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OT: Polycom Enhances WebCommander for Easier and More Effective ...

PLEASANTON, Calif., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Polycom(R) Inc. , a worldwide leader in the convergence of interactive voice, video, data and web communications, today introduced enhancements to its WebCommander browser-based management application for the MGC(TM) product line that delivers real-time capability to schedule, monitor and manage video and voice conferences from a single management system. The enhancements improve the usability of the system enabling users to initiate, manage and monitor conferences easily through a new point-and-click user interface for ad-hoc or scheduled conferences, new reservation capability and improved workflow.

WebCommander is also now integrated with the Polycom PathNavigator(TM) call processing server, which provides administrators with tools to strip away complexity of video conferencing for end users by effectively automating tasks and intelligently routing calls based on an organization''s actual network topography.

"The enhancements to WebCommander make initiating and managing conferences through the MGC bridges much easier and provide additional functionality that is intuitive and based on well-conceived workflow models," said Guy Welty, multimedia producer of W.R. Grace. "The new templates enable us to easily create a reusable structure for regular meetings and the new ad-hoc conferencing capability makes initiating a multipoint call an easy point-and-click process. We are very pleased with the responsiveness of Polycom in listening to customer needs and delivering solutions that go two steps beyond."

Enhancements include:

Intuitive user interface -- improved graphical user interface features point-and-click options for initiating a conference, a new site navigation bar and new meeting screens.

Simplified reservation system -- new reservations system enables users to simply select participants from the address book to reserve a conference. Default names are automatically assigned, or can be modified, and users can add passwords (audio), change the meeting duration or adapt the meeting to a defined template. The meeting is automatically added to a new calendar system, which tracks all planned conferences.

Ad-hoc conferencing -- new functionality enables user to select names from the address book and click one button to launch a multi-point conference. Once the conference is initiated the user is automatically taken to the monitoring screen. Ad-hoc conferencing is enhanced through PathNavigator integration.

PathNavigator integration -- all endpoints registered to PathNavigator are automatically included in the WebCommander directory and endpoint free-busy status is updated every 60 seconds. WebCommander can leverage the call routing capabilities of PathNavigator when initiating conferences.

Time-saving templates -- new customizable templates and default templates allow user to pre-set parameters for meetings and reuse and modify them for future meetings. The templates streamline the planning process by enabling users to reuse meeting parameters.

Improved workflow model -- through the new workflow model, users have the option to immediately view ongoing meetings when the application begins.

Recent/favorite lists -- WebCommander now tracks recently used and favorite endpoints to simplify the meeting initiation and management process for users.

"These significant enhancements to WebCommander further demonstrate our commitment to developing solutions that are based on real-world customer needs," said Jules DeVigne, executive vice president and general manager of network systems at Polycom. "Polycom continues to bring together our industry-leading endpoint, infrastructure and management products as part of The Polycom Office(TM) integrated solution. This integration provides real benefits to customers in terms of unrivaled functionality and ease of use. Our new WebCommander enhancements are yet another example."

WebCommander packages include Meeting Director, Meeting Scheduler and Professional and provide users with the precise capabilities they need for scheduling and controlling video and voice conferences on multiple MCUs and Gateways across diverse networks. WebCommander Director enables users to monitor and manage their own conferences and is priced at $15,000*. WebCommander Scheduler enables conference scheduling in addition to administering conference databases and is priced at $10,000*. WebCommander Professional combines both Director and Scheduler allowing full conference scheduling and management capabilities and is priced at $25,000*.

Availability

WebCommander version 4.6 is available Dec. 19. Polycom customers currently using WebCommander with a support and maintenance contract can upgrade to the new version at no additional charge. *Prices are subject to change without notice. Retail prices may vary.

About WebCommander

Through WebCommander users can control all aspects of scheduling and managing a voice or video conferencing from a web browser, including adjusting the volume of participants, or specifying an exclusive speaker for lectures and muting all other participants, and changing video layouts on-the-fly. WebCommander also delivers email notification that includes the date, time, length of conference, list of participants, dial-in numbers, as well as endpoint resource parameters. WebCommander is tightly integrated with the recently announced unified conferencing for the Polycom MGC product line, which provides full-featured voice and video conferencing from a single multipoint control unit (MCU). WebCommander is also integrated with Polycom WebOffice(TM), enabling users to launch ad-hoc voice and video conferences during a web collaboration session by seamlessly accessing resources from the Polycom MGC products.

About Polycom

Polycom, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets a full range of high-quality, easy-to-use and affordable voice and video communication endpoints, video management software, web collaboration software, multi-network gateways, and multi-point conferencing and network access solutions. Its fully integrated end-to-end solution, The Polycom Office, is supported by the Polycom Accelerated Communications Architecture, and enables business users to immediately realize the benefits of integrated video, voice, data and web collaboration over rapidly growing converged networks. For additional information, call 1-800-POLYCOM (765-9266) or [phone], or visit the Polycom web site at http://www.polycom.com/.

NOTE: Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks and MGC, The Polycom Office, Polycom PathNavigator and Polycom WebOffice are trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other brands and names are the property of their respective owners.

Polycom, Inc.