Virtual Office Resource

Elo Touch Solutions, a global provider of touch screen components, monitors, and all-in-one computers, announced recently its new Elo @ The Office unified communications (UC) application. Users may have previously seen Elo touch screens used as kiosks at various businesses or restaurants, but now Elo is specifically targeting businesses and hopes to improve guest interaction within office lobbies and improve employee collaboration during office meetings of all sorts.

Elo @ The Office is available as both a mobile application and as part of a pre-configured touch screen. Elo says it can provide businesses with screens in 32-inch, 42-inch, 55-inch, and 70-inch sizes. Each model runs the Microsoft Windows operating system and is powered by an integrated Intel (News - Alert) Core i5 processor.

Businesses can install their touch screens in any room they desire and can expect that each unit will be able to interface with all other units in the office. Any users who want to attend a videoconference can simply sign on and begin sharing content with other users connected to the same videoconference through their own Elo devices.

Elo says its products are cheap enough for businesses to install in all their conference rooms, so focus groups in one room can easily share their content with managers in any other room. Remote users can even take part by utilizing the Elo mobile application on their phones, tablets, or computers. Elo @ The Office allows the touch screens and mobile users to act as normal network computers, and as a result, IT admins will not have to reconfigure their security firewalls to let content move freely between them.

The touch screens are also versatile enough to accept a number of third party apps that users can install. Businesses using Elo @ The Office devices as virtual receptionists in their lobbies can install their preferred applications with which visitors will interface, or Elo can offer their own receptionist application. Businesses can also install their own teleconferencing software or other UC and collaboration software.

Elo notes that its devices can easily use UC and conferencing software from vendors such as Avaya, Cisco, Polycom (News - Alert), ShoreTel, and Unify and products such as Cisco WebEx, Citrix GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Lync and Skype. The company recommends cloud storage vendors and products such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure, One Drive, Office 365, Oracle (News - Alert), salesforce.com, SAP, and SharePoint.