer and a leader in the communications industry. Plantronics technology creates rich, natural, people-first audio and collaboration experiences so good ideas can be shared and heard—wherever, whenever and however they happen. The company’s portfolio of integrated communications and collaboration solutions spans headsets, software, desk phones, audio and video conferencing, analytics and services. Our solutions are used worldwide by consumers and businesses alike and are a leading choice for every kind of workspace. For more information visit plantronics.com.
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Plantronics Media Contact:
Shannon Shamoon
Manager, Corporate Communications
shannon.shamoon@plantronics.com
+1 (831) 201-9142