As its business customers continue to look for ways to conserve financial resources and, in this case, AT&T (News - Alert) is on a continuing mission to offer new and exciting ways for them to benefit from the latest IP Communications technologies. 

 

Business collaboration, particularly by means of audio and video conferencing, has taken a lead role in allowing businesses to communicate with colleagues and customers across the globe, without having to incur rising travel costs. Video conferencing also enables face to face communication without the having to spend time commuting, allowing for greater productivity while still offering the opportunity for an in-person experience.

 

Of course, conferencing also serves to create a “greener” footprint, helping address another growing concern — the effect travel has on the environment.

 

To further capitalize on its global IP networking and VPN services, AT&T has announced it is leveraging Cisco’s (News - Alert) conferencing expertise to offer what will be the first fully managed Cisco Telepresence solution — AT&T Telepresence Solution.

 

Cisco’s telepresence enables customers to quickly and easily engage in a collaborative video conference experience, which the key being “experience,” as it offers the capability to bring other parties into a meeting, almost as though they are sitting at the same table. It is not a desktop video calling solution using a $20 video camera from Radio Shack.

 

Leveraging its network and global reach, AT&T now brings life-size high-definition video along with special audio to its business customers, creating the experience of being in the same room with other parties, whether they are down the street or half way across the globe.

 

“The AT&T Telepresence (News - Alert) Solution is the latest example of how we’re helping enterprises to improve ‘business velocity’ by enabling them to move quicker and make better business decisions,” said Ronald E. Spears, AT&T group president of Global Business Services. “Customers can take advantage of the power of the AT&T network and our expertise in providing world-class services to enjoy the multitude of benefits of this fully immersive collaboration technology.”

 

Customers will be offered the choice of one- or three-screen options, based on Cisco’s Telepresence 1000 and 3000 solutions. The three-screen system, in particular, allows multiple parties to be joined in a session with the felling of sitting at the same conference table. In fact, with the Cisco Telepresence MultiPoint Switch, as many as 48 locations can be supported on a single call, making this an ideal solution for dispersed organizations. In a multi-party call, Cisco’s voice activated switching shows active speakers, so all parties know exactly who is engaging them. Unlike other solutions, it also displays active participants in full size, regardless of how many people are on the call.

 

While it may not seem important at first, just as with any experience, perception is everything. The enhanced virtual presence enabled by the AT&T Telepresence Solution serves to provide the perception of togetherness, which leads to increased collaboration.

 

To further drive collaboration, the solution also allows users to instantly share documents, applications, or other media with the entire meeting, simply by connecting a laptop or other device.

 

Few will argue there is no substitute for in-person communication, but the simple fact is that today’s schedules and travel costs simply do not make that a feasible alternative in every instance. Thus, by providing the next best alternative, AT&T is ensuring its business customers the ability to conduct business as effectively as possible, while meeting their budgeting and scheduling requirements in the process.

 

In fact, the solution also includes a concierge service that works in conjunction with many common business calendaring applications, including Microsoft (News - Alert) Exchange and Lotus Notes, as well as the capability to engage videoconferences with a single button.

 

It includes AT&T-owned Cisco equipment, as well as installation, monitoring, management of the platform, network provisioning, help desk support, and on-site maintenance as required.

 

Importantly, this is not a case of AT&T merely pushing a new solution to its customers — it has already deployed the solution in 11 of its own offices, and plans to expand that presence globally.

 

“We’re already seeing tremendous value from the ability to bring our management team together for face to face meetings on a regular basis, even though they are scattered across the country,” said Spears. “Not only are we saving time and expense associated with travel, but we are much more productive. When we implement the intercompany telepresence capability, we expect to quickly start using it to build closer relationships with our key customers throughout the world.”

 

In a business environment that moves faster than any before, the ability to quickly and efficiently communicate with customers and colleagues is essential — in many cases, executives almost need to be in many places at once. With the AT&T Telepresence Solution, they can.

 

The AT&T Telepresence Solution will be available in 23 countries in the second half of the year, with additional rollouts planned for 2009. The two companies are already in field trials with select customers.