Signaling a growth in the popularity of the IP media phone business, Polycom, Inc.’s VVX 1500 C phone system is now certified interoperable with Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager versions 6.1 and 7.0 by tekVizion (News - Alert), an independent third-party lab.

 

The VVX 1500 C is designed to assist firms in unifying voice, video and application capabilities, with the goal of improving employee productivity and reducing travel expenses. Beyond the video and voice capabilities, the VVX 1500 C features a microbrowser and comes with several applications, including the Polycom Productivity Suite and a trial subscription to the My Info Portal Web service where users can receive local weather reports and other personalized information

 

The product, pictured below, is just one several IP media phone products Polycom, a Pleasanton, California-based telepresence, video, and voice solutions provider, offers.

 

According to Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of voice communications solutions at Polycom, the exclusive partnership will help Polycom expands its portfolio and address firms' multimedia needs.

 

"We are delighted to deliver a standards-based solution for Cisco (News - Alert) Unified Communications Manager,” Bhalla said. “The VVX 1500 C will help our customers not only enhance their personal productivity, simplify multimedia communications, and improve team collaboration, but also to reduce travel costs."

 

Cisco employees can place video and voice calls by touching a screen to the voice and video endpoints that are part of the unified communications network.

 

“The VVX 1500 C is a perfect example of how business media phones add value to UC deployments and help customers justify investments in IP networks and unified communications,” said Chris Freeman, vice president of Business Development, tekVizion Labs, in a statement.

 

The Polycom VVX 1500 C will be available in June through Cisco UC certified resellers for a list price of $1,099.

 

Polycom’s partnership with Cisco is part of the company’s ongoing effort to increase its telepresence and video conferencing solutions for organizations. Through it, Polycom hopes to reach targeted groups with live video broadcasts and on-demand video and multimedia content.

 

The latest announcement is one of several from Polycom this year. As TMC reported, Polycom forged a relationship with Microsoft (News - Alert) Corp. to distribute Microsoft’s “RoundTable” product, which was renamed the “CX5000 Unified Conference Solution.”