Calgary, Alberta--SMART Technologies announced that its SMART Board 600 and 800 series interactive whiteboards and SMART Board interactive displays can now be combined with the Cisco TelePresence systems to deliver enhanced interactive collaboration.
With both companies signing a formal interoperability agreement, customers can integrate the Cisco TelePresence experience, using patent-pending Cisco TelePresence Synch, with SMART products to offer seamless collaboration in meeting rooms and classrooms.
The joint solution is designed to allow real-time collaboration across multiple locations via content sharing, live annotations and telepresence technologies. This solution allows customers to split their screen between video and data to ensure no element of the interaction is missed.
The integration of Cisco TelePresence Synch with a SMART Board interactive whiteboard or interactive display allows users to enjoy interactive collaboration with note- and application-sharing while communicating directly for an in-person-quality experience. Cisco TelePresence Synch enables users to engage with open applications on the interactive whiteboard or display and with high-definition audio and visual telepresence for a seamless integration of face-to-face and annotative interaction for all participants.
The result is a collaborative experience that enables remote participants to see all content and hear all discussions being shared.
“Bringing Cisco TelePresence Synch to SMART Board interactive whiteboards and displays adds a critical new dimension to a distributed collaborative environment – face-to-face interaction,” said Mike Baird, director, TelePresence Product Management, Cisco. “By combining the expertise of SMART and Cisco, together we can provide unique solutions to meet the customer demand for increasingly immersive collaboration experiences when having everyone in the same room is not possible.”
“We are pleased to be working with Cisco to add their telepresence capabilities to the collaborative technology products and applications of our business and education solutions,” says Linda Thomas, vice president of products, SMART Technologies. “The interoperability of SMART products and Cisco TelePresence Synch allows for enhanced collaboration and meets the needs of our growing customer base in both markets.”